REDSTAR  AVIATION

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH M-14P INCORPORATED

YAK 52

Power Plant: 1^{xVedeneyev M-14P 9-cylinder radial engine, 268 kW (360 hp)}

Performance

Never Exceed Speed: 360km/h (194kn, 223mph)

Maximum Speed: 285km/h (154kn, 177mph) at sea level

Cruise Speed: 190km/h (103kn, 118mph) economy cruise at 1,000m (3,280ft)

Stall Speed: 85-90km/h (46-49 kn, 53-56mph)

Range: 550km (296nmi, 341mi)

Service Ceiling: 4,000m (13,125ft)

Rate of Climb: 7.0m/s (1,378ft/min)

Design and Development

 A descendant of the single-seat competition aerobatic Yakovlev Yak-50, the all-metal Yak-52 is powered by a 268 kW (360 hp) Vedeneyev M-14P 9-cylinder radial engine. The aircraft has inverted fuel and oil systems permitting inverted flight for as long as two minutes. The engine drives a two-bladed, counter-clockwise rotating, variable pitch, wood and fiberglass laminate propeller.

 At 1,015kg (2,238lb) empty weight, the Yak-52 is responsive and very capable as an aerobatic aircraft. Yet it is also easy to fly and land. It has been used in international aerobatic up to the Advanced level. It is stressed to +7 and -5G’s, rolls (to the right) at 180 degress/second and is capable of every manoeuvre in the Aresti catalog.

 The Yak-52, like most Soviet military aircraft, was designed to operate in rugged environments with minimal maintenance. One of its key features, and a radical departure from most western aircraft, is its extensive pneumatic system. Engine starting, landing gear, flaps, braking and steering are all pneumatically actuated. Spherical storage bottles for air, replenished by an engine driven compressor, are situated behind the rear cockpit and contents displayed on the instrument panels. The operating pressure is between 10 and 50 bars (145 and 725psi) and a emergency circuit is reserved for lowering the undercarriage if the normal supply is exhausted or the compressor fails. Additionally both main and reserve bottles can be charged from a port on the ground with compressed air, usually from a scuba type air bottle. The steering/braking arrangement, especially, takes some adjustment for flyers accustomed to hydraulics, because the plane uses differential braking controlled by rudder pedals and a hand operated lever on the control stick.

 The tricycle landing gear is retractable, but it remains partially exposed in the retracted position, affording both a useful level of drag in down manoeuvres and a measure of protection should the plane be forced to land “wheels up.”

 A number of “westernized” versions of the Yak-52 are now produced. The replacement of the existing Soviet avionics, fitting of a three-blade aerobatic propeller (Yak-52W) and conversion to conventional “tail-dragger” landing gear (Yak-52TD) are the major modifications to the standard aircraft. There is also a factory produced Yak-52 TW tail-dragger version which looks like a small Yak-11. The TW has some nice features such as an extra 120L (32 US gal) of fuel capacity in two extra wing tanks, a 298 kW (400 hp) engine designated M-14PF, an electric start, and modern instruments.