The Valmet L-70 ''Vinka'' is a Finnish-designed

piston A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas-tig ...

-powered

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

basic

trainer aircraft A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristi ...

of the 1970s. A production run of 30 aircraft were built for the

Finnish Air Force The Finnish Air Force (FAF or FiAF; fi, Ilmavoimat, , Air forces; sv, Flygvapnet, , Air weapon) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of Finnis ...

in the early 1980s, and although the type was not exported, it formed the basis of the

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...

-powered

Aermacchi M-290 RediGO The Valmet L-90 Redigo is a turboprop-powered military basic trainer aircraft and liaison aircraft, a development of Valmet's earlier training aircraft for the Finnish Air Force. The L-90 was the last military aircraft designed and produced in ...

Development and design

The Finnish state-owned manufacturing conglomerate Valmet Oy began design work in September 1970 on a replacement for the

Saab Safir The Saab 91 Safir (Swedish for sapphire) is a three (91A, B, B-2) or four (91C, D) seater, single engine trainer aircraft. The Safir was built by Saab AB in Linköping, Sweden (203 aircraft) and by '' De Schelde'' in Dordrecht, Netherlands (12 ...

s then in use with the

as basic trainers. Valmet received an order from the Finnish Air Force for further development of the ''LEKO-70'' (''Lentokone'' (Aeroplane) 1970) in March 1973.''Air International'' December 1979, p. 266. The first

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

made its maiden flight from

Halli Airport Halli Airport ( fi, Hallin lentoasema) is a military airport located in Kuorevesi, Jämsä, Finland, west of Jämsä town centre. The Aircraft and Weapon Systems Training Wing of the Finnish Air Force was based at the airport until the end of th ...

for the first time on 1 July 1975.''Air International'' December 1979, p. 265. Valmet L-70 Miltrainer

The aircraft is a low-winged

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

of all-metal construction and with a fixed nosewheel undercarriage. It is powered by a single 200 hp (149 kW)

Lycoming O-360 The Lycoming O-360 is a family of four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, piston aircraft engines. Engines in the O-360 series produce between 145 and 225 horsepower (109 to 168 kW), with the basic O-360 produc ...

flat-four A flat-four engine, also known as a horizontally opposed-four engine, is a four-cylinder piston engine with two banks of cylinders lying on opposite sides of a common crankshaft. The most common type of flat-four engine is the boxer-four engine, ...

piston engine A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...

driving a two-bladed propeller. In its main training role, the pupil and instructor sit side by side under a large sliding canopy. An additional two seats or a stretcher and medical attendant can be carried for the liaison role, while the wings are fitted with four hardpoints for carrying of external stores.''Air International'' December 1979, pp. 289–290. The Finnish Air Force placed an order for 30 aircraft, to be designated ''Vinka'' (Blast (of wind)) on 28 January 1977, with the aircraft to be built at Valmet's

Kuorevesi Kuorevesi is a former municipality in Finland. It was part of the Pirkanmaa region in western Finland. In the year 2001 it was consolidated into the town of Jämsä in the Central Finland region. The name of the municipality came from the Lake Kuo ...

plant.''Air International'' December 1979, pp. 265, 268.

Operational history

The Vinka entered service on 13 October 1980''Air International'' February 1981, p. 73. with deliveries continuing until 1982.Green and Swanborough 1986, p. 114. Finnish Air Force pilot trainees flew about 100 hours on the Vinka at the Air Academy at

Kauhava Kauhava is a town and municipality of Finland. It is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region, northwest of Helsinki and by the main railway from Helsinki to Oulu. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The pop ...

before converting to the

British Aerospace Hawk The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, jet-powered advanced trainer aircraft. It was first flown at Dunsfold, Surrey, in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk, and subsequently produced by its successor companies, British Aerospace and B ...

jet trainer. Valmet attempted to market the type internationally under the name L-70 Miltrainer, but no orders followed. In September 2022 the Vinka was removed from Air Force service after over 40 years of service.

L-80 TP Turbo Vinha

After unsuccessfully having tried to market the L-70 Vinka for the export market, Valmet developed a turboprop version with a new wing and a retractable undercarriage. This aircraft was given the designation L-80 TP Turbotrainer. The prototype (OH-VBB), powered by a 360 shp (268 kW)

Allison 250 The Allison Model 250, now known as the Rolls-Royce M250, (US military designations T63 and T703) is a highly successful turboshaft engine family, originally developed by the Allison Engine Company in the early 1960s. The Model 250 has been pro ...

turboprop engine, made its first flight on 12 February 1985, piloted by Paavo Janhunen.Green and Swanborough 1986, pp. 114–117. The prototype was destroyed in an accident on 24 April that year, killing the pilot Paavo Janhunen and the flight observer.Green and Swanborough May 1986, p. 117. The second prototype was baptized Valmet L-90 TP and it was used for the development of the

L-90 Redigo The Valmet L-90 Redigo is a turboprop-powered military basic trainer aircraft and liaison aircraft, a development of Valmet's earlier training aircraft for the Finnish Air Force. The L-90 was the last military aircraft designed and produced in ...

or RediGo (Both spelling versions are found in the brochures from the manufacturer).

Operators

; :

- 30 were built for the FiAF, 26 remain in service and are located at the

Air Force Academy An air force academy or air academy is a national institution that provides initial officer training, possibly including undergraduate level education, to air force officer cadets who are preparing to be commissioned officers in a national air forc ...

Tikkakoski Tikkakoski is a northernmost residential area of Jyväskylä, Finland, about north of the city centre. It has a population of 6,000. The Jyväskylä Airport, Aviation Museum of Central Finland, and a Finnish Air Force base, with the FAF Headqua ...

Specifications (L-70 Vinka)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *"A doughty Finnish wind...Vinka Enters Service". ''Air International''. February 1981, Vol 20 No 2. pp. 73–74. . * Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "Valmet's Turbotrainer...A Northern Newcomer with Tradition". ''Air International''. March 1986, Vol 30 No 3. pp. 111–117. . *"A New Northerly Air Current...The Vinka From Valmet". ''

Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fir ...