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a/c No. 2853, 1 Squadron, 11 Fighter Regiment, Žatec, Czech Republic, 1993
N179EP, Reno AFB, United States of America, 2009
3246, 3 Squadron, 1 Fighter Regiment, Planá Air Base, Czechoslovakia, 1969–1970
This Delfin received its coloring at the beginning
of June 1993. It was created by the ground crew
under the leadership of kpt. Ing. Karel Krejčí
and it was introduced to the public on July 10
of the same year at an airshow in Žatec. After
the disbandment of the 11 Fighter Regiment,
the aircraft was transferred to the 1 Training
Regiment at Přerov. The entire aircraft, including
the drop tanks, was cleaned and degreased and
the national insignia and fuselage number were
covered by tape. After that, the aircraft was
painted yellow, followed by the black tiger stripes.
The American company Tactical Air Services
owns two L-29 Delfins and these are used to
train army and navy elements by simulating
incoming anti-shipping or air-to-surface rounds.
During RIMPAC 2010 (Rim Of The Pacific – the
largest international naval exercise) they were
photographed on the deck of LHD-6 Bon Homme
Richard. Aircraft N179EP is camouflaged similarly
to the aircraft operated by the Russian Air Force,
including Russian stars on the wings and fin.
While most L-29s served as trainers with
training units, some aircraft were allocated
to combat units to help in maintaining pilot’s
ratings at a minimal expense. One such aircraft
was this L-29 coded 3246, which was assigned
to 3 Squadron of the 1 Fighter Regiment based at
České Budějovice. The aircraft served there right
from its acceptance in 1969 up to the mid-eighties.
Later, it was transferred to a training regiment in
Košice and stayed operational up to 2003. During
1969–70, the Squadron emblem was painted on
the nose consisting of a devil on a dark blue
background, the same as used on MiG-21PFMs of
the unit. The red trim was part of the standard
scheme in which the L-29s were delivered to the
main client, the Soviet Union.
KITS 06/2024
INFO Eduard
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Červenec 2024