FLYING IN AN L-39 ALBATROS FIGHTER JET FOR THE FIRST TIME

Video from the channel Sarah Michals about Aero L-39 Albatros, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 6:47. Language: English. Video type: Onboard.

A television journalist flies as a passenger in an Aero L-39 Albatros belonging to 45 North Aviation, in northern Michigan. A cockpit camera records her from takeoff to landing.

The pilot, the company's president, narrates the takeoff roll and acceleration. He then flies inverted and performs several aerobatic maneuvers over the northern Michigan landscape. In one of them they reach 6.5 G, and the pilot notes that the aircraft is certified for 8 G. He explains that if G-force isn't tolerated well, vision is lost first, followed by consciousness, which returns once the load ends. That's why it's dangerous for a pilot.

The pilot points out that these old military aircraft can be bought and flown by private individuals in the United States.