Yak-9P

[Franek Grabowski]

Thanks for both. The LiM looks a little bit sad, but it has a very interesting markings!

[Theodor]

I think the markings are all wrong. After 1990 on many monument and museum aircraft the red star was replaced with the 3-color roundel. No matter of the bad feelings I have about the red stars, I think the aircraft must have the stars and nothing else, after all it was the official AF emblem when the aircraft flew.

The condition is not bad. With some work and care will shine like new. This is sad:

http://pic.bgspotters.net/?id=13923

And this is sad: http://pic.bgspotters.net/?id=13919

a shame what became of those old birds! Those two MIGs had the bad luck to be monuments in some wild villages /where some commie partisan or pilot was born, most likely/ and this is the result.

[Franek Grabowski]

Indeed, a sorry sight. Crossing fingers someone will come to their rescue. By the way, does anything of pre-war and wartime Bulgarian aviation survive? I mean bits and pieces, as I believe only Ar 196 survived untouched (how?).

[Theodor]

Sadly, only the Arado survived from all the WW2 aircraft. A lot of the Me-109 and all the Do-17 were handled to Yugoslavia postwar in the late 40's /as well as some Bulgarian-made aircraft and some Il-2/. Everything else was scrapped!

A few Arado-196 were retired from the AF and given to the Black sea fishing fleet, to look for fishing areas from the air. Those were used until the late 50's if remember right and then one was given to the Marine Museum at Varna. There it stood till the beginning of the 80's. Then a group of Soviet officials came to visit the museum. A Marshal and some other high ranks. The Marshal got a bit angry, that an aircraft used to chase Soviet submarines is there on display. The Director of the museum hurried to give an order - the fashist machine must be gone within a day! And indeed it was roughly disassembled and transported to some military range out of town, waiting to be scrapped. Fortunately it was not sent to scrap immediately, but forgotten there lay in pieces for 2-3 years. Finally in the mid-80s a Museum of Aviation was created and the enthusiastic "fathers" of the museum went and brought the Arado to safety! Some restoration was needed, especially the skin of the tail part is not well made. Not only the tin needs to be fixed - I have heard the board instruments went missing while it was still in the navy museum. But after all the aircraft did survive!!! With some money and some more money, it can be very well restored

Unlike all else! As said, all were scrapped! Last year a vertical rudder from Ju-52 was found in some old military factory and brought to the museum. Also a Czech Smolik - most of the piping for the structure of the body, cut to pieces, can be restored very well. That is all. Nothing else. I have 3-4 board instruments and 2 clocks, some other people have aircraft clocks and other instruments panel parts /that is what people kept from the machines - board instruments/ - and that is all left from hundreds of aircraft!

[Franek Grabowski]

Thanks, impressive history!

[Theodor]

Surprisingly, with 2 days of work the Yak got a new paint! This guy Valko has endless energy! He did it himself, with only one more man. Riveted some lose tin parts, sanded the thick paint to make the surface smooth and repainted to a new - this time correct! - camo scheme. The photos that you saw earlier in the thread show wrong paint on the Yak. And now, this is the correct:

[kurlannaiskos]

Thank You for posting these fine photographs!

I know of 2 on-line aviation forums that specialize in Soviet aircraft of this period that would be interested in providing an external link to a 'walk-around' gallery of images.

[Theodor]

So, it is ready! Paint finished, technical texts applied, the canopy sealed and etc. This guy Valko, who did himself it as a personal project, did a great work!!!!!


Oh, and by the way, it is a Yak-9P

http://airgroup2000.com/gallery/albu.../10070/001.JPG

http://airgroup2000.com/gallery/albu.../10070/007.JPG

http://airgroup2000.com/gallery/albu.../10070/008.JPG

http://airgroup2000.com/gallery/albu.../10070/009.JPG

http://airgroup2000.com/gallery/albu.../10070/010.JPG

Why so sure it is a P? Here:

http://airgroup2000.com/gallery/albu.../10070/002.JPG

http://airgroup2000.com/gallery/albu.../10070/003.JPG

[kurlannaiskos]

Originally Posted by Theodor

This guy Valko, who did himself it as a personal project, did a great work!!!!!

Why so sure it is a P? Here:

http://airgroup2000.com/gallery/albu.../10070/002.JPG

http://airgroup2000.com/gallery/albu.../10070/003.JPG

Yes , I agree Valko did fantastic work!

I'm not sure what I am looking at but it has a large Cyrillic "P" there
if your computer can display it , the letter looks like this : П
if it were a "U" it would look like this : У