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Wild Blue Yonder 1: 50 Years of Gs & Jets
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Wild Blue Yonder - Episode 1 - 50 Years of Gs and Jets (Digital Ranch) (Spectrum Holobyte)(1-107-40-101)(1994).iso
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00117_Field_117.txt
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1994-08-29
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1KB
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27 lines
The Iron Curtain Is Raised
As the Soviet Union drifted toward dissolution in the late 1980s,
the West learned much about the MIG-29. The Fulcrum starred in
air shows in Finland, England, and -- rather spectacularly --
France. A MIG-29 crashed during the 1989 Paris air show,
demonstrating for all the efficiency of the Russian ejection
seat. In 1992, two MIG-29s collided at the International Air
Tattoo in England. Both pilots ejected safely, then reportedly
had a heated fist-fight on the ground.
The MIG-29's unusual combination of sophistication and
backwardness has always intrigued Western observers. MIG
engineers designed sophisticated elements in places where they
are critical, while less-sophisticated work went into elements,
such as welding, fit and finish, that do not affect performance.
The MIG-29's instrumentation is at the level of the McDonnell
Douglas F-4, and consists primarily of analog instruments. The
aircraft is designed to be easy to repair and can operate from
rough fields in any climate.
Curiously, more depends upon the success of the MIG-29 than upon
any previous MIG fighter. In the next century, the preservation
of Russia as an international power will largely depend upon the
development of the MIG-29 and successor aircraft, especially in
their ability to keep parity with the Lockheed F-22.