Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Duckwing6 on April 29, 2000, 07:38:00 AM
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Have you ever fallen in love at first sight Guys ??
Well i have...
Some people will think she's boxy and ugly .. some will say she's got ugly legs .. i don't care .. she's a beauty for me ...
(http://members.aon.at/duckwing6/Yak3.JPG)
I've had the pleasure to fly LY-AOM a Lithuian registered YAK 52 this weekend on my home airfield LOGI - Trieben. And i can only tell you this is the closest i've ever got to flying a "real" warbird!
I've been flying her with a friend of mine Capt. Michael Vötter, an A340 Captain and passionate aerobatic pilot who is also an aerobatics instructor.
Fisrt we did our walk around and he gave me an overall picture of the airplanes systeems..
First of she's HUGE! A big aircraft standing on long legs. The russian M14P Radial is powering a big 2 blade prop which resembles more paddles than usual prop blades. The engine is geared and therfore the prop's running at remarkably low RPM. The undercarriage is tricycle retractable and has the weird design of NOT being retracted into wheel wells but staying open on the underside of the wiing and fuselage. The retraction is by means of pynamatic system which also powers the split flaps and the breaks (pneumatic breaks .. scary concept..)
The fuselage and wing are all metall and the control surfaces are fabric covered.. i was amazed on how little friction and play is in the controls.
The Cockpit features tandem seating with completely identical cockpits forward and aft. The rear cockpit which was the istructors place as per the design features some "simulation switches" that can simulated failures in the forward cockpit of avionics and systems (including the breaks... and THAT switch isn't even safe guraded)
Overall the Cockpit is VERY fighter like (too bad the guy who took the pictures didn't do a cockpit shot..), featuring a big Throttle and prop lever on the left wall and a pretty big stick in the middle and oil cooler and cowl shutter controls to the right. I was missing initially the Mixture control but the M14 doesn't have one (at least in this application) it's stopped just with the ignition and runs in an "auto-ritch" mode.
Michael helped me to get strappedinto the rear cockpit. So i got strapped into my chute and then onto the seat. The Russian designers obviously didn't have LONG pilots in their mind as they designed the cockpit because even tho i'm a rather short guy (5'4") i had the rudder peddals in the full forward position and was sitting in a very upright position (in austria we have the saying of sitting like "an ape on a grinder" (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)). Visibility to the sides and the rear was excellent, but forward visibility was somewhat restricted by the pilot in the front seat, but not too bad afterall (i'm doing tail wheel conversions in our club from the rear seat of a PA-18 so i'm used to fly with no forward visibility).
After getting strapped in and doing the Cockpit pre-flight we got ready to fire the M14 up. Michael had pulled some Prop blades to clear the lower cylinders from oil before and theengine was still medium warm, but still required a healthy amount of priming. The engine came to life after the second blade passed infront and settled to a nice and stable purr within seconds. I was again amazed by the rather low rpm of the engine .. just the vibration matched about my expectations (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif) .. the whole airplane is shaking with low level vibrations that are perfect to shake any bolt loos that's not safety wired...
DUring warmup and recharge of the main pneumatic system, which is also used to start the engine, you feel as if you're sitting in a buss, with matching vibrations and the occasional SWooooShhh from the pneumatics. Son the engine was warm enough and we taxied out for takoff.
(http://members.aon.at/duckwing6/Yak1.JPG)
Taxiing is NOT easy in this aircraft, as thenosewheel is free castoring and steering is via differential breaks. the breaks however are acticated with a stick mounted lever and the side which is breaking is controlled by a shuttle valve that is connected to the rudder pedals. This makes the whole thing very tricky as this system is not able to proportinaly break, you can only break, release, break, realease in short order the get the wanted result. Kind of like taxiing a tail dragger.
Out on the runway we mad the run-up checks of the engine in normal maner, magnetos, carb heat. Funny is that all the instruments are metric, which means the manifold pressure is in 10th of Bar -> which means that maximum pressure at sea level on a standard day is about 100 dBar, also the RPM gage is not marked with RPM values but rather in % of the max RPM. So takoff setting on a standard day is 100 dBar 100% RPM .. easy isn't it.
Soon we were ready and applied power for takoff...
(http://members.aon.at/duckwing6/Yak2.JPG)
Acceleration was excellent and soon we were airborn.
GEAR UP, power back to 80 / 80 for a moderate climb that keeps the people living around happy still yielded a 15° climb angle.
At this time i took over the controls.
it's hard to describe.. it's an almost electric feeling, The aircraft respons without the slightest hesitation to minimal stick inputs. Control ballance is excellent, stick forces are very light, especially for roll.
We got up to altitude in no time and began to play around a bit. Slow rolls, barrel rolls, loops, cuban eights, hammerhead stalls and spins. Throughout the speed envelope the controls stay very light. She's not exactly built for speed but with power on accelerates happly when you her nose down a bit. Energy retention is rather poor for an aerobatic plane, because of it's size.
Slow speed characteristics are very doctile and stall breaks at about 110 Km/h with power off. There is a left wing drop but not too bad .. Spin's are a delight, nice rotation and very stable. Recovery is standard and about 1/2 turn is required to stop rotation (we only did 2 turns and it's said that if you do more it will take longer to recover).
All too soon we returned back to the field to land.
We flew into the pattern with 60/60 and then bleed of speed to drop the gear on downwind at 200 KM/h which is also max flap extension speed. Then you continiue on at 170 Km/h untill short finals. Speed stability was very good and it took no effort to keep the spped nailed.
Flaps down on finals give you a steep enough descent that you can see the runway from the rear cockpit, but on short finals i gave over the controls to Michael for landing...
It was a GREAT experience!
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(http://members.aon.at/duckwing6/dw601.gif)
Phillip "Duckwing6" Artweger
Flight Officer "E" Flight
Skeleton Crew (http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/oneshot/main.htm)
[This message has been edited by Duckwing6 (edited 04-29-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Duckwing6 (edited 05-08-2000).]
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Nice! (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
Some people are going to squeak about the size of the photos though. Might want to just put links. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
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P.S. One of those crash landed near my home (out of fuel) and the local geniuses thought it was a Zero!
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Really nice Duck, (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif) you joy mirrors what I felt when I got to fly a AT-6 Texan, thru aerobatics. Total ecstasy.
Very pretty plane too. Definitely got the classic Yak tail.
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Vermillion
**MOL**, Men of Leisure
Carpe Jugulum
"Real Men fly Radials, Nancy Boys fly Spitfires"
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Thanks Funked .. sorry about the HUGE pics .. but i don't have no programm to make them smaller otherwise i'd have had (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/biggrin.gif)
Verm .. yea it ain't no Texan but it HAS a radial (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
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Ok i've shrunken them now 50% should make it better for reading (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
[This message has been edited by Duckwing6 (edited 04-29-2000).]
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I had a chance to fly in the back seat of one of these last year, what a blast. It took a minute to get used to the responsiveness, if I even thought about moving the stick the plane responded. It's built solid as a tank and fun as hell to fly.
The guy who owned it later sold it and bought a Super Decathalon, he just got sick of little things going wrong with the Yak.
ra
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Maintenance should be fairly easy with the Yak's (50 & 52's) as they're russian and they're trainers (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif).
Often after a forced landing (Which is done with the gear UP), all it need is a new prop and they're good to go again.
The only complaint you really get here in the UK is that they're expensive to maintain if you got them on a UK register, due to the higher demands by the CAA, compared to keeping it on a Lithuanian register.
A 2nd hand Yak52, overhauled, costs about $45-50K and compared to the performance, that's a very good price...It's a plane that should see you through to Advanced level aerobatics.
It can do every manuever in the Aresti catalog, although some countries restricts it from doing tailslides...That means Lomcevaks, Abrakadabra,s etc...all the mad stuff (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
The Yak50 (The single seater version) got the same power/weight ratio as a P-51.
I'm probably going to buy a share in a Yak52 next year (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif).
(They're very popular here in the UK).
Daff
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CO, 56th Fighter Group
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yea Daff that's the good thing that the maintenenace is relatively cheap .. The club that operates this one is assisted by a few mechanics from Lauda Air (i work there too) who'll do the work on it for free ... so the biggest cost of operation are insurances and well the fuel .. as it's not Katana and uses a healthy sipp ov AVGAS 100LL (1,5$/ltr !! here) ... but still it's the cheapest aerobatic plane around and i'm looking forward to do my rating in it (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/biggrin.gif)
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HIYA all,
soon i'll will have nearly the warbirds
feeling.
going to fly with a PC-7 !
will cost me much money, but i think it
will be worth the feeling.
(look at actual "aerokurier")
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(http://saintaw.tripod.com/habicht.jpg)
JG2 "Richthofen" (http://www.busprod.com/weazel2/)
[This message has been edited by HABICHT (edited 05-01-2000).]
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Hey Habicht ! ... Just like that or is there a story behind that ?? (will ya give it a go in Nürnberg?)
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Nice !
Anyone here in UK wanting to take me up in a Bird other than a passenger Jet ??? (Smallest plane I've been in is a Learjet) I did some low level flying in a UH1 back in Okinawa, but I was still wearing Diapers at that time (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
Saw
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read DAFFs post SAW he might take ya (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
[This message has been edited by Duckwing6 (edited 05-09-2000).]
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My dad helped work on a Yak.
This plane was set up to run at Reno Air races in the unlimited class. Basically it was a Yak-?? from the fire wall back and a F4U-4 from the fire wall forward. Both parts were heavily modified.
The plane looked pretty cool with small little bubble canopy, silver polished aluminium and bright green painted wings.
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Mino
The Wrecking Crew
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Sounds like a Yak-11.
ra
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Yak-11 is a 2-seater...beatiful plane too.
But..if it was heavily modified, who knows (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif).
(http://www.yakuk.co.uk/img/yak_11a.jpg)
Daff
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CO, 56th Fighter Group
[This message has been edited by Daff (edited 05-09-2000).]
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Originally posted by ra:
Sounds like a Yak-11.
ra
Nah...
This was some kind of a WW2 Yak fighter. Along the lines of the Yak-3 or Yak-9 variants. I did not pay attention to which airframe it was at the time.
Be darned if I can find my pictures of it.
This was about 20 years ago for that wee lad who is now me. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
I believe my Father said the engine was modified to do 3000-3500 Hp. I know that it was massive.
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Mino
The Wrecking Crew
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I believe the Yak-11 2-seat trainer was derived from the Yak-3 or Yak-9, so it still sounds like a Yak-11 modified for Reno racing. 3000 HP sounds like a lot for such a small bird, it could probably climb vertically. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
ra
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Beautifull Pic you have there of that YAK-11 !! There's quite a big resemblance between the 52 and this one (look at the canopy and tail) .. but i REALY like the full fairing tail dragger layout of that YAK-11 hmmm.....
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Now that you mention it and I think about it some more. I do seem to remember them taking out the front controls and moving the instrument panel back. So in all probability it could have been a Yak-11.
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Mino
The Wrecking Crew
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It does sound odd, though.
We've got 3 Yak-11's at the field I fly from and they dont really look big enough to hold a P&W-2800.
With a wingspan of around 10 meters and a VNE of 323knots, it sounds kinda unlikely (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
Daff
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Duckwing, take heart! Gesoco Industries (one of the US importers of the Yak 52) has a contract with Aerostar in Rumania to develop a tail dragger version of the Yak 52 if enough people show interest. You can check out the details at:
http://www.gesoco.com/news.htm (http://www.gesoco.com/news.htm)
I think the asking price in the US is supposed to be about $20K more than the current tricycle gear 52, so it would be about $140,000 (still a lot less than a Yak 11, but outta my league)
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Or, get a Yak50, the single seater version of the Yak52.
Daff
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CO, 56th Fighter Group