Thanks to the staff of LOM Prague, historical aircraft will also take off, and the C-11 could be piloted by Martin Šonka
If the technical condition of the aircraft, and especially the anti-drug measures allow, the state enterprise LOM Prague will continue to present to the public in 2022 two flying historical exhibits: Flight C-11, OK-JZE and Zlín Z-381, OK-BSA. “This year it is operated within the scope of contractual conditions and ensuring the presentation of aircraft according to the mutual agreement of the Military History Institute and LOM Prague,” says Tomáš Bruštík, Deputy Director of the Aviation Training Center for Aviation Training and pilot of both above-mentioned machines.
Looking back on last year’s “eleven” and “bass” seasons is not entirely idyllic. Reason? SARS-CoV-2. The C-11 flew for 12 hours and 40 minutes. Only the organizers of the Aviation Fair in Pardubice and the Czechoslovak Aircraft Meeting in Vyškov were lucky to have it on their program. Unfortunately, more covid restrictions did not allow.
The C-11 aircraft is now at the airport in Prague-Kbely and the prescribed work is in progress on it. It will be stored here until the spring months, when it will be flown in order to extend the flight certificate.
Is Martin Šonka on C-11?
Zlín Z-381, OK-BSA was handed over for operation to LOM Praha sp in May 2021. Subsequently, it flew to Pardubice. After performing the necessary work, two years were performed. These were flights to get acquainted with the aircraft for the planned retraining of the pilot Antonín Karmazín and to maintain the airworthiness itself when shutting down the aircraft to perform the prescribed maintenance. At the same time, CLV Pardubice’s technical staff communicated with the Civil Aviation Authority to adopt a method of maintenance and to use an alternative propeller for administrative and flight solutions.
The aircraft is currently, according to the contractual conditions, stored at the Pardubice airport. Summa summarum, “basa” was operated minimally, de facto only during the flight over Kbely Pardubice and during the above-mentioned two years.
“If the operating conditions allow, in addition, an addendum to the loan agreement will be concluded and the C-11 aircraft will be reinsured. It is planned to retrain a new pilot and Martin Šonka for this aircraft,” adds T. Bruštík.
Expected events for the flying historical exhibit for this year are: certification display of the training camp in Roudnice nad Labem, opening of the Kbely Aviation Museum season, Prague Museum Night, Lešany Tank Day, NATO Days and Czech Air Force Days in Ostrava, Aviation Fair in Pardubice, Meeting Czechosl. aircraft in Rakovník and Aviation Day in Cheb.
- See more photos here.