(Text: Andreas Grüner)
The restoration began with a MiG-21 that had been set up as a monument in the former barracks area at Altenburg airfield. At that time the aircraft carried camouflage paint and the serial "red 01". The aircraft is a MiG-21SMT built in Gorky in 1971 with serial number N50022121. It flew here with the 296th APIB, where it was used as a fighter-bomber. For a time the aircraft also carried the serial 24. The aircraft had damage in the nose area where the fuselage had been pushed inwards. As a result it received the distinctive plates on the right and left. It is not known whether this damage led to its retirement.
Unfortunately the aircraft could only be recovered late, as the owner, LEG Thüringen, wanted a lot of money for the wreck for a long time. Only after an attempted theft could we start the recovery. Shortly after Easter 2001 work began; the crane first straightened the aircraft and then secured it with ropes. Then we started cutting through the nine railway rails on which the aircraft was mounted. At around 7 p.m. we were finally able to load the MiG onto the low-loader and transport it to the airfield; at around 11.30 p.m. the day was over!
In the time that followed, the work really began: access panels were opened, the railway rails (4 tonnes) had to be removed and the SMT had to be moved into the garage before winter. I received great help from my good friend Jens-Uwe, who supported me with ground equipment but also with advice and practical help.
In a garage, the first job on the MiG-21 was the paint; in places up to five layers of paint had to be stripped. Underneath, the original serial "blue 60" came to light. Many maintenance stencils applied to the silver surface could also be found, so it can be assumed that the aircraft never flew in camouflage. We also found that the left wing was brand new, and fittings such as the canopy, APU-13 weapon pylons, spine tank (tank 7) etc. came from other aircraft.
The biggest problem was the fact that tank 7 was that of a MiG-21bis and was not tall enough to produce a proper transition to the fin. So we had to rebuild the entire spine. In the meantime we received support from two job-creation workers, without whose help we would never have got this far.
After moving into a larger hall at the beginning of 2003, we were able to carry out our personal roll-out in June. On June 20, 2003, the MiG-21SMT was officially handed over from the state development company to Altenburg airfield. The SMT was then presented to the general public at the airfield festival on the weekend of June 28/29, 2003.
Further information and pictures:
Roll-out of the reconstructed MiG-21SMT at Altenburg-Nobitz airfield.