For pilot, Russian MiG-29 is $6 million dream come true

HeraldNet ^ | Sunday, February 6, 2011 | Debra Smith

[sukhoi-30mki]

Mark Mulligan / The Herald

John Sessions stands in front of the MiG-29 he acquired for the Historic Flight Foundation's aircraft collection. “If you are going to restore a Mach 2 fighter, you might as well do a pretty one,” he says.

[padre35]

Hmm, how are they going to acquire spare parts for it?

[anymouse]

Same way half the 1/3 world does - with credit card. As long as you pay well, the Russians are very happy to sell you what you want. Now returning the crappy parts for refund might be a little dicey. ;)

[Husker24]

If he can acquire the plane, I'm sure he can acquire spare parts.

[CORedneck]

Nice !

[hattend]

The Russians nicknamed the jet the "Fulcrum"

Actually, NATO did...but it a reporter, he doesn't know better.

[llevrok]

What separates men from boys is the size and price of their toys.

Although when flying this MiG, I suspect there is a lot of little boy inside.

[GATOR NAVY]

I thought Fulcrum was the NATO designation.

[VeniVidiVici]

The Russians nicknamed the jet the "Fulcrum"

Actually, NATO did...but it a reporter, he doesn't know better.

We should count our blessings and just be thankful the reporter didn't say he was flying an AK-47.

[bill1952]

Who will sign off on that annual??

Seriously, he may as well make the parts himself & wait for approval.

[ANGGAPO]

I wonder what kind of money it takes to feed that beast?

[LexRex in TN]

Heck, I was looking for the “semi-auto” designation in there somewhere!

[GeronL]

I hear there is a Harrier for sale now.

[GeronL]

I hear there is a Harrier for sale now.

[GeronL]

Exactly, we can’t expect reporters to know anything

[John Valentine]

Speaking of names, I think Debra Smith is a she.

[hattend]

The hot exhaust behind the afterburners momentarily turned the air behind them into molten glass.

I would have wanted to be there to see that! (f'n reporters...)

[hattend]

Yep, noticed that after I posted...thanks.

[DemforBush]

On a semi-related note, here’s an article about Constant Peg, the Cold War-era program for American pilots to test fly ‘acquired’ Soviet fighter jets.

http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2007/April%202007/0407peg.aspx

The MiG-23 seems to have been the pilots least favorite by far.

[Oztrich Boy]

The Russians nicknamed the jet the "Fulcrum" -- the agent through which great power is exercised.

Journalists!