L-29 Delfin 1/72

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

• Plastic parts: AMK
• Number of camouflage schemes: 5
• Decals: Eduard
• Etched parts: yes, pre-colored
• Mask: Yes
• Resin parts: no

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

The Žatec Delfín received this paint scheme in early June 1993. A team of technicians led by Capt. Ing. Karel Krejčí was responsible for its creation. The aircraft was first unveiled to the public on July 10 of that year at an air show in Žatec. After the 11th Fighter Aviation Regiment was disbanded, the aircraft was transferred to the 1st Training Aviation Regiment in Přerov. The entire surface of the aircraft, including the auxiliary fuel tanks, was degreased, and the national insignia and fuselage numbers were covered with tape. The aircraft was then repainted yellow, and finally, the black tiger stripes were applied.

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

International Fighter Pilots Academy was founded in early 1993 at the Košice airport as an official training unit, allowing civilian applicants to participate in flight operations on military aircraft and helicopters. One of the aircraft that served here—and through which funds were raised 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 gray, while the wings featured a colorful pattern of red, white, and blue segments reminiscent of the Delfín aerobatic team. The IFPA emblem was located on both sides of the fuselage below the nose cone.

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

The L-29 Delfín with serial number 591378 was manufactured in 1965 and delivered to the Hungarian Air Force, with which it served its entire career at the Szolnok Air Base. Early in its service, it flew unpainted with the red number 378. The aircraft returned to Czechoslovakia twice for major overhauls (GO) performed in Trenčín in 1971 and 1978. After the second overhaul, the aircraft was painted in colors that differed significantly from the standard camouflage schemes of Hungarian aircraft. Later, green paint was added to the camouflage as Hungarian technicians used it to repair damaged paintwork. Interestingly, this aircraft is still in service, now in private hands in the U.S., where it flies under the registration number 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 collapse of the Soviet Union, it was registered as YL-PAD in the mid-1990s and sold to Scotland, where it spent several years in an outdoor storage facility before being sold to the United States.

D) N179EP, Reno Air Force Base, United States, 2009

The American company Tactical Air Services owns two L-29 Delfín aircraft, which it also uses in conjunction with the Army and Navy during defense exercises, where the Delfíns simulate anti-ship or anti-ground missiles with a flat flight path. During the RIMPAC 2010 exercise (Rim of the Pacific—the largest international naval exercise), they were photographed aboard the LHD 6 Bon Homme Richard. Aircraft N179EP is camouflaged in shades similar to those of Russian aircraft; the camouflage is complemented by Russian stars on the wing and tail.

E) 3246, 3rd Squadron, 1st Fighter Wing, Planá Airfield near České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia, 1969–1970

While most L-29s served with training regiments as training aircraft, several were also assigned to combat units for routine flight training due to their low operating costs. One of these was this L-29, fuselage number 3246, which served from the start of operations in 1969 until the mid-1980s with the 3rd Squadron of the 1st Fighter Wing in České Budějovice. It was later transferred to the training regiment in Košice and finally retired in Slovakia in 2003 as one of the last of its kind. In 1969–1970, not only the MiG-21PFMs but also this L-29 bore the squadron emblem—a devil on a dark blue background. The red accents were part of the standard paint scheme in which the L-29s were delivered to their primary customer—the training regiments of the Soviet Air Force.