This 1974 MiG-21 Is a Supersonic ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Today’s Top Pick is a 1974 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21UM.

When somebody says “warbird,” I think of the piston-powered fighters and bombers of World War II. Wasps, Wrights, and Merlins swinging huge propellers come to mind. But there is so much more to the warbird world these days, especially since Eastern Bloc fighters once considered contraband have grown increasingly available to private pilots and collectors in the U.S. and around the world. A few years ago, I was surprised to spot a MiG-21 in a parking lot as I drove on Route 1 near Ellsworth, Maine. Times have changed.

Unlike the forlorn salvage special that I saw, this 1974 MiG-21UM “Fishbed,” a trainer version, is current and flying. This is the type of airplane that gave U.S. pilots a hard time in the skies over Vietnam and elsewhere, as dozens of air forces used them over the years. We often picture it challenging the mighty McDonnell F-4 Phantom, a U.S Navy and Air Force multirole fighter that was more technologically advanced but less agile.

This MiG-21 has a total of 1,774 hours on the airframe and 224 hours since the airframe was overhauled. There are 226 hours remaining on its Tumansky R11F25K-300 engine before recommended overhaul. The aircraft has been flying since 2002 under an experimental exhibition certification. The updated panel includes a Garmin SL 60 GPS/com, Collins VHF-251 com, and Garmin 320A transponder.

Pilots who wish to spend time in a somewhat remote corner of the warbird community with Mach-busting Soviet fighters should consider this 1974 MiG-21UM, which is available on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.