Valmet L-70 Vinka

Shortly before AirVenture last year, I connected with Ken Yokosawa and learned that he owned an ex-Finnish Air Force trainer called the Valmet L-70 Vinka. I’d never heard of the Vinka before, so I was interested. At this year’s AirVenture, I finally had the chance to meet Ken, along with his brother Martin Yokosawa, Esa Lehto, and Tero Nuppola. They own the only four on the U.S. register.

The Yokosawas

Ken Yokosawa, age 67, was born in Bloomington, Illinois. His father was Japanese and his mother was Finnish. Yokosawa’s parents moved from Bloomington to Naperville, a suburb of Chicago, when he was an infant. He says, “My father, Aki Yokosawa, was a theoretical high-energy physicist and, due to his work, he traveled frequently. His travel allowed us to frequently visit airports. The early 1960s was a glamorous time for air travel for our father as well as our family. It was also an exciting time to go up to the observation deck at airports and watch all the airplanes, especially the jets, as this was the time of the emerging jet age. From a young age, my brother Martin and I were fascinated by airplanes small and large, especially when we would fly in one. It was always a memorable experience to be invited by the pilots or stewardesses, as they were called at that time, to come up front in-flight to see the cockpit! Landing and especially taking off was an exciting phase of flight, especially when takeoff power was set and reverse thrust was deployed. Martin and I particularly enjoyed deplaning Finnair’s Caravelle and DC-9 via the rear tailcone stairs. It was always an exciting and memorable experience to fly Finnair. I can still smell the fresh-baked bread, coffee, and particularly the pleasant, welcoming boarding music that still plays in my head to this day. I can also still visualize the nose cone of Finnair’s DC-8 (later, on the early DC-10s) with the Finnair blue and white circular logos on either side and the instilling sense of happiness associated with Finland, our family in Finland, and Finnair. Growing up in Naperville, we were close to Naper Aero, and Martin and I could walk down the road to watch the airplanes taking off and landing at Naper Aero. Aviation has been a fascination since early childhood.”

Yokosawa first took the controls of an aircraft in 1984, but soon after, he left for medical school and could not complete his flight training. It was not until 2009 when life finally allowed him to resume flight training. He joined a flying club and flew a Piper Archer III for several years. In 2014, he left his position at a Michigan State University residency program and took a position with the Rush University residency in Chicago. This allowed him the privilege and honor to care for his widowed mother until she passed away. During this time, Yokosawa had the good fortune to build a new home at Naper Aero where he could take care of Sirkka during the week and return home to Michigan on weekends. He mentions, “Both my brother Martin and I are now private pilots. Our mother was not a pilot but an avid aviation enthusiast and loved to fly anytime she could. As she got older, Martin would lift her in and out of the airplane. The attached picture is the last time I was able to take her flying. In 2017, one of my colleagues in Michigan bought a retired Swedish Air Force trainer (SK61 Scottish Aviation Bulldog), and I had the opportunity to fly it frequently. I thoroughly enjoy flying the Bulldog and started looking to find a retired Swedish SK61 Bulldog. Martin also was interested in acquiring an SK61 Bulldog, but finding one became a challenge. It was during this time, when we were trying to find a Bulldog, my Buick and VW friend in Helsinki, Jukka Lamminen, contacted me to tell me that the Finnish Air Force was retiring their training fleet and asked if I was interested. Jukka played a vital key role in our Vinka story; without him, we would not have had this opportunity to own a piece of our Finnish heritage and Finland’s history.”

Martin Yokosawa, Ken’s younger brother by a year, followed pretty much the same path leading him to a Vinka. He says, “Ken and I were attracted to aviation for very much the same reasons. We grew up near the airfield in Naperville, and we also traveled regularly to both Europe and Asia, so we were destined to either love flying or hate it. We both went in the former direction!”

Tero Nuppola

Nuppola grew up in a little town east of Helsinki and says he grew up wanting to be a police officer. However, when he was around 15 or 16, a friend took him flying in a private plane, and, he recalls, “That changed the whole view of what I wanted to do. Within a couple of years, I had earned my private pilot certificate. In 1993, I had to go into the military, so obviously I tried to get into the air force flight training program. Unfortunately, after two attempts, it didn’t work out, so I ended up doing my military service in the air force on the maintenance side. While Vinkas were not stationed at my base, every now and then one would turn up. Still, I wanted to fly. Opportunities in Finland were scarce, and obtaining ratings was quite expensive. I ended up looking into flight schools here in the States. In the fall of 1997, I enrolled in a flight school in Conway, South Carolina, and earned all my ratings. The following year, I moved to Texas and started flight instructing and building hours.” Finally, in December 2002, Nuppola landed a pilot position flying regional jets for Atlantic Southeast Airlines. In August 2011, he moved to big jets, flying the Airbus for Spirit Airlines. In early 2026, the handwriting was on the wall, and he made the move to American Airlines.

He confesses, “I never really had a plan to own an airplane. I guess I was just one of those guys who got enough flying when I was working. But then a friend of mine who’s still in the Finnish Air Force tipped me off about the Vinka auction, and it piqued my interest. I decided to take the plunge, and I took delivery of VN-19 in early 2024. During this process, I met Esa, Ken, and Martin through a WhatsApp group that was formed to connect the Vinka owners. It is a mutual support group, helping each other with maintenance issues, parts, and other tips and tricks. It works well for all of us.”

Esa Lehto

Lehto was born in northern Finland but lived abroad with his family for four years before he started school. Before finishing high school, he had already lived in Germany and Sweden. He became attracted to aviation when he was three years old.

After high school, Lehto served in the Finnish military, as it was mandatory. He studied engineering and worked summer internships abroad. He also served in the Golan Heights with UN Peacekeeping Forces in Syria. This assignment helped him maintain his aviation interest, as he had to identify IDF aircraft and drones overflying. Following his military service, he earned his pilot license and also began a career that involved travel. He relocated to Dallas, Texas, in 2001 and converted his European PPL to a foreign-based PPL. He says, “In 2017, I got some ‘insider information’ that the Finnish Air Force would soon decommission its Vinkas. They were finally put up for auction in 2022, and my ‘new’ Vinka arrived in Texas in January 2023.”

What Is a Vinka?

In 1970, the Finnish state-owned manufacturing conglomerate Valmet Oy began design work on a replacement for the Finnish Air Force fleet of aging Saab 91 Safir basic trainers. Valmet’s industrial roots extend back more than 200 years to early Finnish state-supported shipbuilding and textile manufacturing. Following WW-II, Finland reorganized its state-owned industrial assets to support reconstruction and fulfill war reparations to the Soviet Union. In 1950, these entities were formally unified as Valtion Metallitehtaat (“State Metalworks”), later shortened to Valmet. The company initially focused on manufacturing locomotives, ships, and defense-related equipment. During the 1950s, Valmet also developed aviation and engineering capabilities, including military trainer aircraft production (Valmet Vihuri).

Esa Lehto, the first owner of the U.S.-based Vinkas, explains the concept behind Valmet’s decision to build the new trainer for the Finnish Air Force. “Prior to the Second World War, Valmet’s aviation component was primarily involved with assembling airplanes and maintaining aircraft which came from their other contracts. When the Finnish government decided to seek a replacement for the Air Force Saab Safir primary training aircraft, they considered existing airplanes such as the SIAI-Marchetti SF.260, the Scottish Aviation Bulldog, and a couple of other options. Ultimately, the decision was made to give this task to Valmet Aviation and let them develop an airplane for the Finnish Air Force, thus creating jobs locally.”

Work began in September 1970 on the new trainer, originally designated L-70 Miltrainer but later renamed Vinka (Blast of Wind) at the Valmet facility in Kuorevesi, Finland. The trainer was designed as a low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction with a fixed nosewheel undercarriage. It is powered by a single 200-hp (149-kW) Lycoming AEIO-360 flat-four piston engine driving a two-blade propeller. In its main training role, the student 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 external stores. The new airplane looked remarkably similar to the Scottish Aviation Bulldog.

The first flight of the Vinka was made on July 1, 1975. On January 28, 1977, the Finnish Air Force placed an order for 30 aircraft, the first of which was delivered in February 1980 and went into service on October 13 of the same year. Deliveries continued through 1982. The Vinkas served in the Finnish Air Force for 40 years, finally withdrawn from active service on September 1, 2022. Valmet attempted to market the type internationally under the name L-70 Miltrainer, but no orders followed.

As the Vinkas were retired from active military use, they were handed over for public use, primarily to educational institutions and museums. Sixteen aircraft were placed up for auction during autumn 2022, with one unusual stipulation: The Finnish Air Force only sold them through a Finnish auction house, and they could only be paid for through a Finnish bank account. So, when Jukka Lamminen alerted him to the impending auction, he was immediately interested.

Ken says, “Martin and I focused on the Vinka because it is part of our Finnish heritage. After Jukka let me know that the Vinkas can be seen on Huutokaupat (roughly the Finnish equivalent of eBay), Martin and I became very interested in buying one. Also, the Vinka was very similar to the Piper Cherokees and Bulldog we were flying already. We soon learned that the Saab Safir, Piper Cherokee, and Bulldog were also some of the aircraft researched by the Vinka design team. In preparation for participating in the auction, we learned that we were unable to bid on Huutokaupat.com due to not having a bank account in Finland. Jukka was willing and instrumental in helping with the bidding process for us. Again, without him and his gracious time and help, we would not be the current caretakers of these rare pieces of Finnish history!”

There were two separate auctions, so Ken and Martin considered getting four of them because the opening bid was quite reasonable. The brothers went to the auction but, as Ken explains, “The prices escalated and went way beyond our budget at that time, so buying four was definitely out. Then suddenly, there was just such a flurry of bidding that even one of them was well beyond what we wanted to spend. We wondered who in Finland was upping the bid because only people with a Finnish connection could bid on these. Anyway, we didn’t get one.” Then the second auction came around, and the Yokosawa brothers placed a bid and ultimately won one. The price this time, in fact, was low enough that the brothers each bought an airplane.

Tale of Two FSDOs

Esa Lehto was the first to import a Vinka to the U.S., and he encountered a unique challenge. He relates, “My Vinka was the first of its type imported to the U.S. The challenge was that the plane was a foreign military aircraft and had never been issued a civilian certification in any country. Apparently, this was a unique challenge for the FAA. It was such a battle to get the Vinka certified here that I almost packed the plane back up to send it back to Finland to get it registered as a civilian aircraft in Finland. Finally, we were able to jump through the bureaucratic hoops and get it certified as Experimental Exhibition in the U.S. But what a battle!”

After the Yokosawa brothers purchased the Vinkas, their plan was to fly them to the U.S. via the northern oceanic route. Ken continues, “With Jukka’s help and his clever registration recommendation (possibly based on the challenges that Lehto endured), we initially had them registered in Finland as OH-MOM and OH-KEN. That, as it turned out, created different challenges. We learned that we could not fly a Finnish-registered airplane in Finland with only a U.S. pilot’s license. We decided that the easiest thing to do was to disassemble the airplanes and ship them in containers to the U.S. It seemed to us that our local FSDO bent over backward to be as helpful as possible during our process.”

The Yokosawa brothers were fortunate to have several friends in Finland who were of invaluable assistance. Ken notes, “Kari Katainen’s help was invaluable. He stored and prepared our Vinkas for the flight to the U.S. After much preparation, we were ready to purchase the insurance and found that we were unable to find an aviation insurance company that would insure the Vinka for the oceanic crossing. Following this, Kari and his team meticulously disassembled and packed our Vinkas. After much paperwork, export licenses, and permits, Kari and his team loaded our Vinkas into the shipping containers in mid-February and freezing -26° C temperatures. My good friend Peter Giman in Helsinki was also instrumental in arranging and coordinating the containers, the shipping company, and helping us with the export licenses and permits. The last obstacle that we encountered was the day our containers arrived in the Helsinki harbor; the dock workers went on strike for three days. Following this, the voyage to the U.S. and delivery to my hangar was smooth sailing.”

Putting It All Together

Reassembly and inspection went smoothly. The FAF provided very comprehensive maintenance and parts manuals. Kari Katainen’s team meticulously identified, packed, and labeled parts and assemblies in such a way that it was obvious which part went where. Once in the U.S., Martin’s airplane (VN-7) was registered N331SY, and Ken registered VN-21 as N331VN in remembrance and honor of their late mother, who, Ken says, ” … would have loved to see and fly in the Vinkas. I am sure she is smiling today in heaven.” The “331” is Sirkka’s birthday, March 31, 1930, and the “SY” is from her name, Sirkka Yokosawa. The “VN” is from the VN in the FAF registration. “The FAA aircraft airworthiness certification process went very smoothly. We provided the inspector the history of 5,000 hours and 7,000 hours, the Finnish Air Force findings and modifications, as well as the details regarding the main concern with the wing attachment bolt holes. Jyrki Laukkanen (Vinka test pilot) was also very helpful with this project, especially helping us understand the history and concerns with the wing mount bolt holes. With the wings off, per the FAF maintenance manual, we had the wing mounts inspected and the bolt holes eddy-current tested. The FAA inspector came to see our Vinkas several times and each time commented that our Vinkas are in such excellent condition and that the Finnish Air Force has taken great care of them. The degree to which the FAF maintained these planes and the obvious excellent condition was definitely a positive factor that led to our Vinkas’ airworthiness certification.”

Ken Yokosawa’s first flight in the Vinka was a delightful experience. He recalls, “It was very similar to the Piper I had been flying but with much lighter and more responsive controls. It was even more similar to the Bulldog I flew, and I felt immediately comfortable flying the Vinka. It is a pleasure to fly, and it is very stable in all phases of flight. The control surfaces respond well to trim. It is a pleasure and a privilege to own and fly such a rare, fine machine of our heritage and Finland’s history.”

In all, 30 production Vinkas were built, plus one pre-production example that was used as a demonstrator. Two were lost in FAF accidents, and a third was scrapped. Three were donated to museums, and another eight went to vocational schools. The remaining 16 were auctioned to private owners. When asked about spare parts availability, Ken Yokosawa points out, “First of all, everything firewall forward is ‘non-Vinka specific,’ so parts are readily available. Following the sale of the 16 units to private owners, the Finnish Air Force sold off its supply of Vinka parts.” In an interesting development, the private owners have formed a cooperative of sorts. Lehto explains, “The Vinka spare parts were sold in lots, so several of us invested in these lots of parts to form a parts pool for all of the owners. It seems to be working well for us.”