In the absence of airshows, why not a Sunday in La Ferté-Alais, France?

[Iceman 29]

Being on Saturday 12th September 2020 filming on the Linas-Montlhéry Autodrome on 4 wheels, I thought that a ride on the nearby Ferté-Alais plateau would be a good idea, Saturday evening at sunset, and Sunday.

I was not disappointed, the big blue was there and beautiful planes were taking the air... 

 

I ended with a visit to the "new" museum, for me, as my last visit to Salis was in 1990, none of it existed except a single hangar full of old planes and aircraft parts of all kinds.

 

As I arrived late on Saturday evening, I missed the morning flight of a Yak, but I was able to take pictures of the aircraft on the ground, which was obviously just coming out of restoration and was doing some engine tests (Allison?), with Baptiste Salis at the controls I think. 

 

The registration is F-WZOS, provisional, probably F-AZOS, which is no longer in the register. It is difficult to say what type of Yak it really is... 

According to this site, this Yak would be originally a Yak-11 of the Egyptian army, transformed into a Yak-9R (R for reconnaissance), therefore all metallic at the time, but I have a big doubt. Maybe some people here can tell me more about it.

 

The German site specifies: 

https://www.meiermotors.com/index.php/aircraft/yakovlev-konstruktionsbuero/yakovlev-yak-11-let-c-11

 

Yakovlev Yak-11.

 

The Yak-11 is a two-seater and has been used for advanced training, similar to the famous AT-6 in North America. The layout is similar. The Yak-11 is probably the beginning of a passion. The Yak-11 is therefore the ideal introduction to flying Warbirds, the feeling of being a warbird at a moderate cost.

 

A few words about the history of this plane

 

The Yakovlev Yak-11 was a two-seater aircraft designed and used specifically for advanced training of fighter pilots. It flew in all Warsaw Pact Member States as well as in the Middle East (Egypt, Yemen), China and Austria. In the USSR, the type was built under licence in large numbers.

 

When designing the Jak-11, which was put on paper in 1944, the designer Alexander Yakovlev turned to the Jak-9, the last link in the chain of World War II Jak fighters. Unlike its predecessor, however, an ASch-21 radial engine was planned instead of the V-engines used until then. As with many Soviet aircraft models of that time, the emphasis was on simple production and maintenance; there were various fairings and removable flaps for easy access to the engine. The two-bladed, variable-pitch propeller was initially crescent-shaped, but was later replaced by the 3-metre straight propellers type WISch-111-W20 or WISch-11-D-15. The first flight of the prototype (Yak-3 UTI) took place on 10 November 1945. Series production in 1946/47 began and was completed after 3859 units had been built (without licensed buildings). At the Kunovice Aviation Plant in the Czech Republic, 707 Yak-11s were built under licence (period 1952-56). They were designated as Let C-11 (with partial replacement of wooden stringers and frames by metal). 

 

In normal flight operations, the Yak-11 was used for the further training of pilots who had already gained some flight experience on the Yak-18, a beginner's trainer aircraft. For firing tests, the Yak-11 therefore also had a 12.7 mm synchronised machine gun installed in the nose of the fuselage and a photo machine gun in the forward cabin occupied by the student pilot to check the results. The Yak-11 was used for active training until the late 1950s and was used for secondary tasks until the 1960s. Until the end of 1962, for example, it flew in the GDR's NVA air force as a target aircraft for ground defence.

 

The Yak-11 was built in mixed construction. The fuselage consisted of a welded tubular steel frame, which was covered with plywood. The underside of the fuselage was covered with fabric. The bow was made of metal in the area of the engine mountings. The lower wing had two main spars, between which the fuel tanks were located. The structure of the wing is a metal construction.  The wing structure had two external load points. In addition, the landing gear compartment was equipped with a duralumin auxiliary spar. The empennage was self-supporting and of normal construction, the rudders were covered with fabric.
The main landing gear was retractable; the tail wheel could not be retracted. 

 

Most of the examples known today (and partially airworthy) are constructions under Czech licence. Jean Salis (Amicale Jean Baptiste Salis, La Ferte) and Raymond Capel could buy the 41 Let C.11 from the Egyptian Air Force. These "Egyptian Yak-11s" make up a large part of the Yak-11 (C.11) that are still flying today. The serial numbers of this "Egypt-Deal" are widely known :

102146 N214X, private owner, California (converted to P&W R2000)
105022 N711JT, private owner, Anchorage
123012 N498SD, private owner, California (conversion to Yak-3UR, P&W R2000)
170101 N130AM, Chino Air Museum (conversion to Yak-3, Allison engine)
170406 N33UA, Tulsa Warbirds, Oklahoma (conversion to Yak-3R)
171101 D-FMAX (ex-G-KYAK), Herberti Allimann
171103 D-FYWM, private owner, MeierMotors Bremgarten
171205 G-OYAK, private owner, North Weald, England
171304 sans Reg, Planes of Fame Museum Chino, California
171306 sans Reg, Planes of Fame Museum Chino, California
171314 G-BZMY, private owner, North Weald, England
171315 without Reg, place not known
171521 N190JF, Frost Flying Inc, Arkansas (conversion to P&W R3350-42)
171529 N11MQ, "Czech Ride" AnticAirRacer, Les Mureaux, France (P&W R3350-42)
171729 sans Reg, private owner, Texas (converted to Yak-3R, Allison)
172503 F-AZOK, private owner, melun, France (also #25111/19)
172521 N111YK, Mid America Sprayers Inc, Kansas (conversion P&W R-1830-75)

172612 F-AZOS, Jean-Marie Delimboeuf, Garric, France (conversion to Yak-9R, Allison)

172623 G-BTUB, private owner, Little Grandsden, England
172624 F-AZYA, Michel Defaye, Ste Foy la Grande, France
172809 N3UA, private owner, Texas 

 

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So I don't really know the type of this plane, Yak-3 or 9...?

 

© Copyright:Planes Of Legend Sept 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

[Iceman 29]

Baptisms were running at full speed.

 

LFFQ:

 

North American T-6 / F-HLEA / Msn: 49-3056.

 

North American T-28 A Fennec - 51-7545 / N14113

 

Aero Vintage Academy. 

 

Feminine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Iceman 29]

The Storch was not far from the Ju-52: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How does it work?

 

 

 

 

[JohnT]

A big thanks for taking and sharing. Much appreciated especially the Storch

[Iceman 29]

 

 

It' a pleasure John! 

 

For you, Morane-Saulnier MS.500 Criquet, pictures took in Morlaix Airshow (FR)

 

 

 

 

JU-52:

It's an extraordinary plane, for the small history, I had visited the museum in the beginning of the 90's, it was of course not at the level of now, but I had taken some pictures of some planes, and maybe this Ju-52 in parts at the time, stored under a thick layer of dust in a corner... 

 

I had taken pictures with my Olympus OM-1 silver.

 

One of the silver photos I found:

 

 

September 2020:

 

Spanish engines not BMW.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[F-32]

Awesome shots! Thanks for posting.