Does anyone remember the Czech made Let L-410 Turbolet?

The Let L-410 Turbolet is an unpressurised airliner designed for short-range flying in extreme conditions out of short runways. The Czech designed and built plane first flew on 16 April 1969 and has been upgraded several times over the years.

With seating for 19 passengers, it can fly up to 1,520km (more in its latest version) and is used in a variety of civilian and military roles. Power on the original versions was provided by the Czech made Walter M601 turboprop engine.

Let L-410 Turbolet Video

Following on from the last video about the Junkers Ju 52, this week we stay in Europe for a look at the Let L-410 Turbolet. Below is short three minute video giving a brief overview of the plane.

You can find the aircraft operating in Europe, for example Trade Air of Croatia operates it between Zagreb and Osijek. Someone has posted a video flight review from 2021 on this very flight.

Certainly looks interesting and flight prices are very reasonable. Other roles for the L-410 include skydiving, so you might have been on one when jumping out of a plane.

Overall Thoughts

There have been over 1,200 examples produced to date and today it is still being made as the Aircraft Industries L 410 NG. This upgraded version first took to the sky on 29 July 2015, with serial production starting in 2018.

When it comes to flight safety, there has been a streak of bad luck recently, with five aircraft being lost to accidents in 2021 alone. That adds to the 113 other incidents and accidents from the 1970s onwards.

Have you ever flown on board a Let L-410 Turbolet before? What was that like? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image by Александр Маркин via Wikimedia Commons.