As many of you know, I owned International Jets in Gadsden, AL. Our specialty is the L-39 but we've worked on everything from CJ-6s to C-130s, Alpha Jets to TBMs. We did Warbird and military maintenance, parts and training on four continents. I've personally ferried 13 military fighter/trainer aircraft from the US to Europe, Africa and South America over the last ten years. To say I am greatly interested in the mechanical condition of the airplanes I fly is a huge understatem

About four years ago the Nigerian embassy in DC sought us out at International Jets and asked for parts support for their L-39ZA fleet. One thing led to another and IJ is now heavily involved in reconstituting and maintaining Alpha Jet, L-39 and other fleets for the NAF. I am particularly proud of NAF's recent involvement with the Mali operations along with the French Air Force. Doing foreign military contracts is a whole different world from domestic Warbird operations. It i

Richard: Sometimes you just get lucky. What else can you say when you get a call to ferry a Canadair CT-133 Silver Star to Stavanger, Norway ENZV? The call came from Paul Keppeler in early May about three weeks before the Sola Airport air show, celebrating 100 years of the Norwegian air force. Since I'd ferried four L-39s to Europe over the last two years, I guess Paul figured I wouldn't have a problem doing it one more time. Of course, a regulatory process that normally take

L-39 Wheel Brake System Recently, I had the unusual experience of having the main wheel brake system fail on an L-39. This happened not once, but TWICE in a two-week period! Now what's the chance of that? Regardless, we were able to get both aircraft stopped with no damage except for one blown tyre. Since this is a rare occurrence, I thought it might be beneficial to write an article about the L-39 wheel brake system and then discuss my recent failures. The L-39 has a modern,

It's hard for me to believe it's been 30 years since I last flew the A-10, affectionately known as the Hog, almost half my lifetime ago. It's one of the most memorable and enjoyable aircraft I ever flew. The airplane itself was easy to fly. The varied air-to-ground missions and weapons loads made it a complex weapon system. I was a pilot in the 104th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS), an Air National Guard unit in Westfield, Massachusetts. This was a very aggressive group of gu

Those of you who follow my travels know that I've delivered airplanes to, and spent time in, some interesting and out-of-the-way places. May 2017 was no different. The Ugandan People's Defence Air Force (UPDAF) operates small fleets of Italian SF-260 trainers and Czech L-39ZA trainer/ground attack aircraft, Cessna 208 utility aircraft, Russian Su-30 fighters, and four types of Russian and American helicopters. Aerodyne in Prague was contracted to manage the overhaul and avion

In late January this year my company, International Jets, Inc., had a visitor from Italy. He had been searching and waiting for 12 long years to buy an L-39 and to find an organization he could trust with this important purchase. We were honored to be chosen. This decision to use the services of International Jets was just the beginning of an incredibly long process ending with the delivery of his aircraft to his home airport in Italy. There were a number of good candidate ai