Aircraft Info

The MiG-17 is the best air show jet period. It has a unique afterburner (how about a 10 foot flame), supersonic speed, awesome acceleration, and unparalleled pitch authority. This pitch authority is important because it allows the aircraft to stay in the airshow box and in front of your airshow fans at all times. At 350 knots airspeed Half Cubans can be flown within a 3500 foot radius. With over 7,400 lbs of thrust and a light 9,000 lbs airframe Tiger Tom Klassen will safely amaze your audience with maneuvers like the Double Immelman, and the Tiger's Pounce!

Tom Klassen's air show jet had a long military history. The aircraft is a Lim 6bis, a Polish built ground attack version of the infamous MiG 17F. The NATO name for the MiG 17F was the "Fresco C". Tom's jet is a low level reconnaissance version of the Lim 6bis, it is known as a Lim 6R. Registered as N619M (s/n 1J0619), it was originally built in Poland in 1963. The Lim 6R is the last MiG 17 derivative built anywhere in the world and is the best version produced. Production ended in 1964.

All MiG 17s were armed with one N-37D (37mm) cannon and two NR-23 (23 mm) cannons. For the ground attack reconnaissance role the Lim 6R also carried two UB-16-57 air-to-ground rocket pods and had a drag chute located under its rudder. The Lim 6R also has a photographic pod for two aerial surveillance cameras on the aft right-hand side of its fuselage.

Tiger Tom's jet is in the same Polish colors and markings it had while on operational status with the 45th Fighter-Bomber Training Regiment (Lotniczy Pulk Szkolno-Rojowy) at Babimost. This aircraft was retired from service in the Polish Air Force in 1992. That same year it was imported by a private collector to the United States and has been flown here ever since.