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Fighter / Attack:
   Bell P-39 Airacobra
   Bell P-63 Kingcobra
   Brewster Buffalo
   Chance-Vought F-4U Corsair
   Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
   Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
   Douglas A-1 Skyraider
   Douglas A-26 Invader
   Douglas SBD Dauntless
   Fairey Firefly
   Focke-Wulf Fw 190
   Grumman F4F Wildcat
   Grumman F6F Hellcat
   Grumman F7F Tigercat
   Grumman F8F Bearcat
   Grumman TBF Avenger
   Hawker Hurricane
   Hawker Sea Fury
   Lockheed P-38 Lightning
   Messerschmitt Bf-109
   Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen
   North American P-51 Mustang

   Polikarpov I-16
   Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
   Supermarine Spitfire
   Yakovlev Yak-3
   Yakovlev Yak-9


Trainers:
  
Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan (C-45)
   Beechcraft T-34 Mentor
   Boeing / Stearman PT-17

   Commonwealth CA-25 Winjeel
   Commonwealth CA-1 Wirraway
   DeHavilland DHC-1 Chipmunk
   DeHavilland DH-82 Tiger Moth
   Fairchild PT-19 Cornell
   Hunting / Percival Provost
   Meyers OTW
   Nanchang CJ-6
   Naval Aircraft Factory N3N
   N. Am. BT-9 / BT-14 / Yale
   N. Am. T-6 Texan / SNJ / Harvard
   N. American T-28 Trojan

   Piaggio P149
   Ryan PT-22 Recruit

   Scottish Aviation T1 Bulldog
   Vultee BT-13 Valiant
   Yakovlev Yak-11
   Yakovlev Yak-18
   Yakovlev Yak-52


Bombers:
   Avro Lancaster
   Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
   Boeing B-29 Superfortress
   Bristol Blenheim / Bolingbroke
   Consolidated B-24 Liberator
   Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer

   Douglas A-3 Skywarrior
   DeHavilland Mosquito
   Fairey Swordfish
   Heinkel He-111 / Casa 2.111

   Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon / Ventura
   Martin B-26 Marauder
   North American B-25 Mitchell


Transports:
   Beechcraft C-45 (AT-11)

   Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter (KC-97)
   Curtiss C-46 Commando
   Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Dakota
   Douglas C-54 Skymaster

   Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
   Fairchild C-123 Provider
   Grumman C-1 Trader (S-2)
   Lockheed C-60 Lodestar
   Lockheed C-69 Constellation


Utility / Observation / Special Duty:
   Aeronca L-3 Grasshopper
   Aeronca L-16 Grasshopper
   Antonov AN-2 Colt
   Auster AOP 6/9
   Avro 652 Anson
   Avro Shackleton
   British Taylorcraft I-V
   Cessna L-19 / O-1 Bird Dog
   Cessna O-2 Super Skymaster
   Cessna T-50 / UC-78 Bobcat
   Consolidated PBY Catalina

   DeHavilland U-6A / L-20 Beaver
   Fairey Gannet
   Fairey Swordfish
   Fieseler Fi156 Storch
   Grumman S-2 Tracker (C-1)
   Grumman HU-16 Albatross
   Grumman OV-1 Mohawk
   Junkers Ju 52/3m

   Lockheed P2V Neptune
   Max Holste M.H.1521 Broussard
   Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun

   Noorduyn UC-64 Norseman
   North American L-17 Navion
   N. Am./ Rockwell OV-10 Bronco
   Piper L-4 Grasshopper
   Stinson L-5 Sentinel
   Taylorcraft L-2 Grasshopper
   Westland Lysander


Jets:
   Aero L-29 Delfin
   Aero L-39 Albatros
   Aermacchi MB-326
   Avro Vulcan
   BAC Strikemaster
   Blackburn (BAC) Buccaneer
   Canadair Tutor
   Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
   DeHavilland Vampire
   DeHavilland Venom
   English Electric Canberra
   English Electric Lightning
   Folland Gnat
   Fouga CM-170 Magister
   Gloster Meteor
   Grumman F9F Panther
   Hawker Hunter
   Hispano HA-200 Saeta
   Hunting Jet Provost
   Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
   Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
   McDonnell-Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
   McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom
   Messerschmitt Me-262
   Mikoyan MiG-15
   Mikoyan MiG-17
   Mikoyan MiG-21
   N. Am. F-86 Sabre / FJ-4 Fury
   N. Am. F-100 Super Sabre
   N. Am. / Rockwell T-2 Buckeye
   Northrop T-38 Talon / F-5
   PZL / WSK TS-11 Iskra
   Saab J35 Draken
   Soko G-2A Galeb
   Temco Pinto & Super Pinto


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Yakovlev Yak-52

(Variants/Other Names: Yak-52TW)


Yakovlev Yak-52
This Yak-52, registered G-CBSS and named "Janie," is owned by Etienne Verhellen.

History: The Yakovlev Yak-52 first flew in 1976, and is still being produced in Bacau, Romania, by Aerostar. Designed originally as a primary trainer for students who would later transition to Soviet jet aircraft, the aerobatics-capable (+7g / -5 g) Yak-52 is now often seen in the hands of sports flying enthusiasts from the United States to New Zealand.

A descendant of the single-seat champion aerobatic Yak-50, but with a tricycle-geared undercarriage that makes it appear more like the earlier Yak-18, the two-seat, all-metal Yak-52 is powered by a 360hp radial engine, the Ivchenko M-14P, with an inverted fuel system that permits inverted flight for as long as two minutes, while drawing fuel from a 5-gallon reserve tank. The engine drives a two-bladed counter-clockwise rotating, variable-pitch, wooden propeller.

An easy airplane to fly, with a fast roll rate, especially to the right, the Yak-52 takes some taxiing adjustment for flyers accustomed to hydraulics, because the plane uses air pressure to operate the brakes (as well as the flaps and landing gear), and also because the non-steerable nosewheel calls for differential braking. Air lines to each cylinder, used for starting the engine, may easily be mistaken for a fuel injection arrangement.

At 2,200 lbs. empty weight, the plane is quite light and agile. While the landing gear is fully retractable, it remains partially-exposed in the retracted position, affording a measure of protection should the plane be forced to land "wheels up." Capable of operating from unimproved grass runways, the aircraft is easily maintained, even "in the field." A newer version of the aircraft, manufactured by Aerostar, is called the Yak-52TW, and features a tailwheel configuration. It is powered by a 400-hp version of the M-14 engine.

Nicknames: None

Specifications:
        Engine: One 360-hp VMKB (Vedenyev) M-14P radial piston engine
        Weight: Empty 2,238 lbs., Max Takeoff 2,877 lbs.
        Wing Span: 30ft. 6.25in.
        Length: 25ft. 5in.
        Height: 8ft. 10.25in.
        Performance:
            Maximum Speed: 223 mph
            Range: 310 miles
        Armament: None

Number Built: 1,800+

Number Still Airworthy: 1,200+

  [ Yak-52 Pilot Report by Budd Davisson ]

Links:
All Red Star -- Information for operators of Eastern-bloc aircraft.
Custom Painted Yak-52 Scale Models
European Yak Club
FAA Special Airworthiness Informational Bulletin (SAIB) for Aerostar/Yak-52.
GeSoCo Industries -- Importers of new Yak-52Ws.
Kiwi Aircraft Images: Yak-52 Photos
Orlaivis -- Lithuanian company specializing in repair and service of Yaks.
Red Sky Aviation, LLC, Livermore, California, USA
Red Star Pilots Association -- Owner/operator organization.
SkyTrace Yak-52 Type Conversion Course, UK
"Y is for Yak" -- Article by Sherry Ditmer, AvWeb.
Yak Census -- A detailed listing of all known Yak-50s, -52s, and more.

The Yak List -- Internet Discussion Board, hosted by Matronics
Yak Parts, Manuals, and Aircraft For Sale
Yak UK
Yakkes Foundation -- European Yak-52 flying group.


Safety:
Please see Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) for
Aerostar / Yakovlev Yak-52s: SAIB CE-13-17, dated 28 February 2013, regarding elevator control concerns.
 


Glenn Foy in his Yak-52TW, N555GD, stays in tight on the wing of Herb Coussons during a Yak formation clinic in Rockford, Illinois, May 2008. Photo by Buck Wyndham.
 
 


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