Pictured, US Air Force Museum volunteer Bob Anderl, and students during the recent tour.

Submitted | Preble County Historical Society

EATON — In honor of Presidents’ Day on Monday, Feb. 19, guests were invited by the Preble County Historical Society to tour the United States Air Force Museum as a part of the PCHS Museum Tour in ‘24 program.

The group toured the Presidential Exhibit complete with Air Force One which flew President Reagan.

During the visit the participants also met with volunteer Bob Anderl who explained a rare aircraft in the hanger. The Soviet-designed Su-27 all-weather fighter-interceptor was created to counter the American McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. This two-seat trainer version, designated Su-27UB, entered USSR service in 1986 and still flies with Russian forces and other nations. Its NATO name is Flanker-C. The jet’s primary mission is advanced pilot training, but it has all the combat capability of other Su-27s. The instructor sits in the aft cockpit, and the plane has dual controls, but a single pilot can fly it from the front seat. Su-27s have been Sukhoi Su-27UB “Flanker-C” Trainer 21st Century Airpower versatile tested, leading to more advanced combat aircraft including the Russian Su-30SM and Su-35S used in the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Flanker-C on display was built in 1989. It served first in the Soviet Navy and then the Ukrainian Air Force after the Soviet Union collapsed. In 2008, Ukraine sold the demilitarized jet to a US company, and in 2011 the US Air Force bought it. The Su-27UB arrived at the Museum in 2023.