Mateusz Strama

Mar 3

First of all, please introduce yourself to us, and tell us your aviation background.

My name is Mateusz Strama. I live in Warsaw, Poland. My daily job is flying Boeing 737 for the largest low-cost airline in Europe. I am passionate about warbirds and general aviation. I started my adventure with warbirds flying Boeing Stearman around 8 years ago and flew her for 3 years doing 200 hrs, then I moved to highly modified Yak-11 with 1450 hp, flew this for 3 years accumulating 70 hrs. In 2019 me and 2 other friends decided to purchase SB Lim-2 which is basically Polish build Mig-15UTI. I have about 8500 hrs TT and 50 hrs/ 80 flights on Mig-15.

Not many people know about Fundacja Eskadra/Squadron, can you tell us something about it?

Fundacja Eskadra (Squadron Foundation) was founded by my friend Bartek Maciejczyk last year, we are operating SB Lim-2, Lim-2 and Yak-52 trainer. We are based in Warsaw Modlin Airport EPMO. Our team consists of 3 pilots and 2 mechanics that work full time. We also have the support of the maintenance manager and avionics specialist that help us on a part-time basis. Our plan is to operate polish build Mig-15s in a safe manner and display those amazing jets around Europe. Our future plan is to rebuild another fast military jet… Mig-21 or Lim-5 ( polish Mig-17). However, from a long time perspective, we think it would be possible to rebuild Mig-23…

How did you become a pilot of such a rare jet? What training/license do you need to fly it?

As far as training goes we have completed training according to the syllabus that was prepared individually together with polish CAA. That included basic manoeuvres, aerobatic sorties and simulated engine-out approaches. Of course, previous experience flying fast piston airplane and 737 helped as well.

Could you tell us a bit about the two Migs? Their history? Why do some people refer to them as Lim-2/SBlim-2?

Both our airplanes are Polish built versions of Mig-15 made by the WSK Mielec factory. The first airplane is SB Lim-2, two-seater, manufactured in 1953. She started her life as Lim-1 and was later modified to a training version with a better engine. The second airplane is Lim-2 manufactured in 1954. It’s the only airworthy Lim-2 (fighter) in the world and one of the only two Mig-15s still flying. This airplane was test flown last year after restoration. Polish Migs were operational until 1993 so they have a long-lasting history in Polish Air Force. Thousands of people were building, maintaining and flying them in Poland.

If one day you could choose any airshow to display at, which one would it be and why?

I think that it would be a great experience to participate in a famous airshow and fly-in Oshkosh.

Where can we see you perform this year?

Planned airshows :
-Festival letectva Piestany, Slovakia (06-08 May)
-Antidotum Airshow Leszno, Poland (17-18 Jun)
-Nowotarski Piknik Lotniczy, Poland (16-17 Jul)
-Gdynia AeroBaltic, Poland (20-21 Aug)
-Slovak International Air Fest (SIAF), Slovakia (27-28 Aug)

And some other airshows that are not yet 100% confirmed.

When do you start your training flights before the airshow season?

We start training flights end of March/April every year.

How hard is it to maintain such a rare aircraft? Where do you get the spare parts or mechanics sufficiently experienced to work on such jets?

We spend the winter season on maintenance and upgrades. Right now our two-seater undergoes big maintenance including avionics upgrade and paint peel off. Both our birds are IFR certified. It’s very time and cost consuming to operate those jets today. We have 2 mechanics working full time, one of them has 50 years experience on this type. We have a lot of spare parts that should be enough for 15+ years of operation.

Do you offer passenger flights in the SBLim-2?

We are not operating passenger flights right now but we are working with polish CAA on implementing procedures to offer introductory flights as well as training flights in the future.

What’s Mig-15 like to Fly/Display? Is there any difference in the flight characteristics between the single and double seat variants?

Mig-15 is an amazing airplane to fly, very powerful and fast. You have to be careful at lower speeds but when you fly 250+ KTS she just goes where you want to go and has great controls balance. You can fly in a speed range between 250 to 700 km/h without even using elevator trim! The single-seater is a little bit different. Because of the smaller canopy and operational gunsight you really feel like a fighter pilot. She also has around 15% more power.

If you had a chance to fly any aircraft you like what would it be?

Mig-17, P-51 and Spitfire

Do you have any plans to in the future meet up with other Mig-15s in Europe and perform a joint display?

That would be a nice experience to meet up with another Mig-15 and perform 3 ship formations. Maybe we can perform a simulated dogfight with an F-86 Sabre someday?

Could you summarize the 2021 season, any highlights?

Last year we have flown more than 70 hrs on both our Migs, performed 5 displays and did some air-to-air/photo work as well. Thanks to our mechanics we never had AOG or any other single issue with our birds.

What airshow this year are you looking forward to the most?

I really enjoy Leszno and Aerobaltic in Poland every single year. Both airshows in Slovakia are fun and professional as well.

Could you tell us a little bit about your display? At what speeds do you fly? What’s the maximum G you pull during a typical display? What can the audience expect to see this year?

Our display consists of formation flight and some aerobatics. Speed range is 300-800 km/h, altitude ranges from 10-1200 meters. We usually don’t pull more than 4,5 Gs.

Thank you for your time. Any final words to our readers?