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Aero L-29 Delfín

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History:

The Aero L-29 Delfín (English: Dolphin, NATO reporting name: Maya) is a military jet trainer developed and manufactured by Czechoslovakian aviation manufacturer Aero Vodochody. It is the country's first locally designed and constructed jet aircraft, as well as likely being the biggest aircraft industrial programme to take place in any of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) countries except the Soviet Union.

In response to a sizable requirement for a common jet-propelled trainer to be adopted across the diverse nations of the Eastern Bloc, Aero decided to embark upon their own design project with a view to suitably satisfying this demand. On 5 April 1959, an initial prototype, designated as the XL-29, performed its maiden flight. The L-29 was selected to become the standard trainer for the air forces of Warsaw Pact nations, for which it was delivered from the 1960s onwards. During the early 1970s, the type was succeeded in the principal trainer role by another Aero-built aircraft, the L-39 Albatros, heavily contributing to a decline in demand for the earlier L-29 and the end of its production during 1974.

During the course of the programme, in excess of 3,000 L-29 Delfin trainers were produced. Of these, around 2,000 were reported to have been delivered to the Soviet Union, where it was used as the standard trainer for the Soviet Air Force. Of the others, which included both armed and unarmed models, many aircraft were delivered to the various COMECON countries while others were exported to various overseas nations, including Egypt, Syria, Indonesia, Nigeria and Uganda. Reportedly, the L-29 has been used in active combat during several instances, perhaps the most high-profile being the use of Nigerian aircraft during the Nigerian Civil War of the late 1960s and of Egyptian L-29s against Israeli tanks during the brief Yom Kippur War of 1973.

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Controls

Ag1 - Landing Lights

Ag2 - Lights

Ag3 - Airbrake

VTOL - Flaps

Trim - Trim

General Characteristics

  • Created On Windows
  • Wingspan 30.3ft (9.2m)
  • Length 29.6ft (9.0m)
  • Height 9.7ft (3.0m)
  • Empty Weight 2,230lbs (1,011kg)
  • Loaded Weight 7,093lbs (3,217kg)

Performance

  • Power/Weight Ratio 9.98
  • Wing Loading 39.9lbs/ft2 (194.6kg/m2)
  • Wing Area 177.9ft2 (16.5m2)
  • Drag Points 191

Parts

  • Number of Parts 235
  • Control Surfaces 6
  • Performance Cost 1,062