Originally Posted by
By George
In the book Red Eagles by Steve Davies, recording the secret testing of various Soviet fighters at Tonopah, he quotes a Major Thomas Drake, who apparently had the highest number of flights on the type, (294) "on every sortie that thing tried to kill me". I guess testing the corners of an aircraft's envelope is not the same as a well-rehearsed airshow routine, but it does indicate the aeroplane had its quirks.
Looking over a few Soviet jets in the past they do seem to have an agricultural look about them. Why do our Russian cousins paint their cockpits that ghastly dog vomit green? On a Boeing conversion course many years ago it was explained that Boeings then habit of painting their cockpits brown was to make it easy on the eye. I preferred the 727 battle-ship grey myself!
Wonder what the Soviet reason is for greenish blue?
The late TAC General 'Bobby' Bond accident
F-117A: The crash of General Robert M Bond
It was implied he did not quite understand the limitations of said Mig 23 which led to the catastrophic event..
cheers