Polikarpov I-16 (tip 24) no 2421014 was built in 1940 at zavod (state aircraft plant) 21 in Gor'ky (Nizhny Novgorod).
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, its remains were discovered near Lake Yaglyayarvi (Ягляярви or, in Finnish, Ägläjärvi), Republic of Karelia, in July 1991.
The wreck was one of six remanufactured by Sir Tim Wallis and his Alpine Fighter Collection at plant no 153 at Novisibirsk.
First flown in 1997, it was crated and arrived at Wanaka in March 1998 having been registered to the AFC as ZK-JIQ on October 9, 1997.
Marked as 'red 4', it was displayed at the 1998 Warbirds over Wanaka show by Mark Hanna with the Cyrillic inscription 'For Valery'.
On November 25, 1998, the registration was cancelled when the aircraft was sold to the USA, and the aircraft was shipped from Wanaka early in 1999.
Registered as N7459 on March 4, 1999, more than a decade later, it remains part of Microsoft co-founder and Vulcan Ventures founder Paul Allen's Flying Heritage Collection at Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field), Everett, Washington (home of the Boeing wide-bodies). Registered to Vulcan Warbirds, and marked as NX7459, the I-16 flies regularly, as does most of his impressive collection.
Details and photograph supplied by Jean210.
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