84 FLYPAST January 2018
WARBIRDS MiG-17
COLD WAR VETERAN
Shining black Fresco ‘Red 309’
(N406DM) is the property of
Willliam ‘Will’ Ward, a Spirit
Airlines captain based at Detroit,
Michigan. Talking at
Detroit’sWillow Run
Airport, where he bases
his MiG, Will explained
that he has spent his entire 25-year
career in civil aviation and is now
an Airbus captain with more than
22,000 flying hours.
However, he has also been flying
aerobatics for more than 30 years and
over that time has flown numerous
types, including the Sukhoi Su-29,
Douglas A-26 Invader, Douglas
DC-6, Lockheed F-104, Lockheed
T-33, MiG-15, and MiG-21.
“I kept my dream to fly a jet fighter
alive,” he said, “and I managed to
crown my ambition when I took
possession of a MiG-17, an aircraftthat I still fly today and display at
airshows.”
Unfortunately, little is known
about Will’s MiG-17. He has
established that it was built
in China in 1957 as a
Shenyang J-5. It could
have served with
theNorth
Vietnam Air
Force and seen
combat. It was imported into the
USA in early 1988.
Will purchased the MiG in
2001 and he is still in love with it:
“Every time I sit in this cockpit I
feel privileged to fly this Cold War
machine. The MiG-17 is a relatively
easy plane to fly, but things happen
fast and you have to know your
personal limits, especially if you
have no military background.”EVIL MISTRESS
Jeff Kaney talked of his experiences
flying the Fresco: “In my first year
of airshow flying I saw 550 knots
indicated airspeed and the beast
wasn’t even breathing hard. She is an
evil mistress for sure.“It’s smooth, it’s powerful - hell it has an
afterburner that really kicks you in the
butt and propels you to the heavens like a
homesick angel!”
Right
The brightly coloured
fl ying helmet usually
worn by ‘Red 309’
owner Will Ward.Right centre
MiG-17 ‘Red 309’ is
based at Detroit’s
Willow Run Airport.Below right
A dynamic air-to-
air view of MiG-17
N406DM airborne in
the US.