L-29 Delfin 1/72

ProfiPACK edition kit of the Czechoslovak military jet trainer L-29 Delfín in 1/72 scale.

• plastic parts: AMK
• number of marking options: 5
• decals: Eduard
• PE parts: yes, pre-painted
• mask: yes
• resin parts: no

A) 2853, 1st Squadron, 11th Fighter Air Regiment, Žatec, Czech Republic, 1993

The Žatec Delfín received this colourful scheme at the beginning of June 1993. It was created by a team of technicians under the leadership of Capt. Eng. Karel Krejčí. The aircraft was first presented to the public on 10 July of the same year at the air show in Žatec. After the disbandment of the 11th Fighter Air Regiment, the aircraft was transferred to the 1st Training Air Regiment in Přerov. The entire surface of the aircraft, including the drop tanks, was degreased and the national insignia and fuselage numbers were covered with tape. The aircraft was then sprayed yellow, and finally the black tiger stripes were added.

B) 3250, International Fighter Pilots Academy, Košice, Slovak Republic, 1993

The International Fighter Pilots Academy was established at the beginning of 1993 at Košice Airport as an official training unit and allowed civilian applicants to take part in flight activities on military aircraft and helicopters. One of the aircraft that served there and through which funds were obtained for the budget of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic was this Delfín. The fuselage of this L-29 was painted grey, while the wings carried a colourful scheme with segments of red, white and blue reminiscent of aerobatic Delfíns. The IFPA badge was located on both sides of the fuselage below the windscreen.

C) 378, 101st Fighter-Reconnaissance Wing, Szolnok Air Base, Hungary, summer 1978

L-29 Delfín with production number 591378 was built in 1965 and delivered to the Hungarian Air Force, in which it served for its entire career at Szolnok Air Base. At the beginning of its service, it flew uncamouflaged with the red number 378. The aircraft returned twice to Czechoslovakia for overhauls carried out in Trenčín in 1971 and 1978. After the second general overhaul, the aircraft received a camouflage scheme whose colours differed significantly from the standard camouflage of Hungarian aircraft. Later, the camouflage was supplemented with green paint used by Hungarian technicians to repair damaged areas. Interestingly, this aircraft is still in operation, this time in private hands in the USA, where it flies with the registration N21KE. Its service with the Hungarian Air Force ended in March 1983, and in the summer of 1984 it was sold to the Soviet Union. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, it received the registration YL-PAD in the mid-1990s and was sold to Scotland, where it spent several years in outdoor storage before being sold to the USA.

D) N179EP, Reno base, United States of America, 2009

The American company Tactical Air Services owns two L-29 Delfín aircraft, which it also uses in cooperation with the army or navy for defense training, where the Delfíns simulate anti-ship or surface-attack cruise missiles. During the voyage to the RIMPAC 2010 exercise (Rim of the Pacific – the largest international naval war exercise), they were photographed aboard LHD 6 Bon Homme Richard. Aircraft N179EP is camouflaged in shades similar to Russian aircraft, and the camouflage is complemented by Russian stars on the wing and fin.

E) 3246, 3rd Squadron, 1st slp, Planá Airfield near České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia, 1969-1970

While most L-29s served with training regiments as trainer aircraft, several examples were also assigned to combat units for proficiency flying with low operating costs. One of them was this L-29 with fuselage number 3246, serving from the very beginning of its operation in 1969 until the mid-1980s with the 3rd Squadron of the 1st slp in České Budějovice. Later it was transferred to a training regiment in Košice and finally ended its flying career in Slovakia as one of the last in 2003. In 1969-1970, not only MiG-21PFMs but also this L-29 carried the squadron badge – a devil on a dark blue background. The red details were the standard colour scheme in which L-29s were delivered to the main customer – training regiments of the Soviet Air Force.