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Aircraft Description Aircraft Description
General
NOTEThe Yak 50 is an all-metal tail dragger designed solely for advanced aerobatics training and competition.
NOTEThe fuselage is semi monocoque, a combination of stressed skin and steel re-enforcement.
NOTEThe strong but simple main gear is semi-retractable, the lockable tailwheel permanently extended.
NOTEThe Yak 50 has no flaps.
NOTEFlying controls are conventional and operated by control cables for the elevator and rudder, push rods for the ailerons.
NOTEOnly the elevator trim is adjustable in flight, the rudder and ailerons served by fixed tabs which are manipulated on the ground.
Engine Power
NOTEPowerplant: Ivchenko M14 radial, supercharged nine cylinder radial, 360hp at max rpm.
NOTEPropeller: variable pitched two-bladed paddle via a simple gearbox.
NOTEFuel capacity on the basic aircraft is 11.4 imperial gallons contained in a single tank mounted aft of the firewall.
NOTEMaximum flight endurance is quoted as 50 minutes and this figure can be halved during advanced aerobatic flights.
NOTEA welcome mod fitted to the vast majority of Yak 50s is the installation of a cruise tank which more than doubles the fuel capacity, although the G limits are reduced when full fuel is carried.
NOTEThe Yak 50 uses pneumatics for engine starting, gear and brake operation.
NOTEThe aircraft's air bottle will give around 12 start attempts before a recharge is necessary and a reserve bottle is also installed for emergency gear extension.
NOTEThe main bottle gets recharged automatically once the engine has started.
Cockpit
NOTEThe undercarriage lever is positioned on the left of the main panel, two green lights confirming that the gear is down and locked when the aircraft is on the ground.
NOTEThe throttle, rpm and lock lever form a meaty quadrant on the left shelf with another panel ahead comprising levers for the engine cooling gills and oil cooler flap.
NOTEFor most of the year the cooling levers will reside in the fully forward (open) position.
NOTEThe big red lever is the fuel shut off, replacing the emergency function of a mixture lever. Fuel mixture control is fully automatic.
NOTEThe instrument panel uses metric units. Most owners replace the altimeter since it reads in meters. The airspeed indicator reads in km/h.
NOTEThe engine has two main control indicators: an rpm gauge reading from 0 to 100%, and a manifold pressure gauge reading in mm of mercury.
NOTEThe Yak 50's electrics are in the centre of the panel and the fuel primer is located to the top right.
NOTEThe mag switch is mounted on the left of the panel next to the engine starter button.
Preflight / Before Entering Cockpit preflight_inspection
NOTEClimbing into the cockpit and strapping into the chunky five point harness, one is immediately aware of the ruggedness of the Yak 50.
NOTEVisibility from the cockpit is excellent in every direction except forwards.
Engine Start engine_start
CAUTIONDon't bother pumping the throttle – no accelerator pump is fitted and this will have zero effect.
CAUTIONAfter start, leave the primer centralised, not turned to the right. Result of leaving it right: rough running engine, excessive fuel burn and early engine overhaul.
After Start / Warm Up after_start
NOTEA cold Ivchenko does not warm up to taxying temperature in less than five minutes, with ten minutes being more typical on a standard UK day.
Taxi taxi
NOTEDifferential braking is applied by a stick-mounted hand lever and controlled by the amount of rudder applied away from its neutral position.
NOTEWith the stick in the aft position, the Yak 50's tailwheel will lock straight.
CAUTIONTo turn, push the stick forward; taxying with the stick aft locks the tailwheel straight.
Before Takeoff before_takeoff
Takeoff takeoff
NOTETake-off roll is around 100 metres at MTOW.
NOTEClimbs at 3,000 feet per minute.
After Takeoff / Climb after_takeoff
NOTEA more modest '70%, 70mm' setting conserves engine life.
Cruise cruise
NOTEIn the cruise any 'square' setting will do, for example, for 70 on the manifold gauge set 70% rpm, for 60 manifold set 60%.
NOTEFull throttle and 82% are the quoted maximum continuous power setting, giving max level speed of 300 km/h (162 Kt).
NOTEMajor engine overhaul every 500 hours.
Descent / Circuit descent
NOTEIn the circuit the Yak is easy to operate. The sum total of good all-round visibility, draggy aeroplane and high power results in a slick approach every time.
Approach approach
NOTEThe speed reduction on finals requires the throttle to be closed early and the aircraft held off until the speed bleeds back.
Landing landing
CAUTIONThe Yak's large wing and short undercarriage can cause an excessive float if the airspeed is too high on landing.
NOTEWith repeated practise the Yak can be brought to a halt in 150 metres on a dry surface.
Control Harmony and Aerobatics Control Harmony and Aerobatics
NOTEControl harmony is typically 3.2.3 for ailerons, elevator and rudder instead of the classical 1,2,3.
NOTESpades are an option on the Yak 50, recommended for serious aerobatic pilots.
NOTEIn pitch the Yak 50's stick force per G is very light; pulling up to the nine G maximum does not require excessive strength.
NOTEDuring advanced aerobatics many pilots release the throttle to fly with two hands on the stick.
NOTEWith the aircraft wound up to its Vno of 400 km/h (226kt) the Yak 50 can perform huge lazy loops, barrel rolls and wing overs with low G forces.
NOTEStalls and spins are surprisingly docile. Stall and spin recovery are predictable and standard. Some advanced aerobats have to be positively wrestled out of an established spin; the Yak 50 is one of the exceptions.
Fuel and Range Fuel and Range
NOTEWith a standard 55 litre fuel tank fitted, an airfield will be needed every 60nm when cruising at 162kt.
NOTEA more sedate 200 km/h (108kt) improves the range to 85nm.
NOTEWith a cruise tank fitted the aircraft's best range jumps to 250nm at economy cruise.
NOTEGiven such a short range, a GPS is a very desirable installation for a Yak 50.
Specifications — Yak 50 Specifications
External Dimensions
Weights and Loadings
NOTE(*denotes aerobatic figures)
Power
Performance
Price
Source: Yakovlev/Yak 50/yak50_fltrep50.txt
Rights: licensed
Checklist hash:72724063fec855cdfc319465613054c6…
Generated from yakovlev-yak-50-yak50-fltrep50.ocl.json by the Open Checklists
reference renderer. Verify against the aircraft's own approved documentation before use.