Dowding, I flew the Yak-9U for quite some time before the La7 came out and I switched over too it.
Basically, they are very similar and typically the same tactics should be used when flying both aircraft, primarily vertical E fighting tactics.
A couple of differences.
The Yak-9U obviously has much better visibility, and its performance tends drop off with altitude slower than the La7. In fact the Yak-9U can be quite competitive up to 25k, where I find the La7 becomes quite crippled above 17k or so. However it also lacks the much higher deck speeds of the La7. So you want to start the fights higher, and maintain a higher "hard deck" that you don't want to get below in a fight.
Don't think the Yak-9U is slow however. Its roughly the same speed as the F4U, and is only slower than the P-51, Typhoon, La7, and Fw190D9, most of which it can out turn or out manuever in the vertical.
The biggest thing to remember in a Yak-9U is that the engine spins the opposite direction than most other fighters. Which means that engine torque pulls you to the right instead of the left. Therefore your best direction for turning is to the RIGHT, not the left as for the other 90% of fighters in AH, and your turning tactics need to be adjusted accordingly.
The worse thing about the Yak-9U is its pitiful armament. It uses the same 20mm shell as the guns in the La5/La7, and you only have a single 20mm plus 2 heavy MG's, and a small clip of ammo. So you need to get in close (tracking shots are usually a must) and get a sustained burst into the enemy to kill them. It has little to no snapshot capability due to this.
Thats about all I can think of at this point. Personally if your looking for a new "fresh" ride, I would choose something else. I think you will find flying either of the two aircraft very similar.
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Vermillion
**MOL**, Men of Leisure
