L-410 Turbolet

On April 16th, the regional airliner L-410 Turbolet turned 55 years old. On that day in 1969, the first prototype of the aircraft took to the skies at the airport of the small Czech town of Kunovice. It was created by the local company Let Kunovice, taking into account the requirements of the Soviet Aeroflot for the aircraft of local airlines. At that time, the USSR was already testing its own aircraft of this class, the Be-30, but its serial production never started, and the L-410 became the choice for Aeroflot. Aviation historians still debate whether this decision was more about economic pragmatism or political expediency.

Serial production of the "Turbolet" began in 1971. Initially, the aircraft were equipped with two Canadian turboprop engines PT6A-27 with a power of 715 hp each. Two years later, they began to use Czechoslovakian Walter M601D engines with a power of 725 hp each. In total, over 1200 L-410 aircraft were built in five basic variants. The most common was the L-410UVP, which could accommodate 15-17 passengers, had a length of 14.81 m, a wingspan of 19.48 m, a maximum takeoff weight of 5800 kg, a maximum speed of 365 km/h, and a practical range of 1040 km.

The first airline to receive the L-410 was the Czechoslovak airline SlovAir from Bratislava. However, the majority of "Turbolets" (862 units) were supplied to the USSR. They were operated by many departments of Aeroflot, including the Ukrainian one. Additionally, the aircraft were used as trainers in civil aviation flight schools, including the one in Kirovograd. The L-410 was very well received by both pilots and passengers, especially on routes where it replaced the An-2, as the level of comfort on board became significantly higher. However, the L-410 did not meet the specific conditions of many Soviet airports. Therefore, in addition to it, the An-28 had to be ordered, which had significantly better takeoff and landing characteristics and was less demanding on the quality of airfields.

Overall, the L-410 ended up with operators in almost 40 countries, including Algeria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Djibouti, India, Colombia, Nepal, France, Hungary, and Chile. Primarily, the aircraft transported passengers and small cargoes on airlines. They were also used for aerial photography, various types of monitoring, parachute training, as business jets, and even as light transport and patrol aircraft in law enforcement agencies. In many countries, the L-410 continues to fly actively.

In modern Ukraine, "Turbolets" were operated by several airlines, including "Ukraine Airlines," AGO, "UniversalAvia," as well as aeroclubs. As of mid-April 2024, seven L-410UVPs are listed in the State Register of Civil Aircraft.

In the State Aviation Museum named after O.K. Antonov, an L-410UVP (factory number 820917) is exhibited, which was produced in 1982. Until 1989, it was used by the Krasnoyarsk Civil Aviation Administration, and then by the Kirovograd Higher Civil Aviation Flight School (now the State Flight Academy of the National Aviation University). The aircraft was decommissioned in November 1999, and it arrived at the museum in September 2013.