The jets
Two competition L-39s and a spare. Gloss black, a red blade from the nose to the top of the fin, and white numbers.
The L-39 was built to teach air force pilots to fly jets, and it was built to take a beating. That matters to us. Between Saturday qualifying and the Sunday Grand Battle, the crew has one night to get two of them ready again.
Our jets carry no guns and no live weapons. Every shot is electronic, and a central combat server decides whether it hit. The smoke and the flash you see from the grandstand are there for you.
And since the rules allow one aircraft type a season, the Albatros is what we fly from Doha to Miami.
- TypeJet trainer, tandem two-seat
- Length12.13 m
- Wingspan9.46 m
- Height4.78 m
- EngineSingle turbofan
- WeaponsElectronic only
- Fleet2 primary, 1 reserve
In the garage
Both jets have to be on site by Wednesday afternoon. Inspection on Thursday, training Friday, qualifying Saturday, then Sunday.
Between sessions the crew checks the smoke system, the electronic weapons pod, the radios and the airframe, and writes every job down for the inspectors. Saturday night is the hard one. Qualifying ends, and both jets have to be ready before the airspace closes at 12:45 the next day.
The spare comes to every round, but we can only use it if one of the main jets is written off. So in practice, there is no spare.