Yakovlev „Yak-52“ – the Soviet/ Russian/ Lituanian school - training aircraft

Yak-52 (Russian: Як-52) - the main training aircraft of the USSR aviation in the late 1970s and 1980s. Constructed in the design office of Alexander Yakovlev. The plane was designed as a training machine for the aeroclubs of the DOSAAF organization, where, in addition to civil aviation pilots, sports aviation and military pilots also studied. The Yak-52 took off for its first flight in 1976, but the planes are still manufactured in Romania by the "Aerostar" company. Most of these planes were used in the aero clubs of the USSR and the countries of the socialist world, but they were also exported to the countries of the capitalist and third world. After the collapse of the USSR these planes are successfully used by aero clubs and private individuals of all former republics, now independent states. Many of them were sold to other countries, where they are still being used successfully. The Yak-52 is the result of a deep modification of the successful single-seat pilot plane Yak-50 for pilot training (a two-seater machine). The all-metal low-wing monoplane is lifted into the air by a 9-cylinder air-cooled radial 360 h. p. engine "Vedenejev M - 14P". The plane is equipped with a fuel supply system, that enables it to fly upside down for 2 minutes. Due to its low weight and robust construction, the Yak - 52 is often used as an aerobatic aircraft. This is made possible by its special resistance properties: the plane's resistance to overloads is +7 / -5 G, and the rotation speed around the longitudinal axis reaches 180 degrees per second. The Yak - 52, like most Soviet aircraft, is designed to be used on unprepared airfields, and maintenance by mechanics is simple and does not take much time. These airplanes use a pneumatic engine start system, and the chassis control, brakes, rudder plates, and panels work with the help of this system. The three-point landing gear, although retractable, has the main wheels partially protruding from the wing in this position, which greatly facilitates an emergency landing if the pneumatic landing gear system fails. Lituanian pilots learned to fly with these planes, taken over from the USSR and are still learning now.

It is not difficult to turn the model into a "Lituanian" one - You only need to paint the stars and change the Soviet registration to Lithuanian - You can even see airplanes, flying with such camouflage to this day. A simple, but reasonably well-designed and detailed model that, under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, even an advanced beginner modeler will stick together perfectly. The detailing of the cabins is average, there is no engine.