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This Former East-European Military Trainer Is Powered by a Lycoming Engine

Former military aircraft trainers are known for their sturdiness and abilities to fly in almost any condition, land on various terrains, and be fuel efficient. Their only problem is that most of them have one or two seats. But not this one.
IAR 823 aircraft 8 photos
Photo: Tomas del Coro/Flckr
IAR 823IAR 823IAR 823IAR 823IAR 823IAR 823IAR 823
Nowadays, if you have a pilot license, consider buying a light aircraft instead of a car to travel across the U.S. instead of just driving so many hours on the highways filled with other vehicles fitted with all-weather tires that are just rubbish in the snow. Then, why not try a former military trainer plane fit for four and ready to fly right off the bat?

Sure, we'd all love to drive the car of our dreams on a light-traffic road. But as you already know, you'll notice it was just a dream when you woke up. So, why not follow another plan, and fly undisturbed with your family of four in an IAR 823? A what? You might ask. Well, we found out about this aircraft that is for sale, and it immediately got our attention.

The IAR 823 is an airplane developed in the early '70s by a brilliant engineer from Romania, named Radu Manicatide. He took the best of his knowledge from WWII warbirds and developed a low-wing aircraft with retractable landing gear. The only problem he had was that the communist government insisted on using an engine from communist countries. That partly ruined the plane.

Since Mr. Manicatide was a genius, he created the engine compartment so he could install an IO 540 Lycoming engine in it. Thus, many of the 80 IAR 823 aircraft exported from Romania were retrofitted with that engine, which is widely used in many Cessna or Piper aircraft. In the U.S. only, some sources say that there are about 35.

The flat-six, fuel-injected powerplant provides about 290 hp (294 ps) and has a fuel consumption of 11.8 gal/hour (44.6 l/hour) fed from a 95-gallon (360 liters) tank. So, you may fly about 100 minutes before refueling.

But here is the thing, with a cruising speed of 145 knots (167 mph/268 kph), you may cover up to 1,200 miles (1,931 km) with 1,081 lbs on board. You won't be able to take a Christmas tree with you, even though the aircraft has a large cabin. Access inside is made via gull-wing doors, making the ingress and egress from the cockpit easier. Just be sure to not scratch the paint since it looks pristine. The seller says that they have been keeping the aircraft in the hangar since they re-sprayed it.

The engine in this aircraft has 375 hours since the last major overhaul, and that's nothing for its engine, which has 2000 hours between overhauls. The propeller is made by Hartsell and has 130 hours of operational time. In the cockpit, you'll find electric instruments on both sides. But what's also very interesting about this plane is its flight capabilities. Since it was developed as an army trainer, it can sustain up to +6/-3G, which is something that many other, more expensive aircraft can't. In addition, it can land on short runways, on a field, on dirt roads, and so on.

The seller asks $84,900 for it, but they also accept some trades. So, what do you say? Would you give a C8 Corvette for this one? It might be a good trade-off. After all, you can only fit two in the C8, and you'll still crawl on the highway stuck in traffic.
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Editor's note: Gallery also shows other IAR 823 aircraft in the U.S.

About the author: Tudor Serban
Tudor Serban profile photo

Tudor started his automotive career in 1996, writing for a magazine while working on his journalism degree. From Pikes Peaks to the Moroccan desert to the Laguna Seca, he's seen and done it all.
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