Flying MiGs
Flying MiGsFlying the MiG-21BIS
Images from 1983 to 1994
by Jarmo Lindberg
Finnish Air Force ceases the MiG-21BIS flight operations officially on the 6th of March 1998 after some 20 years of MiG-21BIS operations. To commemorate the occasion I have collected some photos from the MiG flights. Finnish Air Force started the MiG-flying in 1963 with the MiG-21F. 220 MiG pilots were trained and the last MiG conversion course was in the spring of 1996. Finland has had 54 MiGs during the years and they have all been stationed in Rissala AB close to the town of Kuopio. The MiG pilots have a special Mach 2+ club in the Air Force for all the pilots who have exceeded Mach 2.0.
MiG-21BIS taxies during an exercise. Note the old big blue and white roundel on the nose and the Fighter Squadron 31 Lynx insignia on the tail. Later the white background was removed. (Photo J Lindberg)
Ready and waiting.. It's 3.30 am during an autumn exercise in 1984. Fighter Squadron 31 MiG-21BIS is ready for alert duties. The aircraft is fitted with three 500 liter external tanks and a captive R-13M (AA-2 Advanced Atoll) infra-red missile. The vanes on the pitot tube have still a cover on. You can notice the periscope on the canopy as a black square. (Photo J Lindberg)
Carrying missiles to the live firing exercise. Three MiGs carry R-13M infra red missiles during the mid 80's on a ferry flight to the annual gunnery camp.
Shooting missiles. High over the Gulf of Bothnia wingman (callsign "Ahma") carries a radar guided R-3R missile (not visible in the photo) ready to fire it soon. (Photo J Lindberg)
More MiG pages
- Go to Flying MiGs, page 2
- Go to Flying MiGs, page 3
- Go to Flying MiGs, page 4
- Go to Flying MiGs, page 5
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J Lindberg. Copyright © 1997-2006 Fighter Tactics Academy. All rights reserved.
Revised: tammikuu 02, 2006.
