A recent series of hanger relocation's around the
Cold War Air Museum brought an L29 project temporarily out of storage.
One of the interesting stories for a future post is about how these aircraft were taken apart and shipped from their original homes to Texas.
The L29 divides easily into five major sub-assemblies, the nose, tail, wings, mid-section and engine (plus some extra parts).
The mid section, shown above, is the key puzzle piece. After you attach the nose, lower the gear and mount the engine, you have something that looks like a tricycle speed racer, useful for basic engine checkout and test. Wings, tail and a horizontal stab then complete the puzzle.
More than ten of these classic jet trainers have been reassembled or brought back to flying status with the assistance of the local group of fliers and mechanics.
The nose section contains the pressurized cockpit. Until the aircraft is reassembled, checked and certified, the owner can only sit inside and make loud "whooshing" noises. With today's fuel prices that sometimes seems like a desirable alternative even for the fliers.
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