Warbird Workshop: Season 1, Episode 6

1 - 6: L39 Jet

Businessman Steve Hartley has dedicated his fortune to a quest for speed. He already owns a McLaren Formula 1 car and two helicopters. But his latest project leaves both standing.? His L39 jet is a Cold War-era plane rescued from the corner of a hangar in the Baltic States.

At St Athan in Wales, engineer John Sparks and his team of ex-Navy and RAF? engineers begin the task of reassembling the Czech-built jet from nine parts delivered by lorry. In a hangar that was once one of the most secret places in NATO, dedicated to servicing the RAF's front line jets, British engineers must begin puzzling out the workings of an Eastern Bloc plane that they once regarded as the enemy.

The first engine run goes well... then the team hit a major hurdle.? An ejection seat is found to be unusable and Steve must launch a worldwide search for a replacement. In a real-life story with some of the ingredients of a thriller, his quest comes up with an unusual solution...buying another jet.? But will his first plane ever take to the air?