It started with a phone call from Mira Slovak, the legendary Czech pilot and Cold War-era defector who raced hydroplanes and won the first National Championship Air Races in 1964 at Sky Ranch, Nevada.

The Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros, originally an Eastern Bloc military trainer, has become a highly popular and accessible jet for civilian pilots due to its user-friendly design, ruggedness, and ...