Moldova is a small country between Romania and Ukraine and seldom visited. That is a bit of a shame because the people are friendly and some gems for aircraft enthusiasts can be found there.

First up is the aerodrome of Vadul lui Vodă. Formerly a DOSAAF field it sits on a hilltop overlooking the surrounding landscape. Apart from An-2 "10 yellow", some warbirds and former DOSAAF gliders as well as this civil An-2 ER-07863 can be found there.

The hamlet of Seminovca holds this grim looking statue and MiG-21UM "84 red". This monument honours the airmen that gave their live for the Motherland.

Many picturesque churches can be found in Moldova as well as classic and elaborate welcome signs when you enter a village. The one at Ceadîr-Lunga also depicts the blue, white and red flag of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia.

Many years ago, some former DOSAAF aircraft were gathered at Ceadîr-Lunga to form a flying school. This fell through and the aircraft lingered there all this time. The Wilgas originated from Mărculești.

The paint job on the Wilgas has either faded back to show the old red stars and yellow bort codes, or they never actually wore the Moldovan roundel at all. The sad looking An-2 "36 yellow" 1G73-28 has been left behind as well.

But sometimes you find an unexpected treasure. Who would have thought that they would stored these Blaniks in the operations building? As you can see, at least one did receive the proper Moldovan roundel!

Luckily, we could check some of their identities. Obviously these have been completely off the radar since their delivery to DOSAAF; probably at Vadul lui Vodă. Unfortunately, no chance they will ever fly again...

This MiG-17F looks firmly attached to its pedestal in take-off pose in Cahul. But it moved notably from side to side in the wind anyhow. Exploring the airframe revealed numbers 0907 and 0908, so the construction number should be in that region too.

Speaking of posing. Golden Lenin statue and a warning not to drink and drive illustrates that tradition and modernity go hand in hand in Moldova.

Due to Corona we could not visit Mărculești Air Base in the last instance. The museum in Chișinău was also closed and we had to crane our necks and arms to get these half decent shots of aerial inmates MiG-17 and MiG-21.

 Battered MiG-19P majestically sits on its pedestal on the outskirts of Florești. Said to be bort 31, but your guess is as good as ours...

 In summary, off the beaten track in Eastern Europe is still possible! We will likely return there and to neighbouring Transnistria someday.