The Wyllie Aviation L39-C was acquired in June 2003 in South Africa. The appeal to Wyllie Aviation was the opportunity to acquire one of these unique aircraft with very low engine and airframe hours as it had only recently been completely overhauled by the Ukraine Air Force.
The L-39C Albatross is a two-seat basic and advanced jet trainer built by Aero Vodochody which is based near Prague in the Czech Republic. Aero Vodochody is one of the three major companies that formed the Czechoslovak aviation industry in the years immediately following the First World War.
Production of the L-39 commenced in 1973 and, by the time of its ‘debut’ at the Paris Airshow in 1977, over 500 examples were already in service with the Warsaw Pact Air Forces as well as the German Democratic Republic.
The Albatross is capable of operations from grass or unprepared runways. It was simple to manufacture and maintain and the aircraft had no vices. Most Czech Air Force pilots soloed on the L-39C after only 12 hours dual training.
Until the production of the L-39C Albatross ceased in 1990, some 2,247 variants of this fighter-trainer were manufactured and delivered to the Soviet Air Force and the Air Forces of Czechoslovakia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Ethiopia and Iraq. Armed variants fitted with underwing hard points for bombs, drop tanks and missiles were also exported to Algeria, Bangladesh, the German Democratic Republic, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Romania, Syria and Thailand.
One of the unique features of the L-39C is the use of an auxiliary power unit (APU) that provides compressed air to the turbo fan’s air starter unit. In the air, the engine can be restarted by either the APU or by autorotation. This feature makes the aircraft semi-independent of ground support equipment which, combined with the aircraft’s handling characteristics and ability to operate from semi prepared fields, makes it an ideal platform for jet-fighter training and light attack applications by less sophisticated Air Forces.
Rapid servicing and low maintenance cost was one of the main criteria in the development of the L-39C. For easy servicing and maintenance, the airframe is furnished with large numbers of access doors with quick release locks, all easily accessible from the ground with simple airfield servicing equipment. The engine can be removed and refitted in less than 3 hours. All parts of the airframe are replaceable and interchangeable. Overhaul of the airframe is required after 2,000 hours and overhaul of the engine after 1,000 hours. Proven airframe life is 6,000 hours.
The L-39C is powered by an AI-25 TL twin shaft turbo fan engine. Three stages of low pressure driven by a 2-stage turbine, and 9 stages of high pressure driven by a single stage turbine. The control of the engine is hydromechanical with an emergency backup circuit. The engine is attached to the airframe by means of four hinges enabling quick removal of the engine after the rear part of the fuselage is disconnected. Only one other example of the L-39C is currently flying regularly in Australia. It is based at Bankstown and owned by Patrick Yu, a Sydney businessman who spent three years searching for the ideal jet warbird which would fulfil the requirements of ease of maintenance and relatively economic operation.