The draining of oil from the manifolds, the turning of the propeller through 12 blades and the remainder of the hydraulic lock prevention procedures and incantations are all now completed. The fuel system is pressurised by the hand pump on the instrument panel, and the cylinders are primed with fuel similarly. The starter button is pressed and compressed air forces the nine cylinder, ten litre supercharged radial engine around. It starts immediately. Vic Norman sets the RPM to 42% and keeps the cowl flaps and the oil cooler closed for engine warm up.
It's the coldest morning of the year—an unusual minus ten Celsius.
The snow from yesterday had partially thawed but is now frozen crunchy and the ground is hard. The Yak-18T careers semi-controlled down the steep hangar ramp onto Rendcombe airfield. The field itself has a significant slope making the taxi-ing treacherous. The nose wheel castors and so all steering is provided by differential brakes which are air-operated drums. Vic is kept busy getting us up the hill with a cross slope. The engine run ups are abbreviated as the brakes won't hold the aircraft on the ice. The tail skids around and all 360hp accelerates us strongly towards the fence 500 yards away. The downhill upwind takeoff is no problem but the question as to how will we get back on the icy ground remains: Uphill tailwind and never stop? Or downhill headwind and never stop?
Vic hands me control after the undercarriage is retracted and the a/c is stabilised at 600ft in the cruise. 70% (2050) RPM, 70cm (27.5") manifold pressure, 250 km/h (135 knots). I follow the motorway and try some very gentle S turns followed by an easy 180 back towards Rendcomb. I carefully experiment with power settings and a little roll and yaw. The a/c just flies itself. All too soon we're near the airfield again and Vic, perhaps impatient at my timidity, takes over.
A descending high speed, high bank turn, two low fast passes over the airfield dodging the trees followed by a reduced throttle zoom climb to slow down to allow us to lower the undercarriage. I'm glad I'm not one of Vic's wing walkers. At 150 km/h the big flap is lowered on the turn onto finals for a tailwind uphill landing. The propeller is back into fully fine and we're on a powered approach very low over the fence, the wheels are plonked firmly onto the ground and soon we're slowed and slip sliding, avoiding the ditch back to the hangar.
It's half continental cruiser, half Russian tractor, half agile aerobat.
Paul Beardsell is a member of the Aéroclub de Limoges and flies extensively in France. Last August, he toured France in a C172 and will be returning shortly to obtain a 'retractable undercarriage' endorsement to his licence, prior to taking delivery of his own Yak-18T.
Paul thanks for the flight up to Duxford.
She is a beautiful golden painted beast of Russian girl that Yak of yours.
As you know I am extremely jealous :-).
Posted by: Michael Birbeck | 08 August 2009 at 01:51 PM