“One has to remember that this
is the first-generation supersonic
swept-wing jet with an afterburner
and was designed in the late 1950s.
There are some quirks that need
serious attention. The Klimov
VK-1F, a Russian copy of the Rolls-
Royce Nene 10 turbojet, has a
slooooow spool-up and a penchant
for compressor stalls that make you
keep one eye on the RPM and the
other on the temperature gauge.
“Like the L-39, the MiG has a
bicycle-type brake lever on the
stick that when combined with the
rudders, adds hydraulic pressure to
the side that you have pushed with
your feet. If the rudders are
centred, then both brakes
get equal pressure.
Once you start to push
the rudder bar to one
side or another,
the
pressure
is biased until
at full travel, that
brake gets all the pressure and
the opposite side gets none. A free
castering nosewheel makes all the
magic happen.
“The brakes are pneumatic and
utilize nitrogen from an on-board
supply, and have no anti-skid
capability. With judicious use of the
brakes, you can get five to six sorties
prior to topping up the nitrogen.”
CLIMB ON BOARD
Jeff talked through a sortie in
N6953X: “Flying this thing is
a multi-discipline experience.
Each segment contains unique
idiosyncrasies that require rapt
attention.
“With full fuel, you need a handful
of power to get her moving. Taxiing
can be a bit tricky if you don’t have
experience with the differential
steering. The faster you taxi, the
more stable it is. The brakes heat
up quickly, but if you’re lucky you
won’t have to stop too many times
before the end of the runway.
“Lining-up is very important
because of the steering system;
you can easily find yourself over-
correcting the steering on take-off.
At 100 to 105kts indicated you
rotate the nose to about a 5° pitch,
quickly push the stick forward to
prevent the over-rotation tendency,
and let her decide when to take off –
that comes at about 115 to 125kts.
“Once
airborne,
thewings
tend to rock
a bit and everything
is very mushy until about
210kts, then all of a sudden it’s
a rocket and if you’re not careful,
you will see 350 in a heartbeat.
“Formation flying is precise
requiring both a stable platform and
ample power to stay in position,
leaving the only excuse for being
‘out’ as my ham-fistedness. Because
of the swept-wing design, stalls
are very serious and so spins are
prohibited. A rapid wing drop upon
stall is an enlightening experience.
“Joining overhead is the preferred
method of approaching the
aerodrome and initially is performed
at 250 to 300kts indicated. Don’t
forget to keep one eye on the
nitrogen gauge.
“During the break it’s only about a
2 to 3g pull as you need to plan for
the final turn. If you pull too tight
in the break, you might find yourself
overshooting in the final turn unless
you carry about 90% power.
“The final turn is an exciting affair
on its own; 150 is recommended
and there you start to experience the
sweep of the wings again. There is a
serious overbanking tendency that
can be a bit unnerving the first fewtimes. Once on final, the approach
speed is 125 plus 1 knot per 100
litres of fuel remaining. That is
usually about 130 to 135.
“As is the case with all swept-wing
airplanes, pitch is speed and power
is glidepath control. It’s really kinda
fun. If you roll out on final and you
are 5 or 10kts fast, for example,
you just pull the nose up, not a bit,
but properly up, and the speed will
quickly bleed off and your glidepath
will hardly change at all.“Lots
of power is
required on final,
which is good considering
the looooong spool-up time of
the engine. Hopefully you checked
the winds prior to departure because
crosswinds are a serious affair, and
this airplane is very susceptible to
those.
“Attempting to execute a normal
flare and touchdown at landing
speed may result in the aircraft
‘rolling off ’ away from the low
wing due to the loss of aileron
effectiveness relative to the rudder.
This may result in the downwind
wing striking the ground.
“Upon touchdown, don’t forget
there isn’t anti-skid control and you
are moving quite fast. On a short
runway, it’s important to promptly
lower the nose. This is followed by
a gentle application of brakes to a
smooth firm operation, so as to not
blow a tyre.
“After reading this, one might
wonder, with all the idiosyncrasies,
why do I like it? Because there is
nothing sweeter to fly. It is so stable
in flight that hands-off straight and
level is the norm. 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.”The author thanks Will Ward and
Jeff Kaney for their support and the
information provided for this feature.January 2018 FLYPAST 85