When the Soviet Union collapsed, there was a gold rush for the surplus guns held by all the various newly independent republics, as well as the Warsaw Pact nations. Lord of War is not far off…and Val Forgett was there, bringing guns into the US for Navy Arms.
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A parallel story: back in 1992 I started working fulltime in the parachute industry and got the rare opportunity to inspect and repack a bewildering array of pilot emergency parachutes.
With flyable Spitfires starting a more than a million dollars, the warbird crowd (e.g. Confederate Air Force) found all these inexpensive Cold War surplus airplanes in Communist China, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Sweden, Russia, South Africa, Yugoslavia, etc. and started importing them in droves. Some many that the US Federal Aviation Administration got swamped with paperwork and imposed a short moratorium in imports. Most of these ex-military airplanes were registered in the experimental, restricted and exhibition class which allowed them to fly airshows in North America, but not carry passengers for hire or haul cargo.
Owned one of those airplances, YAK52. Great to fly, tough to start. Fun radial engine that was indestructible (sop for a cowling fire on the ground was to stand on the brakes, increase power and blow the fire out-not kidding).
Came with a parachute, used it as a seat cushion (pretty poor one at that). Had no intention of going over the side if things went sideways. Just didn’t trust the chute.
Open cockpit and a radial engine, it was a blast!
Ukraine. It’s called Ukraine. Not “the”
Ukraine. The propaganda is working with this one.
I reckon the Ukrainians have other fish to fry than worrying about an unwelcome definite article folks throw in for free. Sorry, I gotta run. There ia s mad Turk in the parking lot gonna kick my butt for leaving out the umlaut when I said his country’s name.Then I went and said ‘Paris’ to this French guy and not ‘Puh-ree.’Mebbe I should get my tonngue cut out
There is no definite article in Ukrainian or Russian.
Plenty of countries are given a “the” prefix in English, the Argentine, the Gambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States of America. No disrespect is meant.
Yes, JohnK, and the same applies to German: die Vereinigten Staaten (USA), die Niederlande (Netherlands), die Europäische Union (EU), die Zentralafrikanische Republik (Central African Republic) and so on.
Not quite true what he says around 2:38. I’ve owned two Russian capture K98’s that came from the famous salt mine in Ukraine. Yes they were reworked, reblued and with mismatched parts but all the markings were intact.
Only example I’ve seen where they are peened over was on my Israeli K98.