Still more Fallon--the Bad Guy edition

This post contains more aircraft from Fallon NAS. And special thanks to Russia and the Eastern Bloc for donating so many of these wonderful aircraft for our pilots' training programs.

Here we have the MiG 15, a very capable early Russian jet using an engine taken right from Rolls Royce of Britain when the Labour Government there agreed to an seemingly inane request from Russian agents for a license to build them and technical help setting up their plant. Thanks, Brits!

Then the Russians refied it into the even more capable MiG 17, shown here.

Then there was this really impressive MiG-21, which was so fast and agile that combat with it was referred to as "being like a knife fight in a phone booth," especially if you happened to be flying an F-4 Phantom that day.

Next up is a MiG 23. Supposedly very fast, but not much for avionics or turns.

And here's a MiG 29.

It was really nice of the Communists to let us have al of these--and many more like them--back in the day so that we could study them and teach our pilots how to fight them. Alas, for as much work as it was to get some of these once, now there are plenty of them for sale on the open market, including the civil registry. Yes, you too can buy a Mig 17 or Mig 21 for less than you'd pay for most American collectible warbirds...and you could probably have some fun with it too, at least until it's engine needed replacing, and unlike American fighters, the engines in these aircraft were made to be pretty much disposable--you're not just overhauling it even if you could get parts, which you probably can't. Still, A Mig 21 could be a blast to fly for as long as it stays airworthy!