L39's are not rare. Attitude Aviation at KLVK (Livermore, CA) has an L39 for rent if you want to pay the hourly $2.25k (2.25amu's)/hr wet. Since most are not experienced in the aircraft the FBO owner (Rich Perkins) would be more than happy to take you up. When I trained there for my PPL, the plane was rarely out of the hangar.

KLVK is home to 2 L39's if I remember correctly. One by the FBO, one guy who made his fortune with Cisco during the .com era. The maintenance and fuel costs were always the quoted reason for not being widely owned. The cost of the plane itself isn't too prohibitive relative to buying aircraft.

It seems like a pretty neat little airplane, but man, 125 gph?!?


It really is a fuel burner. That’s the main reason I opted out, just as fuel prices were spiking and the L39 market was at its all time high. The pilot's estimate of 125 gph is at cruise at optimum altitude, temperature and power setting. The POH shows 135 to 165 gph in cruise and 180 to 200 gph doing all the fun stuff at lower altitudes. The fuel bill for a couple of hours of aerobatics, formation work, touch and goes, etc. was $800 back in ’06-‘07.

As an Experimental/Exhibition aircraft it can't be rented out. Instruction by an L39 authorized instructor can be given in it for a charge.

They are a basic jet trainer, far easier to fly than a Baron, simple to maintain and operate. Extremely high build quality, really an exceptional piece of equipment.

I've operated several of them, and am one of the FAA Pilot Examiners that gives flight tests in them. Performance is adequate, not stellar. Good bang for the buck. There are over a hundred of them in the USA. Although I had the second one to come into the USA back in the early 90's, I don't own one at present, am too busy operating a Fouga, (2) MiG-15's, a T-33, and a Hawker Hunter these days.....

The people who get hurt in them are the same sort of people who get hurt in Pitts Specials, and who get hurt in Bonanzas and Cessnas. They are dumb-bunnies who do stupid things. Don't do stupid things and you will not get hurt in any airplane, these are no different than any others.



Best,

Dave


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