The Plane
Bad Yak is a highly modified Russian built Yak 52, which was designed to be an advance military trainer. The power plant of Bad Yak has been replaced with a M14PF 640 cubic inch, supercharged 9 cylinder radial engine producing over 400 horse power! The empty weight of Bad Yak has also been reduced by over 240 pounds making Bad Yak one of the lightest most powerful Yak 52's in the world. There is nothing like the thundering sound of a Radial Engine flying overhead!
The Yak 52 has several interesting attributes unique from most western aircraft. The Russian radial engine turns the prop in the opposite direction. The Yak also uses pneumatics for the starter, landing gear, flaps and brakes. The Yak 52 was also designed to have a very short range, mainly to discourage Russian pilots from defecting!
The Pilot
Noel Jones is a multi engine rated commercial pilot with over 3000 hours in over 60 different aircraft. Noel is also a Gold Seal Flight Instructor who specializes in teaching Basic to Advance aerobatics, as well as upset recovery, and spin training. Noel is also an experienced aerobatic pilot who flies competition aerobatics and flies the Yak 52 in the Intermediate category. Noel also has a seven year old daughter and loves to talk to kids about aviation and believes that air shows are for the kids and the kids at heart.
The Air Show
Imagine just off in the distance a lone aircraft and a low rumbling sound of a radial engine. Music starts, smoke is turned on, Bad Yak turns base. The music builds as Bad Yak banks and dives for show center. The Radial engine becomes a thundering sound that you feel as much as you hear as the Yak 52 reaches a little over 240 miles per hour. At 500 feet AGL at show center, Bad Yak pulls away in a graceful Barrel Roll that continues into a Cuban Eight. Then Bad Yak pulls to a crisp vertical and continues to climb for more than 1200 feet when all motion stops, and then Bad Yak hammers to the right and then dives down on the vertical reaching 220 miles per hour. The show continues on with continuous loops, rolls, verticals and 45's right in front of the audience all with the incredible sound of a thundering radial engine.
