The first flight of a Miles M.14A Magister in the Czech Republic, a machine built in 1938 and used by the Royal Air Force as a trainer aircraft during the Second World War, took place at the Podhorany airfield yesterday.
The plane is a part of the RAF Station Czechoslovakia historical aircraft collection, which has a base at Podhorany. The RAF plane flew for about 15 minutes.
"The plane functions as it should. There was some wind, but the plane does not care much because it is stable and non-deceptive. I first flew it in Argentina, this was the first opportunity to fly it in the Czech Republic. During the first flight, the intention is to check the functionality of the engine and pilotability," pilot Richard Santus told CTK.
The plane was also used at the Flying Instructors School in Montrose, Scotland, for the training of Czechoslovak pilots in 1942.
It is one of the last planes of its type in the world and the only one in its original condition and still capable of flight.
The Czech group got the plane in Argentina, where it was sent by the RAF in 1946. Santus wants to fly it to England for repairs this year, requiring five landings on the way.
"We will have to fly it for at least five more hours before we dare to take it to England. We have to measure its fuel consumption, performance and perform a basic engine check," Santus said.
In England, the plane will go through a thorough check-up, receiving new landing gear covers and a new coat of paint.
The owners of the plane want it to be back in the Czech Republic and ready for the summer season. They are thinking about participating in the Pardubice Aviation Fair, which takes place during the first weekend of June, Santus added.
The RAF Station Czechoslovakia historical aircraft collection includes other historical planes, all of them piloted by Czechoslovaks during the war, such as two de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth biplanes, one from 1938 and the second from 1940.
