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Replica 1997 Yakovlev Yak-9 Has WWII Charm With None Of the Drawbacks

There's a reason World War II-era military airplanes aren't flown regularly. Unless it's a DC-3 in arctic cargo service, it's just too expensive to maintain an old warbird for regular active flight. The threat of metal fatigue ripping the wings off is also a concern.
Yak-9 14 photos
Photo: platinumfighters.com
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That's why a handful of artisan craftsmen around the world have dedicated their lives to rebuilding these old warbirds in the spitting image of their respective inspirations. Though western Allied airplanes like Mustangs and Spitfires have their fair share of tribute rebuilds, old Soviet hardware is popular too. Just take a look at this stunning one-to-one replica of the Yakovlev Yak-9 single-engined fighter.

This being a Russian-made product built during the Yeltsin administration, gathering information about this particular airplane took more than a little digging. But after closer analysis of the serial number, we find this Yak replica was built in late 1998 by the Strela Aircraft Company of Orenburg Oblast, Russia, near the border with Kazakhstan.

From there, the airplane traveled across continental Europe and across vast oceans to the United States. The aircraft would eventually find itself stored by its first owner at the Washington Executive Airport/Hyde Field in Clinton, Maryland, before it was formally entered into the Reno Air Races in September 1999. The aircraft would continue to participate in the event until 2004, easily breaking speeds of 340 miles per hour (555.2 kph).

Since then, this Yak reproduction's been exquisitely maintained. It's even had period-correct Russian two-tone grey camouflage applied to its exterior in place of the Reno Air Race decals. Though period-correct Yak-9 examples sported Soviet Klimov piston engines, this recreation has the benefit of much better supported American hardware in the form of an Allison V-1710 V12 engine, similar to that found in early North American P-51 Mustangs, among other things, that includes a full suite of modern comms and avionics equipment.

The price for it all? That'd be $569,000 before taxes and fees. Compared to the cost of a replica American P-51, that's actually a heck of a deal.
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