HELL hath no fury like Russia scorned… at least not when it comes to competition aerobatics, at any rate. The nation has a glittering history of wins in the sky, and for going further than anyone else in creating all-new aircraft to take gold medals.   The undoubted masterpieces of Soviet-era innovation – still – are the composite Sukhoi-26 and derivatives, which overnight changed the game by showcasing just how strong and effective carbon-fibre construction is in competition aircraft

But it also consigned another aircraft to history, another Russian ‘special’ created with the...