Czechia Bids Farewell to the Legendary L-39 Albatros Training Jet

The L-39C Albatros training jet made its final flight in Czechia after 22 years of service. The farewell flight lasted 55 minutes, as a trio of aircraft took off from their home base in Pardubice and followed a symbolic route via Hradec Králové, Čáslav, Kolín, Mladá Boleslav and the Aero Vodochody factory before arriving at Prague's Kbely airfield.

According to the state enterprise LOM Praha, which oversees the Flight Training Centre, the Albatros — affectionately nicknamed "the Čéčko" by pilots — will be replaced in pilot training by the more modern, next-generation L-39NG Skyfox. Two Skyfox jets escorted the veteran aircraft on its final flight to Prague, breaking away only over the Kbely military airfield, where the Albatros performed one last aerobatic manoeuvre before touching down for the final time.

Experienced Pilots Entrusted with the Farewell Flight

The farewell flight was flown by pilot Jan Hromník and Jaroslav Špaček, director of the Flight Training Centre. "It's emotional, it's sad — I'll miss it," Hromník admitted after landing. He also works as an instructor and has flown the Albatros since the very start of his career, logging more than two thousand hours on the type.

Hromník is already training on the new Skyfox and notes the enormous difference between the two aircraft. "It has a glass cockpit and a virtual radar, and it can simulate air combat — it's a huge step forward compared to what the older planes could offer," he said.

The Aircraft Joins a Museum Collection

After landing, the jet was towed from the runway to the neighbouring Aviation Museum, part of Prague's Military History Institute, where it has now become part of the permanent exhibition.

"Visitors will be able to see up close the aircraft that our military pilots learned to fly on," said institute director Aleš Knížek.

According to LOM Praha, a total of eight L-39C aircraft have been used for pilot training since 2004, together completing more than 33,000 flights and logging 24,000 flight hours. "More than a hundred of our pilots and instructors, as well as foreign pilots, were trained on these aircraft," Špaček added, noting that they have earned a lasting place in the history of Czech and Czechoslovak aviation.

Read also: 6 cemeteries in Prague where history and art matter more than grief: a guide to necropolis-museums

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz