History
The Aero L-29 Delfín is a turbo-jet training aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia at the end of the 50s. The first flight was made on April 5, 1959. Two more similar planes were built in communist countries: the Soviet Yakovlev Yak-30 and the Polish TS-11 Iskra. In 1961, in Moscow, the Polish TS-11 Iskra turned out to be the best during comparative tests, but the Aero L-29 Delfín was chosen for political reasons. Poland stayed with its TS-11 Iskra and even exported it to India. The Yak-30 plane was underdeveloped, with numerous faults. In addition, the CCCP industry could not build even 100 aircraft, because the entire industry built only combat aircraft. The Aero L-29 Delfín plane was put into service with the entire communist camp, therefore it was built in the number of 3,665 copies. Nevertheless, in the 1970s, a new, better Aero L-39 Albatros aircraft was developed.
Aero L-29 Delfín plane No. 3241 at the Museum in Krakow.
In 2014, the Aero L-29 Delfín training plane was brought to the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow. The plane came to Krakow from the Czech Aviation Museum Kbely in Prague, on the way of exchange, for the TS-11 Iskra bis D plane No. 3H-1212. The Aero L-29 Delfín aircraft No. 3241 was built in 1969 at the Aero Vodochody factory as part of the 32 production series. He served in the Czechoslovak Army, and from 1990 in the Czech Army. In 2004, the plane was donated to the Aviation Museum Prague-Kbely. In Krakow, the plane after assembly (2014) was put on an open-air exhibition.
The Aero L-29 Delfín aircraft No. 3241 is painted gray. It bears the serial number on the back of the plane's fuselage. The front of the aircraft is No. 41, which is the production series number of the aircraft. This number was painted after the collapse of Czechoslovakia. Additional fuel tanks 2 x 150 liters are suspended under the wings of the aircraft.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman