L-39 Albatros and Family Magazine

We are delighted to have to opportunity to tell the full story of a remarkable aircraft, the world's first turbofan powered training aircraft and the most successful military jet trainer of all time in terms of numbers of customers. Designed by the Aero Vodochody team under chief designer Jan Vlek, the prototype Aero L 39, actually the second aircraft built, first flew on November 4, 1969. Full scale production began in 1971 to equip the air forces of the Warsaw Pact and their allies as the standard basic and advanced jet trainer with a secondary role as a light ground attack aircraft.