L-39 Albatross - Cost to Own

Video from the channel Complete Walkaround about Aero L-39 Albatros, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 2:43. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.

Short video about what it takes to buy and maintain a civilian Aero L-39 Albatros, built in Czechoslovakia as a trainer and combat aircraft. The cockpit is pressurized, with heating and air conditioning. The aircraft climbs to 20,000 feet without supplemental oxygen and its ceiling is 37,000, although RVSM requirements limit it in practice to 29,000. It withstands 6.5 G and its range is around 550 miles, or 800 with external tanks. On civilian aircraft, most ejection seats are deactivated.

Among the costs, insurance stands out, almost ten times that of a piston aircraft of similar value. Also significant is the mandatory overhaul of the Ivchenko AI-25TL turbofan at 1,000 hours, costing around $150,000, and fuel burn: 160 gallons per hour in cruise and 330 in climb. At 40 feet long, it doesn't fit in a T-hangar.