The second civilian-owned MiG-29 to fly in the USA, a two-seat MiG-29UB trainer appropriately registered N29UB, took to the air at Arlington Municipal Airport in Virginia on 23 January. However, this example, owned by John Sessions' Historic Flight Foundation, will be the first private 'Fulcrum' on the North American airshow circuit. This MiG-29UB (Bort 64 red, c/n 50903014896) passed to the Ukrainian Air Force upon the collapse of the USSR, and served latterly with 642 IAP at Martynovka. It had only notched up 510 flight hours by the time it was retired, demilitarised and offered for sale.The Historic Flight Foundation heard about the aircraft through Tim Morgan of Morgan Aircraft Restorations, and a deal was brokered to bring it to the US. This, though, proved problematic.The shipping company split the aircraft into two consignments to deter hijackers, with the crates containing the wing and engines going across the Atlantic while the fuselage took the Pacific route. At Hong Kong, the fuselage was off-loaded to change ships, but the shipper had not obtained a local import licence, and on 4 April 2006 it was seized as military contraband.
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