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!