This is a love story. Two decades ago PrimoĹľ JovanoviÄŤ saw a plane that captured his dreams, Sokol galeb G2 and it was love on first sight. His love was so strong, he never stopped searching for his dream airplane, later (in 1987) found two former Yugoslavian Galebs in the US. He bought them with his own money, brought them back home and started rebuilding the first one. The love story goes on like this: the beauty is alive and he’s flying in his dreams, but as he says: “now i’m dreaming of three galebs screaming through the Slovenian sky…”

The SOKO G-2 Galeb (English: Seagull) is a single engine, two-seater advanced jet trainer and light ground-attack aircraft that was designed by ATI and manufactured by SOKO of Yugoslavia. G-2 Galeb was the first jet aircraft serial manufactured in Yugoslavia and the Balkans. Powered by a license-built Rolls Royce Viper Mk 22-6 turbojet, the G2-A was the standard version for the Yugoslav Air Force. They were used primarily for school-combat training of VVA (Military Air Force Academy) cadets, so that the largest number of these aircraft was located in the VVA units. The aircraft was very easy and forgiving in flight, with easy maintenance, so students and technicians loved it.[

During flight tests, a maximum speed of 812 km/h (440 kt) at 6,200 m (20,100 ft) was achieved in clean configuration, with no paint and a polished airframe. Top diving speed was Mach 0.81, obtained after a prolonged dive. Soko produced a total of 248 Galeb aircraft, 132 of which were used by the Yugoslav Air Force.

Without a pressurized cabin the practical ceiling is between 7,000 (22,800 ft) and 9,000 m (29,000 ft).

Photo: Klemen Korenjak