This must be the first model I ever made of an aircraft which was in active service when I started modelling it and was retired when I finished!

The venerable PZL Mielec TS-11 Iskra -'Spark' (Bis D variant) trainer was used by the Indian Airforce as an Intermediate Jet Trainer since 1975 inspite of being the losing competitor in the Warsaw Pact competition for a jet trainer (won by the L-29 Delfin).

Have successfully played it's role in training thousands of future air warriors the Iskra was finally retired in December 2004, after nearly 30 years of faithful service .

The only firm which makes model kits of the Iskra(in it's' various avatars) is KP Models of the Czech republic.  I luckily found this particular kit in a Hobby Shop in south Florida and that too only for $5!! Like most KP models offerings the kit quality is still shoddy but the quality of the plastic seems to have improved and it had a surprisingly large (and accurate!) number of decals for a 1:72 scale model.

The model was built mostly OOB since the kit captures most of the details. The only scratch built additions are the intake grills (a hard thing to put in a 1:72 model of a tiny aircraft as I soon discovered!!) and some wiring in the undercarriage.

This particular model depicts the Iskra trainer with Serial Number W1744 which was one of the aircraft which took part in the Phasing Out Ceremony held in December, 2005 at the Hakimpet airfield, Andhra Pradesh where they were based.

It is perhaps interesting to note that the serial W1744 was assigned to one of the four original Iskras supplied by Poland in 1975 and was reassigned to a new aircraft which was supplied in lieu of expired airframes in 1999-2000.

© 2005 by Raja Bose