The opportunity to fly in a real fighter jet is a dream or bucket list item for many aviation enthusiasts. Thanks to MiGFlug, a company based in Zurich, Switzerland, this doesn’t have to be a dream. MigFlug offers flights in different fighter jet models in the United States, several countries in Europe, and New Zealand. Their customers can fly in fighters like the L-39 Albatross, MiG-15, Aermacchi S.211, MB-326, and de Havilland Vampire.

MiGFlug Flies L-39 Albatros Fighter Jet Worldwide

The two-seat L-39 is the backbone of MiGFlug operations, offering flights in the United States, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, and New Zealand. Their professional jet fighter pilots have military experience as test pilots and pilot instructors. They talk with their guests before each flight, providing safety briefings and asking them about what they want to experience during the flights.

Czechoslovakian company Aero Vodochody first manufactured the L-39 Albatross in 1971. Many countries, including Algeria, Armenia, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and the Czech Republic are still using it today for training and other military missions. AERO now produces a new design of the L-39, which they call the Skyfox.

“The L-39 is still used by many operators” said Philipp Schaer, CEO of MiGFlug. “This helps us to get spare parts and other components.’

The aircraft is a two-seat fighter jet, 39 feet 10 inches long with a 31-foot wingspan. It has an Ivchenko turbofan engine and a maximum speed of 608 miles per hour. Its service ceiling is 36,000 feet.

L-39 Provides Excitement

“The L-39 is a great aircraft for us,” said Schaer. “With the higher back seat of this aircraft, the customer in the back seat has a great view over the pilot in front.”

In the United States, MiGFlug offers L-39 flights in Tampa, Florida and Los Angeles, California. In these two states known for their amusement parks, flights on an L-39 Albatross are more exciting than any roller coaster. Pilots take the jets through maneuvers like loops, Immelmann turns, rolls, Split-S, and vertical dives and climbs. Guests also get some stick time during the flights – a unique opportunity to control a real fighter jet.

Customers Can Fly in Soviet Mikoyan MiG-15

MiGFlug also offers flights in the Soviet Mikoyan MiG-15 Fagot from The Czech Republic. During the Korean War, American pilots flying P-51 Mustangs, F-86 Sabres, and F-80 Shooting Stars fought MiG-15s flown by North Korean, Chinese, and Soviet pilots. Much of this took place in the “MiG-Alley” zone between China and North Korea.

The swept-wing MiG-15 is 33 feet long, with a slightly shorter wingspan. During its first production run and flights in 1947, it had a Soviet Klimov jet engine which they modified from designs of Rolls Royce Nene and Derwent jet engines. The MiG-15 fighter jet has a maximum speed of 652 miles per hour and a service ceiling of almost 50,000 feet.

MiGFlug flies its MiG-15 from an airfield in the town of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic, about an hour from Prague. Each flight features exciting fighter jet maneuvers including high-speed, low-level flying.

MiGFlug Offers Flights in de Haviland Vampire Fighter Jet

One of the most unique aircraft in the MiGFlug fleet is the twin-tailed de Havilland Vampire, which they fly in the United Kingdom near London. This aircraft has the only side-by-side seating arrangement MiGFlug offers. The Vampire was the first British single-engine jet fighter and flew as an interceptor and as a fighter-bomber. They later converted it to a night fighter and a trainer version. British engineers first designed the Vampire in 1941, but it was not operational in the Royal Air Force (RAF) until 1946, after WWII.

The Vampire is 30 feet long and its wingspan is 37.9 feet. It originally flew with one pilot. Its engine was the De Havilland Goblin turbojet, and it had a maximum speed of 531 miles per hour. Its service ceiling was 42,800 feet.

The side-by-side seating configuration in MiGFlug’s Vampire gives guests a clear view in front of the aircraft and allows them a close-up look at how the pilot controls the aircraft.

Exciting Choices for Fighter Jet Experiences

MiGFlug offers several other specialized fighter jet opportunities. One is its F-104 Starfighter flight training experience at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is a three-day ground training and flight program and only available to qualified, licensed pilots with current medical clearances.

Another of MiGFlug’s special programs is its L-39 Air Combat experience based in Riga, Latvia. For this program, two people participate in different fighter jets and fly three sorties. The first is a training flight with practice in basic controls and maneuvers. For the second flight, two aircraft fly in formation, and the guests learn some dogfighting and ground bombing tactics.

For the third flight, the pilots guide their aircraft through mock combat at high altitudes, and guests experience up to 6 G’s. If guests prefer something different than dogfighting, they can choose to have both aircraft fly in formation at high speed and low altitude and conduct mock bombing runs on bunkers and parked aircraft.

Safety a Top Priority for MiGFlug Fighter Jet Flights

In 2004, Schaer and Flavio Kaufmann founded MiGFlug and opened its main office in Zurich, Switzerland. From the beginning, safety was their top priority, and they are proud to state they have never had an accident during thousands of flights. The company makes a major effort to ensure their fighter jets are in top condition.

“It is necessary to constantly invest significant amounts into the fleet,” said Schaer.

He added that they are working on replacing some of the engines on the aircraft. He also stated that MiGFlug has qualified mechanics at each of their locations and that they maintain the aircraft “impeccably and carefully.”

A Focus on a Great Customer Experience

The company is focused on providing a great experience for its customers. From scheduling to accommodating specific requests for their flights, everything they do is customizable.

MiGFlug’s stated mission is to “enable aviation enthusiasts and adrenaline freaks to experience an unforgettable adventure in the world’s best fighter jets, while trying always to keep prices as low and affordable as possible so anyone can fly a real fighter jet.” MiGFlug is offering opportunities to fly in real fighter jets throughout the world.

On 23 November 2024, Russian Cosmonauts noticed an unusual odor when they opened the hatch to the Soyuz 29 capsule after it docked to their Poisk Module on the International Space Station (ISS). They immediately closed the hatch leading from the Poisk to the rest of the Russian section in the ISS and reported the situation to ground control.

International Space Station Safe According to NASA

Several hours later, NASA released a statement to CNN, reporting that ground controllers “activated air scrubbing equipment as part of normal procedures. The crew reported the odor dissipated quickly and cargo transfer operations are proceeding on schedule.”

Later, Kelly O. Humphries, news chief at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, reported, “There are no concerns for the crew.”

NASA also posted a statement on social media on 24 November confirming that the situation on the International Space Station was resolved: “Air scrubbers and contaminant sensors” confirmed that “air quality inside the space station (was) at normal levels.”

ISS Resupply Mission Almost Flawless

The unmanned Russian Progress 29 spacecraft was named “Progress 90” by NASA for the mission. It launched on a Soyuz-2 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 21 November, arriving at the ISS two days later. The spacecraft successfully docked with the Russian Poisk module.

NASA covered the approach and docking on its YouTube channel. During the docking procedure, the NASA spokesman narrating the video said the flight to the International Space Station was, “a perfect ride from launch to docking.”  He continued, calling the mission “flawless” and “a great ride.” Everything had gone well until the Cosmonauts opened the hatch to the Progress 29.

Cosmonauts React to Unexpected Odor from Progress 29 Spacecraft

The Cosmonauts reported the smell from the Progress 29 was “toxic” and that they immediately closed its hatch. They also reported seeing droplets of an unknown liquid floating in the air when they opened the Progress 29. An Astronaut in the U.S. Segment of the ISS, also reported a “spray paint-like” smell at the time of the docking, but it was not clear if it came from the Progress 29.

NASA Claims Outgassing Probable Cause of Odor on Spacecraft

NASA officials told CNN the “unexpected” odor probably came from a process called “outgassing” from the cargo on the Progress 29. Outgassing is the release of gasses from cargo and other materials carried on spacecraft.

Outgassing refers to the release of gases or compounds from materials and items transported on spacecraft. Things made of materials like plastics, adhesives, rubbers, and some fabrics may have air pockets or gases they may have absorbed. When these materials encounter the vacuum of space, they can release the gases.

NASA tries to reduce the chance of outgassing by testing items like food, clothing, and equipment. Some of the substances that result from outgassing can be irritating or even toxic which can certainly become a serious issue for crews in space.

Russian Cite Cause of Leaks on Other Missions to International Space Station

This is not the first time Russian spacecraft have had unknown leaks. During the December 2022 mission of the Russian Soyuz-22 to the International Space Station, Cosmonauts saw something leaking outside the spacecraft. They investigated and discovered a coolant leak and noticed a drop in pressure in the coolant system.

At the time of the leak, Cosmonauts were about to perform a spacewalk outside the International Space Station but cancelled it. Russian authorities later stated that micrometeoroids or other space debris may have caused the leak. Micrometeoroids are small bits of rock usually weighing less than a gram and measuring less than a millimeter. There have been no suggestions of this causing the strange smell on the Progress 29.

Some Odors Not Mysterious on International Space Station

The concept of odors on the ISS is not new, but often the crew knows the cause. They live close together in a confined space, sometimes for months. U.S. Astronaut Christina Koch experienced this during the 328 days she spent onboard the International Space Station from 14 March 2019 to 6 February 2020.

“To be honest, there is nothing on the space station that smells pleasant, other than maybe veggie science,” said Koch.  “Yes, the ISS smells like a lab, a gym, a house that six people live in together for months at a time. There is the unique smell of space. Scented lotions/soaps/shampoos are prohibited because they contain chemicals that affect the systems that clean our air. And, of course, an open flame is a bad idea, so no candles.”

Beyond the obvious danger of an unidentified odor on a spacecraft, the Progress 90 mission was critically important. The spacecraft carried about 5,500 pounds of cargo to the ISS. This included fuel, drinking water, compressed nitrogen, food, and clothing, all essential for long-term survival in space.

Bottles and decanters that celebrate the best in aviation history. Plus, win some amazing prizes through our exclusive Avgeekery contest.

Several years ago, Special Tribute Spirits (STS) began producing “select batch distilled liquors uniquely bottled to celebrate our rich aviation heritage.” Spend some time with the staff at Special Tribute Spirits, and it becomes clear that this venture as not as much about their customized bottles or the premium liquors. It is all about them sharing their passion for aviation.

Special Tribute Spirits offers series of bottles with features that celebrate aviation from the past and today. They create each bottle by hand, fitting them with custom details like aircraft-skin type metal labels, signatures of pilots, images from the featured aircraft, and filling them with premier liquors.

Avgeekery.com Contest to Promote Special Tribute Spirits

Avgeekery.com is joining with Special Tribute Spirits in a contest as they launch their new Instagram account to share their work.  To enter, participants in the contest must:
1.) Follow the @SpecialTributeSpiritsUSA Instagram account and follow @Avgeekery_news
2.) Tag two friends on the @Avgeekery_news CONTEST post to be eligible to win.
We’ll select a winner and the two friends that he or she tagged as winners on Dec 13th. No purchase is necessary to win.

Winners will receive the following:
1st Place: An Aviation Heritage Collection ICONIC Label Decanter
2nd Place: A Special Tribute Spirits Set of Glassware with Huie Lamb Artwork
3rd Place: A Huie Lamb Label Vinyl Sticker.

Customers of Special Tribute Spirits Have Choice of Several Series

The bottles make up their Aviation Heritage Collection. They come in the ICONIC Series, the PILOT SIGNATURE Series, and the CUSTOM Legacy Creations Series. In 2025, they will launch a Private Owners collection.

The ICONIC Series features well-known aircraft like the B-17 Bomber, P-51 Mustang, and the P-40 Warhawk. For the PILOT SIGNATURE Series, Special Tribute Spirits has arranged with some of the heroes that flew these historic aircraft to sign the bottles. These come in “wet” and dry” versions, with pilots physically signing the “wet” bottles.

Honoring the Tuskegee Airmen

The people at Special Tribute Sprits love to talk about pilots and aircraft. One special aviator is Lt. Col. Harry T. Stewart. He was a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen who flew the P-51D Red Tail Mustang during WWII. STS is honoring Col. Stewart with aviation aluminum and glass decanter filled with a 5-year-old limited-edition bourbon. It features the name of his P-51, “Little Coquette.”

Actual Aircraft Materials Imbedded in Custom Labels

They also produce limited-edition PREMIER Aviation Heritage bottles – rare bottles that include a piece of the material from the actual featured aircraft in each bottle label. These are roughly 5 cm square pieces of metal.

For the CUSTOM Legacy Creations series, customers can work with CTS to create their own bottles to commemorate a unique and personal aviation experience. They can also choose to embed a piece of aircraft material in the bottle design. These include the choice of scotch, rum, vodka, or bourbon.

Special Tribute Spirits Remembers Thrilling Missions of WWII Hero

One of the favorite pilots of Special Tribute Spirits is Huie Lamb. A veteran pilot of 61 combat missions during WWII, Lamb flew the P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang. Lamb joined the Army Air Corps in 1943 and retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Huie Lamb Defeats ME-262 Jet Fighter

In a career filled with memorable moments, he is perhaps most well known as one of the first pilots to shoot down a German Me 262 jet fighter. Now 100 years old, Lamb described the 12 Oct 1944 mission:

I started a steep dive and was indicating about 475 mph and closing very fast. When I closed to about 1,000 yards, he must have seen me, as he started to pick up speed and pulled away a little. I gave my plane full power and water and started to close on him again, but very slowly. As I got within range and started shooting, he started to turn to the left. I easily turned inside of him and kept shooting during the entire turn, noting many strikes.

He made a 180-degree turn and then levelled out. He started back and led me over an airfield that had been shooting flak at me as I chased the jet. I saw the intense curtain of flak coming up at me, but followed him and got right on his tail, almost dead astern and noticed more strikes. I felt myself being hit several times, but opened fire on him again, from dead astern, and noticed more strikes. He threw off his canopy and then the plane caught fire. It flipped over on its back and exploded.”

WWII Pilot Huie Lamb Survives Ditching in Frigid North Sea

Another of Lamb’s memorable missions, his first in the then new P-51 Mustang, occurred on 29 December 1944 over the North Sea following a mission over Germany. Lamb’s fighter, which he named the “Etta Jeanne II”, began leaking coolant and the engine cut out. Lamb described the event:

“My first thought was to stretch my glide and try to make it back to the English coast, but I was dropping too fast. Then the nose of my plane burst into flames and I decided to bail out. I couldn’t release the canopy. I finally got the canopy open but was too low to bail out.

The tail hit first. Then a wave caught my right wing and the plane cartwheeled. It was a miracle that I survived the ditching because I had my seat belt and harness unbuckled in anticipation of bailing out. I got out of my seat and out of the plane, pushing away as far as possible to avoid down-suction. The nose plunged under with a burst of steam. The plane sank like a rock. It was gone in thirty seconds.

The water was freezing cold. I pulled the strings to inflate my Mae West and dinghy, but I couldn’t get into the dinghy, so I just hung on for dear life.”

Luckily, Lamb’s wingman, First Officer John C. Childs, saw Lamb’s P-51 hit the water. His own radio was not working, but he was able to land at a nearby airfield and direct a twin-engine Walrus flying boat of the British Air Rescue to Lamb’s location. Lamb was suffering from hypothermia and had a cut lip and broken tooth. He was flying again 10 days later.

Custom Bottle Honors Huie Lamb

Special Tribute Spirits is honoring Lamb with their #2 bottle in their Pilot Signature series, the “Huie Lamb.” It features his P-51 Mustang “Etta Jeanne II.” Lamb has signed several of the bottles.

Special Tribute Spirits Opens Shop

In 2018 helicopter pilot Johan Brand came up with the idea to commemorate aviation with custom bottles and spirits. He began handcrafting the bottles in his UK shop. Special Tribute Spirits still does everything by hand, using aircraft fabrication tools and techniques, in shops in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Once the bottles are complete, Special Tribute Spirits sends them to craft distillers in Scotland and the United States. They fill the bottles with premium liquors: Scotch, Bourbon, Rum, or Vodka.

A Passion for Aviation at Special Tribute Spirits

The people at Special Tribute Spirits share a deep interest and passion in all things related to aviation. They are always talking about aircraft like the iconic B-52 and modern marvels like the C-17. They remember crucial conflicts like WWII and Vietnam and modern missions like flights to Antarctica. Their bottles honor the efforts of pilots like Huie Lamb and Harry Stewart.

With their unique handcrafted bottles of premium spirits, Special Tribute Spirits is preserving aviation history and proudly honoring its people, aircraft, and missions.

TAG was a true commuter’s airline.

During the 1950s and ‘60s, Detroit – then the nation’s fifth largest city – and Cleveland (eighth largest) were both industrial powerhouses. Of course, Detroit was known for its automobile assembly lines (the Motor City), while Cleveland produced everything else: pumps, valves, machinery… anything and everything related to manufacturing.

The highway distance between the two cities, around the edge of Lake Erie, is approximately 168 miles (270 km), but the air distance directly across the lake is only 90 miles (144 km).

FIND A NEED AND FILL IT

In 1957, Ross Miller purchased a small company called Taxi Air Group, an outfit that had been in existence since 1955. Using the initials of his new acquisition, T.A.G., Miller inaugurated scheduled service between Downtown Detroit and Downtown Cleveland, operating as TAG Airlines.

In Detroit, TAG’s base was Detroit City Airport (DET), located at Conners and Gratiot Streets, a 15-minute cab ride from the city center. This was far more convenient for businessmen than Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport (DTW) or the distant Willow Run (YIP).

In Cleveland, TAG operated out of Lakefront Airport (CEL)—later known as Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL)—which was literally on the edge of downtown. This was much closer to Public Square and the heart of the city than Cleveland Hopkins Airport (CLE).

A TRUE COMMUTER AIRLINE

TAG found a niche for itself long before the term “commuter airline” came into widespread use. In a way, TAG invented the commuter airline with its steady operation of a fast “downtown-to-downtown” service in a busy market. Customers could depart from one of the two cities, conduct their business in the other, then fly home in time for dinner.

TAG experimented with other routes over several years. Still, the airline’s consistent bread-and-butter run—and its reason for existence—was to serve the constant flow of traffic between Detroit and Cleveland.

SMALL PLANES, FREQUENT FLIGHTS

The Company employed a fleet of British-built, eight-passenger DeHavilland DH-104 Doves to operate its impressive flight schedule. At the end of 1969, TAG was operating 22 round-trips per day on weekdays between the two cities with several services on weekends.

For years, the Company had unsuccessfully petitioned the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) for permission to operate larger aircraft on the route across Lake Erie. Authorization finally came late in 1969 when the Board issued TAG a highly coveted Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, designating it as an integral part of America’s airline system. But the Board’s action came too late to save TAG.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

In the late 1960s, Cleveland and Detroit began to see a slow decline from their prominent roles as manufacturing centers. The so-called Steel Belt—a term referring to mid-America’s industrial heartland—was taking on a new name: the Rust Belt. In 1970, Detroit still held its position as fifth-largest city, but Cleveland had slipped to tenth. The transfer of manufacturing jobs to other parts of the country and competition for the American automobile industry from overseas did not help TAG’s revenue stream.

Tragically, TAG’s demise was set in motion before the company could add larger aircraft to its fleet. On 28 January 1970, a DeHavilland Dove, registration number N2300H, operating as Flight 730, a 0730 departure from Cleveland to Detroit, crashed into the frozen waters of Lake Erie 12 minutes after takeoff from Lakefront Airport. The cause of the crash was eventually determined to be the failure of a joint connecting the right wing to the aircraft’s fuselage. It was caused by metal fatigue. All nine people aboard the airliner perished.

Although TAG Airlines was found to be free of fault in the crash, the damage to the carrier’s reputation was fatal. In April 1970, TAG’s operation was down to 10 round-trips per day on weekdays, with no service on weekends. By the end of the year, the company was out of business.

Wright Airlines, formed in 1967 by a former TAG employee, became the sole surviving carrier on the Downtown Detroit—Downtown Cleveland route.

A SIMILAR INCIDENT

Fifteen months after the TAG accident, an Apache Airlines DeHavilland Dove crashed on a flight from Tucson to Phoenix. The cause was determined to be the same as in the TAG accident: separation of the right wing from the fuselage due to undetected metal fatigue. The Apache aircraft, N4922V, was known as a Carstedt CH-600A, a Dove that had undergone conversion with turboprop engines and a lengthened fuselage in order to accommodate more passengers.

EPILOGUE

TAG is just a memory today in the history of commercial aviation. Another airline, Transportes Aereos Guatemaltecos in Central America, has now adopted the TAG name.

But there was a time when this little powerhouse of an air carrier served as a vital link in the Industrial Midwest and proudly billed itself as “The World’s Busiest” Airline.