L-39C, my first jet trainer, flown out of Larry Salganek's school in Santa Fe. The L-39 is a trainer used by the Eastern Bloc as a transition plane between primary training jets like the L-29 and fighters like MiGs. The usual instrumentation but with engine speed in %RPM, and fuel in 100's of liters (it sucks fuel too fast to count by less than 100's).

The usual deal when moving to higher performance airplanes is that the stick-and-rudder flying gets easier while the situational-awareness and systems management gets tougher. The L-39 had really nice handling qualities, and the biggest change from high-performance propeller aircraft was that the 39 could be G-loaded for a much longer period of time, and pulling into the stall buffet didn't require a lot of stick force. Pulling 6 or 7 g's in a Pitts or Extra is rough, but it's over quickly - the L-39 could do that too, then stay loaded in the 4-5g range all day long. Proper G-straining is key.

As for S-A, the airplane covered ground and vertical very quickly, and acro figure entries had to be done at just the right time to avoid busting either the Class A airspace (airliner-land) above or lawn-darting. Systems management actually got easier, as the airplane starts with two buttons and has a computer-controlled fuel flow management system, so the pilot can be a little more assertive with the throttle without over-temping the engine. First-generation jets had direct fuel control from the throttle - rapid throttle movements would dump fuel before the compressor could spool up to admit more air, spiking the combustion chamber temperatures which would require an engine overhaul.