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The Czech aerobatic glider LF-107 "Luňák" (or "Kite") was designed by Rudy Letov and further developed by a group of sailplane pilots and aeronautical engineers. It first flew in 1948. The good aerobatic and gliding characteristics of the machine drew considerable attention at aerobatic competitions in Grenchen, Switzerland in 1948 and Ziar, Poland in 1949. Production began, but with the advent of the Cold War, the factory prioritized production of MiG-15 aircraft and only 75 examples of the Luňák were built. Production models were used in local clubs for sailing and aerobatics, as well as for training jet pilots in Soviet-bloc Eastern European countries. Of the 75 Luňák-107s built, only nine remain in the world today.
This aircraft was donated to the Museum by Mira Slovak in 1987, and it retains his unique personal markings. Slovak, known as "The Flying Czech," was a star in the unlimited hydroplane racing scene in the 1950s and 1960s, winning the national high point championship twice. Born in Czechslovakia in 1929, Slovak's passion for aviation began at an early age and by his early 20s, he was working as a captain and chief pilot for the communist government-controlled Czechoslovakian Airlines. Slovak became an international celebrity in 1953 when he overpowered his communist co-pilot on a flight from Prague to Brno and hijacked his own plane to Frankfurt, Germany and freedom from the communist regime. He later immigrated to the United States. Unable to find work as a commercial pilot, he instead flew as crop duster in Yakima, Washington.
Relocating to Seattle, Slovak had the fortune to meet Bill Boeing, Jr., who hired him as his private pilot and gave him the opportunity to race his hydroplanes for him. After numerous racing victories, he was inducted into the Unlimited Hydroplane Hall of Fame in 1963.
The Luňák is currently on display at the Museum's Restoration Center and Reserve Collection in Everett, Washington.
The Czech aerobatic glider LF-107 "Luňák" (or "Kite") was designed by Rudy Letov and further developed by a group of sailplane pilots and aeronautical engineers. It first flew in 1948. The good aerobatic and gliding characteristics of the machine drew considerable attention at aerobatic competitions in Grenchen, Switzerland in 1948 and Ziar, Poland in 1949. Production began, but with the advent of the Cold War, the factory prioritized production of MiG-15 aircraft and only 75 examples of the Luňák were built. Production models were used in local clubs for sailing and aerobatics, as well as for training jet pilots in Soviet-bloc Eastern European countries. Of the 75 Luňák-107s built, only nine remain in the world today.
This aircraft was donated to the Museum by Mira Slovak in 1987, and it retains his unique personal markings. Slovak, known as "The Flying Czech," was a star in the unlimited hydroplane racing scene in the 1950s and 1960s, winning the national high point championship twice. Born in Czechslovakia in 1929, Slovak's passion for aviation began at an early age and by his early 20s, he was working as a captain and chief pilot for the communist government-controlled Czechoslovakian Airlines. Slovak became an international celebrity in 1953 when he overpowered his communist co-pilot on a flight from Prague to Brno and hijacked his own plane to Frankfurt, Germany and freedom from the communist regime. He later immigrated to the United States. Unable to find work as a commercial pilot, he instead flew as crop duster in Yakima, Washington.
Relocating to Seattle, Slovak had the fortune to meet Bill Boeing, Jr., who hired him as his private pilot and gave him the opportunity to race his hydroplanes for him. After numerous racing victories, he was inducted into the Unlimited Hydroplane Hall of Fame in 1963.
The Luňák is currently on display at the Museum's Restoration Center and Reserve Collection in Everett, Washington.
