Yakovlev Yak-50

Basic Trainer / Aerobatic Lightweight Aircraft [ 1975 ]

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

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/02/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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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).©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1975

Origin

Soviet Union

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1

Production

314
UNITS

Yakovlev OKB - Soviet Union

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Australia (private ownership); Canada (private ownership); Lithuania; Russia; Soviet Union; United States (private ownership)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Training (General)
Developed ability to be used as a dedicated trainer for student pilots (typically under the supervision of an instructor).

Length

25.6 ft
(7.80 m)

Width/Span

31.2 ft
(9.50 m)

Height

10.5 ft
(3.20 m)

Empty Wgt

1,653 lb
(750 kg)

MTOW

2,006 lb
(910 kg)

Wgt Diff

+353 lb
(+160 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Yakovlev Yak-50 production variant)

Installed: 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.

Max Speed

249 mph
(400 kph | 216 kts)

Ceiling

13,123 ft
(4,000 m | 2 mi)

Range

311 mi
(500 km | 926 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

3,145 ft/min
(959 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Yakovlev Yak-50 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Yak-50 - Base Series Designation

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

24

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (249mph).

Graph average of 225 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Yakovlev Yak-50 operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

Max Altitude Visualization

Design Balance

The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (314)

314

36183

44000

Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).

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