• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida's Official Aviation Museum

  • Home
  • About
    • Team
    • History & Heritage
    • Aviation Hall of Fame
  • News
  • Plan Your Visit
    • Tickets
    • Exhibits
  • Blog
  • Support the Museum
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Blog / MiG-21 from Russia Donated to FAM by Draken International

MiG-21 from Russia Donated to FAM by Draken International

March 14, 2019

One of the most popular supersonic jets in aviation history, a Russian Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, has a new home at the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE). Draken International donated the single-engine jet fighter to Aerospace Discovery at Florida Air Museum. The unveiling and ribbon-cutting ceremony took place during the 6th Annual Mayor’s Breakfast held March 6th on the SUN ‘n FUN campus. The Mayor’s Breakfast was attended by over 400 members of the business community interested in this year’s updates on SUN ‘n FUN and its Aerospace Center for Excellence initiatives as well as the keynote speaker from Draken International, which is headquartered on the Lakeland Linder International Airport.

Florida Air Museum and Draken officials standing in front of MiG-21 ribbon cutting.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the conclusion of the 6th Annual Mayor’s Breakfast hosted by SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In.

Preparing the MiG-21 for Display

Dave McQueary, who works in the Technology Department at SUN ‘n FUN, has served as the caretaker of the aircraft since it was officially donated in December 2017. In getting the aircraft ready for exhibition, McQueary noted that the project was extremely time-consuming, involving several intricate steps to restore the aircraft to its original condition.

“We spent almost a year trying to find someone to remove the explosive charges in the ejection seat. Once we took care of that safety issue, we were lucky enough to have the maker of John’s 360 Coatings donate the paint,” he said. “We also were fortunate to have Fosters Aircraft Refinishing strip and paint the MiG.”

McQueary said the aircraft was originally painted in the traditional Slovakian colors of green and dark brown camo, but it was decided to restore it to its last assigned paint scheme. “It was one of the few Slovak aircraft that were repainted in the desert camo you see it in today, so we assume the aircraft was temporarily assigned to somewhere in North Africa.”

MiG-21 Provenance

The original home of the aircraft has been traced to Silac Air Force Base in central Slovakia where it was assigned to the 4th Technical Squadron. It served on Quick Reaction Alert status the entire time it was there and was ready to take off within eight minutes when needed day or night.

This aircraft is one of the 10,000 MiG-21’s produced by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the former USSR and holds the record of being the most produced combat aircraft since the Korean War because of its simple design and technology. In its heyday during the ’60s and ’70s, the MiG-21 served in over 50 countries and some estimate it is still an active aircraft in as many as 20 countries today.

Tomcat & MiG-21 Displayed

McQueary said the MiG-21 will be displayed alongside the Grumman F14 Tomcat on the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus, historically appropriate since these two aircraft were direct adversaries during the Cold War.

About ACE

The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has emerged as a nationally recognized leader in STEM-related and aerospace education through its various learning centers, outreach programs, summer camps and scholarships aimed at preparing students for tomorrow’s aerospace challenges. Located on the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus in Lakeland, Florida, the organization is known for its annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In and Expo fundraising event as well as the Aerospace Discovery Museum which is Florida’s Official Aviation Museum and Education Center. ACE is the world’s leader in producing licensed teenage private pilots and delivers youth programs that engage over 40,000 students a year.  For more information, www.ACEedu.aero. 

Copyright 2020 Aerospace Center for Excellence

Primary Sidebar

Cosmic Muffin Discounts free Howard Hughes Jayme Jamison John "Lites" Leenhouts MiG-21 museumday NC-4 NOAA scienceonasphere Smithsonian stem Story Time Taylor Cub Thomas Mack Tom Davis Weekly Event

Footer

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up for the Touch 'n Go newsletter and stay informed about things happening at Florida Air Museum, Aerospace Center for Excellence, & SUN 'n FUN.

Sign Up Now

ABOUT ACE

Florida Air Museum is a part of Aerospace Center for Excellence. ACE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, community-based institution and educational resource dedicated to bringing aerospace and aviation history and science alive for people of all ages and backgrounds.

HOURS

Monday – Saturday: 10AM – 4PM

Sunday: 12PM – 4PM

The Museum occasionally closes to the public for special events. Please call ahead to confirm availability for your visit date.

CONTACT

4075 James C Ray Dr. Lakeland, FL 33811

863.904.6833

 www.floridaairmuseum.org

museum@flysnf.org

GET SOCIAL

Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On InstagramCheck Our Feed
  • Home
  • About
  • News
  • Plan Your Visit
  • Blog
  • Support the Museum
  • Contact

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Copyright 2020 Aerospace Center for Excellence

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsOK
Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT