Background
In
1976 the Polish Institute of Aviation started designing a jet trainer,
replacement for TS-11 Iskra. It has been called initially Iskra-2, then
Iskra-22, finally I-22 Iryda. In 1982 construction of two prototypes was
started. The first flight took place on March 5, 1985 .
Because
aircraft should be equipped with Czech ejection seat VS1-BRI/P (used in
L-39 Albatros), capable to ejecting the crew through the cockpit canopy at
ground level with minimum speed of 150km/h, and there was no testbed that
could reach such a speed available in Institute, it received SBLim-2
aircraft (licence-built Mig-15 UTI). Over the fuselage a structure was
built with a mock-up of the Irydas cockpit, ejection seat, cameras and
measuring equipment. This aircraft was not intended for flying, but only
for taxiing, so airbrakes remained open, flaps closed, and there was metal
sheet attached on the starboard wing, to balance the camera on the
portside wing, and to keep aircraft straight with the runway.
Unfortunately
the program was cancelled, and venerable TS-11 Iskra is still the basic
jet trainer In Polish Air Force.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The
kit
The
SBLim-2 kit is an old injection-moulded Mig-15 UTI kit from KP. Polish Lim
differed in details, e.g. armament, so I have changed cannon
placement with its cover bulges and shell ejectors. New panel lines were
scribed. Wing fences were removed, and new made from metal sheet, as well
as new airbrakes. The jet exhaust from the kit was used, but complemented with
visible details. Undercarriage is also modified kits item. Wheel well
covers are from photoetched set from ExtraTech. I couldn’t forget
the tiny
mechanical wheel-down indicators. Cockpit interior is a resin set from
Pavla, as well as the cockpit canopy. Measuring equipment in the rear cockpit
was made from scratch.
Irydas
mock-up is a resin copy of a vacformed kit from Marfix, improved with
plasticards, metal sheet, Plastruct rods, injection needles, wires,
aluminium foil, and even wood sticks.
The
structure under the mock-up was made with injection needles. There is
resin ejection seat from Pavla in the cockpit, and there is a scratchbuilt
cage with piglet inside. Camera in the canvas cover on the portside wing
was made with some plastic bits wrapped in thick self adhesive aluminium
foil. Except the orange paint, the whole model was brush
painted. The original
aircraft looked very clean in the pictures, so only a little amount of wash
and shading was used. All decals were designed on my computer by myself and
printed on my home printer, including inscription on the Irydas mock-up,
which reads: “EXPERIMENTAL DEVICE FOR TESTING EMERGENCY SYSTEMS”
I
would like to thank the employees of the Institute of Aviation for
providing excellent and very helpful pictures of this aircraft.
Piotr
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