L-29 The Aero Vodchody L-29 has long been the "Econo-Jet" of choice for the entry level jet owner. A very successful design dating from the 1960's, the "Delphin" (code named by NATO the "Maya", "M" for "Trainer" and two syllables for "Jet") is a very simple single engine jet with straight wings, relatively low stalling speed, and simple systems. It also features a relatively low power to weight ratio, meaning that it's no screamer performance-wise, but for the novice jet pilot "earning his wings" on a first jet, that's not much of a disadvantage. The cockpit and functional interface of the L-29 is similar to the Yak-52, and also bears a strong resemblance to the MiG-15 and MiG-17 as well as to the Polish TS-11 "Iskra", which competed against the L-29 (and a Yak design that never went into production) for use as the standardized trainer of the former Warsaw Pact air forces. This similarity is no wonder, as the competition was designed to encourage aircraft designs most closely resembling the then advanced-trainer, the MiG-15UTI, to be submitted for consideration. While the TS-11 was a more advanced jet, with higher performance, the docile and easy to manage L-29 won the competition. It must be noted that the term "low performance" as commonly used to describe the L-29 means that it is only low performance in comparison to other jets: The basic performance numbers of this airplane are about the same as those for a P-51 Mustang! Red Star Aviation finds the L-29 to be one of the easiest jets for us to use to transition a pilot into flying jets of any sort. Low workload, simple systems, and benign flight characteristics make it a forgiving aircraft when flown by pilots of moderate skill levels. For pilots without recent and verifiable experience flying as PIC in other military surplus jets, making a screening flight in the L-29 is a Red Star Aviation requirement for anyone wishing to transition into the front seat of our MiG-15UTI. A good foundation based on a few hours flying the L-29 makes later transition into the MiG-15UTI a safe and pleasurable experience.