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Yakovlev Yak-50


Basic Trainer / Aerobatic Lightweight Aircraft


Soviet Union | 1975



"The Yakovlev Yak-50 series of basic trainers were produced for over a decade and ultimately numbered 314 total aircraft completed."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Yakovlev Yak-50 Basic Trainer / Aerobatic Lightweight Aircraft.
1 x Vedeneyev M-14P/PF/R 9-cylinder, air-cooled radial piston engine developing between 270 and 450 horsepower driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion
249 mph
400 kph | 216 kts
Max Speed
13,123 ft
4,000 m | 2 miles
Service Ceiling
311 miles
500 km | 270 nm
Operational Range
3,145 ft/min
959 m/min
Rate-of-Climb
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Yakovlev Yak-50 Basic Trainer / Aerobatic Lightweight Aircraft.
1
(MANNED)
Crew
25.6 ft
7.80 m
O/A Length
31.2 ft
(9.50 m)
O/A Width
10.5 ft
(3.20 m)
O/A Height
1,653 lb
(750 kg)
Empty Weight
2,006 lb
(910 kg)
MTOW
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Yakovlev Yak-50 family line.
Yak-50 - Base Series Designation
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/02/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Aerobatic-minded, high-performance trainers have long been a stable of professional military air services and a favorite at civilian air shows. During the latter half of the Cold War (1947-1991), the Soviet Air Force adopted a new single-seat, single-engine aerobatic basic trainer in the Yakovlev "Yak-50". Production of the type spanned from 1975 to 1986 and ended with 314 units completed. The series went on to serve the air services of Lithuania and Ukraine as well as the reborn Russian Air Force following the collapse of the Soviet Empire in 1991.

The Yak-50 series was developed from the existing Yak-18 (NATO codename of "Max") which appeared in the immediate post-World War 2 world during 1946 (and is detailed elsewhere on this site). This two-seat, single-engine platform was widely exported to Soviet allies for its time in the air with local license production also had in neighboring nations such as China (where it became the "Nanchang CJ-5").

Externally, the aircraft carried a long, slim, aerodynamically-refined fuselage with the engine neatly cowled in the nose section and used to drive a two-bladed propeller unit at the extreme front. The cockpit was placed directly at midships and was given all of the basic instrumentation expected of a trainer in a neat arrangement with prominent dials, gauges and appropriate labeling. Vision was good considering the cockpit's placement at the middle of the design as light framing was used. The canopy was set on rails to roll backwards along the frame for entry/exit. The mainplanes were of a straight monoplane form with clipped tips and they were seated ahead of midships for proper balance of the aircraft. The tail unit incorporated a traditional single-finned arrangement with low-set horizontal planes. All control surfaces were skinned in fabric as a weight-saving measure. The undercarriage, made retractable, utilized a basic "tail-dragger" support structure.

Dimensionally, the aircraft exhibited a running length of 25.6 feet with a wingspan of 31.1 feet and a height of 10.5 feet. Empty weight reached 1,655lb against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) nearing 2,005lb.

The typical engine fit became the Vedeneyev M-14P 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine outputting 360 horsepower though this could be substituted with the M-14PF or M-14R series models which offered an increased horsepower output of 400hp and 450hp, respectively. The added power output increased performance in turn. Performance specs included a top speed of 250 miles per hour (with a never-exceed-speed of 280mph). Range was out to 310 miles and the aircraft's service ceiling reached 13,125 feet. Rate-of-climb was rated at 3,145 feet-per-minute under full take-off power.

In practice, the Yak-50 trainers gave a good account of themselves for their robust airframes could be pushed to extreme limits and handling characteristics was judged to be excellent for the lightweight aircraft. Its design success was such that the series twice claimed the World Aerobatic Champion title. Soviet military models were quite excessively pushed to their limits to the point that mainplane spar failures became an issue - resulting in several directives aimed at strengthening these members for the remainder of the aircraft's service lives in the Soviet Air Force.

While out-of-service militarily worldwide today (2018), the aircraft can still be found in the hands of private flyers mainly in the West. The Yak-50 was eventually superseded by other, more modern, basic trainer forms in time such as the Yakovlev Yak-55 series of the 1980s.

The Yak-52 was a single-engine two-seat offshoot of the Yak-50 line. This version appeared in 1976 but was not formally introduced until 1979, becoming the standard Soviet Air Force primary trainer for several decades (its use continues today, 2018).

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Yakovlev Yak-50. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 314 Units

Contractor(s): Yakovlev OKB - Soviet Union
National flag of Australia National flag of Canada National flag of Lithuania National flag of Russia National flag of the Soviet Union National flag of the United States

[ Australia (private ownership); Canada (private ownership); Lithuania; Russia; Soviet Union; United States (private ownership) ]
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Image of the Yakovlev Yak-50
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Going Further...
The Yakovlev Yak-50 Basic Trainer / Aerobatic Lightweight Aircraft appears in the following collections:
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