Yakovlev Yak-52

(Variants/Other Names: Yak-52TW)

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 A newer version of the aircraft, manufactured by Aerostar, is called the Yak-52TW, and features a tailwheel configuration.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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