MiG Madness!

[FLYBOYJ]

The rear cockpit lacked an ejection seat because if the instructor punched out he'd lose his legs from the knees down, unless he was 4' tall!

 

[nuuumannn]

Removed some paneling, restructured some longerons, cut about the forward fuel tank (just behind the cockpit) and relocated and/or removed some equipment before fitting dualed controls, instruments etc, although I belive converted ones didn't have an Instructors ejection seat.
Also this work would also have given some Soviet Poles and engineering concerns a job for a time too.

I think you misunderstand my question, Razor, I'm aware that there were two-seat MiG-15 variants; these were designated MiG-15UTI, hence the UTI reference. Poland built two-seaters under licence as the WSK SBLim-2 and these are frequently available for sale to warbird operators, with examples currently operating in Australia, the UK, the USA and other countries, so I was surprised when Joe said that the aircraft was a single-seater that had been modified.

 

[nuuumannn]

The rear cockpit lacked an ejection seat because if the instructor punched out he'd lose his legs from the knees down, unless he was 4' tall!

Ouch! This also happened with training variants of the de Havilland Vampire; the RAF training syllabus was affected by the fact that Vampire pilots had to be under a certain height when flying the T.11 trainer - which was fitted with ejection seats, so the RAF introduced the Meteor T.7 trainer, which had more clearance for larger pilots.

 

[Maximowitz]

Very interesting. Thank's for sharing the photos.

 

[Gnomey]

Good stuff Joe! You going to get a flight in her at all??

 

[FLYBOYJ]

so I was surprised when Joe said that the aircraft was a single-seater that had been modified.

I think this mod is indistinguishable structural wise when compared with a UTI built from the get-go or at least so I was told. This is the second one I've worked on, the first one had some pretty rough rivets driven through the rear canopy frame and was completed years earlier.

Very interesting. Thank's for sharing the photos.

My pleasure, wish I could have taken more.

Good stuff Joe! You going to get a flight in her at all??

No unfortunately, there was some finishing work that had to be done by the owner, so no flying this time.

 

[nuuumannn]

Thanks Joe, at one place I used to work there was a cockpit section from an SBLim-2 and the workmanship was pretty shoddy.

 

[Gnomey]

No unfortunately, there was some finishing work that had to be done by the owner, so no flying this time.

Shame really. Hopefully sometime in the future though