The YAK-52 from a Passenger's Viewpoint

When most of us think of flying somewhere we picture a relatively large aircraft which holds many passengers and for the most part gives a smooth and comfortable ride. Unless turbulence is encountered the ride is smoother than an automobile. The flight is straight and level except for take off and landing. This is almost like riding on a bus compared to flying in a fully acrobatic single engine airplane.

Learning to fly a small airplane was almost a rite of passage on my mothers side of the family. Most of the young men obtained their pilots license or at least learned the basics of flying from a cousin or uncle. Several of my cousins became crop dusters, a misnomer in today's world as most of the crops are sprayed now.

Two of them used the heavy duty airplanes to spray with and another tried a helicopter. The helicopter pilot's career was short lived as the tail rotor came loose in flight and he was killed while spraying a field. The airplane pilots have had successful careers and one is still at it.

The other cousin also liked to do aerobatic maneuvers as well as his normal flying. Watching him perform rolls, loops, and other stunts, over the southern Georgia countryside made me want to experience the ride because it looked exciting. I know, sometimes looks can be deceiving.

When the Soviet Union collapsed many of their military aircraft were put up for sale, some in the U.S. I'm not exactly sure where he purchased it but my cousin David managed to get his hands on a YAK-52. This was a trainer version of the Yakovlev Yak-50, a single seat competition aerobatic airplane. It was used for training military and civilian pilots. It has been produced since 1976 by the Romanian Aerostar company.

My cousin agreed to give me a ride so I arrived at his private landing strip with mixed feelings. I wanted to do something out of the ordinary as usual, but wondered if I was going too far. Another friend of mine, who also flew a small plane, declined a ride which got me to thinking about what I had gotten myself into.