If you were to drive on West Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. you would probably say, “There’s a jet sitting in that parking lot!” “Why?” “What kind of jet is it?”
Age and Florida sun have made insignia and decals nearly invisible. But what remains clear is the number “9297” just fore of the cockpit. It turns out these numbers are enough to identify the plane. This aircraft is a Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG)-21. MiGs are Soviet fighters that went through several iterations as they progressed from propeller-driven aircraft to jet propulsion. The MiG-21, first developed in 1955, was a single-engine, fixed-wing jet able to fly at mach 2 (twice the speed of sound, or 1522 miles per hour). This fighter was a relatively low cost, highly maneuverable jet that was easy to operate from rough airfields, and easy to maintain. However, pilots nicknamed it “The Flying Coffin” due to its frequency of in-flight failures. MiGs were manufactured from 1958 to 1985, and were the infamous fighters flown in the Vietnam War by communist North Vietnam. This particular jet is a MiG-21UM Mongol B—a 2-seater training aircraft.
Though the fighter is a two-seater, the space for each person is tight. It is almostlike the pilot is strapped in the jet. A pilot had room for his arms to go underneath controls and above controls. Flyers legs were forced partially under the seat.
Tracing the history of this MiG shows the first assignment on record took “9297” to Poland in 1980. This is confirmed by the faded checkerboard on the tail—the national marking of the Poland Air Force. The other faded insignia, a red eagle with green wings and head, shows the jet was a part of Number 141 Squadron, 4th Air Regiment. The recorded station was Malbork Military Air Base Airport in Pomerania, Poland. Sometime after this date, the Poland Air Force stored the aircraft at an airport in Krosno, Poland.
In 2012, Draken International in Lakeland, Florida purchased “9297.” Draken provides aircraft to serve as adversaries in tactical military combat training.
Draken contracted with Plant City’s Starr Creations to make military-grade fire resistant panels for some of its aircraft. In a meeting between Draken and Starr Creations, Draken employees said they had several MiGs they needed to sell. Aaron Starr, an owner of Starr Creations, jokingly said, “I’ll take one off your hands.” In October 2021 Draken staff brought “Scary” paperwork to Starr and told him to, “Sign it, pick out a jet, and get it out of here.”
Before the transfer to Starr Creations, Draken removed explosive charges used to eject the pilot and low-grade radioactive material used to keep the instrumentation lit (we’re all thankful for that). The MiG did come with an unused engine, which Starr Creations removed and sold for parts. The paperwork Starr signed made a commitment the jet could never again be made operational, no matter who owns it.
“It’s basically a yard ornament,” commented Aaron Starr. “I’ve had multiple people come here—pilots and civilians—to talk to me about MiGs. Passersby stop and take pictures and want to talk about it.”