I would sit in its cabin, and life would seem more cheerful. For me, it is the time machine that takes me back to my youth, to the formidable '40s. I hope you understand why. I don't know a better plane. This wonder plane was developed in the last decade, literally before my very eyes.
Aviation is said to be the cradle of cosmonautics, and with good reason.
I'm glad that perestroika in my country is paving the road to a time when all threatening combat hardware will be stored in the Monino museum. Interviewer Jon Guttman is Senior Editor of Aviation Heritage Magazine.