Yak-9 Represents a Rare Breed Among Warbirds

While a large number of American and British warbirds from that era have found their way into the civilian market, precious few two-seat Yak-9s and single-place Yak-3s arrived on U.S. soil. In the immortal words of the Grateful Dead, “What a long, strange trip it's been.”

In broad strokes, the aircraft is a single-engine, multirole fighter used by the Soviet Union and its allies during WWII and into the early Cold War. The Yak-9 started arriving in Soviet fighter squadron in late 1942 and played a key role in reclaiming air superiority from the Luftwaffe’s Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and Messerschmitt Bf 109G fighters. 

Yak-9 production continued after the war until late 1948, with more than 16,500 built. It has been referred to as one of the greatest forgotten airplanes of WWII. One historian, and former airshow performer James Jones, who had flown both the P-51 and Yak-9, opined that “…the [Yak] 9 came out too late in the war, and afterwards jets quickly dominated.”

Because of its great prowess as a fighter with unmatched performance and handling, Jones pointed out that “had appeared five years earlier, I doubt if anyone would ever have heard of the Mustang.” 

Yet despite its incredible performance and maneuverability, and production numbers that exceeded the P-51, there are surprisingly few Yak-9s flying in the warbird community in the U.S. 

In broad strokes, the aircraft is a single-engine, multirole fighter used by the Soviet Union and its allies during WWII and into the early Cold War. The Yak-9 started arriving in Soviet fighter squadron in late 1942 and played a key role in reclaiming air superiority from the Luftwaffe’s Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and Messerschmitt Bf 109G fighters. 

Yak-9 production continued after the war until late 1948, with more than 16,500 built. It has been referred to as one of the greatest forgotten airplanes of WWII. One historian, and former airshow performer James Jones, who had flown both the P-51 and Yak-9, opined that “…the [Yak] 9 came out too late in the war, and afterwards jets quickly dominated.”

Because of its great prowess as a fighter with unmatched performance and handling, Jones pointed out that “had appeared five years earlier, I doubt if anyone would ever have heard of the Mustang.” 

Yet despite its incredible performance and maneuverability, and production numbers that exceeded the P-51, there are surprisingly few Yak-9s flying in the warbird community in the U.S. 

The subject of this article is N6388U, a Yak-9U-M purchased last year by Dan Kirkland of Kingman, Arizona. Named Ol Snort by its original owner, this bird has a unique history, even by warbird standards.

The airframe is one of the few Strela-built Yaks, first registered in 1999, under Shadetree Aviation. It was purchased by well-known warbird owner and former president of Peco Foods, Denny Hickman. Hickman maintained ownership until 2019, when the plane was donated to the Southern Heritage Air Foundation (SHAF) in Tallulah, Louisiana. 

“This plane was the seventh to arrive here [in the U.S.]but, because of some technical problems, it was the last to be delivered,” Smith said.

Then there’s the rest of the story.

“One of those engine failures to which I referred earlier occurred while I was flying No. 7,” Smith said. “The flight was the delivery flight to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with the failure in one of the worst possible places—over the Rockies. I was flying along over the middle of nowhere when the engine quit—dead. The Yak is a fighter, not a glider, and I was getting ready to bail out when I caught sight of what looked like a field. I thought, ‘Hey, this is great!’ and decided not to jump. As I circled down to land, I realized that it was not just a field…it was an actual landing strip. I set it down and, well, now what?

“I made it into the nearest town, where I happened to meet a NASA engineer there right after the emergency landing who speculated about why the engine swallowed a valve, but he was not a mechanic. Joe Yancey, [the engine builder], drove from LA with all parts needed to do the rebuild. At the time, Yancey Allison [Engines] was the only company that could guarantee build, overhaul, and repair Allison 1710 V-12 engines to original military specifications. And that’s how No. 7 became the last of the batch to be delivered and how it came within moments of becoming a smoking hole in the ground.” 

Said Hollingsworth: “Once the Museum acquired the Yak, we performed a number of modifications, primarily to enhance safety and improve ease of maintenance. Russian warbirds typically rely on pneumatics to drive systems that are usually powered by hydraulics on Western aircraft. The most significant mod on the Yak was replacing the pneumatic brake system with a Cessna 421 hydraulic brake system.

“As with most taildraggers, the nose obscures your straight-ahead vision while on the ground. Taxying requires S-turns using differential braking, and we found that by the time you got to the end of a long taxi, it wasn’t uncommon that you might not have enough air in the pneumatic system to operate the other air-driven systems, like flaps, landing gear, and brakes. The Yak, of course, has an onboard compressor that recharges the pneumatics, but that takes time. The hydraulic brake system adds a significant improvement to safety and reliability.”

The SHAF and museum sells, among other things, airplane rides. Its fleet includes an Aviat Husky, WACO biplane, AT-6, and P-51D.

“Although Ol Snort is a two-seater, we quickly realized that it was an extremely small seat and not particularly desirable for providing joyrides,” Hollingsworth said. “Further, practically all the museum’s airplanes represent American airpower types, and the Yak just did not quite fit in. Ultimately, the decision was made in 2022 to sell the airplane. I understand that, in order to qualify as a donation, SHAF was required to keep the plane for a certain length of time.”

Hollingsworth brought Ol Snort to Oshkosh for the 2022 EAA AirVenture, and Kirkland bought it in 2023.

Kirkland noted that the airplane is officially called a “Reproduction Second World War fighter.”

“You cannot really call it a replica because it was built exactly like the earlier models, using the same jigs,” Kirkland said. “The only big difference is the Allison V-1710 engines, a tried and proven engine used in the P-38, P-39, and P-40 fighters. When Hollingsworth brought the Southern Heritage Air Foundation’s Yak-9U-M to Oshkosh in 2022, it immediately caught my attention. I made an offer on it, then it was mine. Eric later trained me at Tallulah, and then Mark Henley, another pilot who flies for SHAF and, occasionally, AeroShell, gave me my check ride. I flew it home to Kingman the next day.”

Kirkland can be described as a warbird pilot’s pilot. He is active with several Formation and Safety Team (FAST) signatories as a Flight Leader, and he helps organize a number of formation clinics throughout the year.

When he decides to go flying, he has the unenviable task of having to choose between his T-6, T-28, or Yak-9U-M. While he has a long history with the North American-built trainers, he chooses the Yak-9 for the sheer exhilaration of flying.

“The Yak-9 weighs some 2,000 pounds less than a P-51D, while boasting the same horsepower as a Mustang,” Kirkland said. “Below 15,000 feet, the Yak will outturn, outclimb, and generally outperform most comparable WWII-era fighters. It can climb at an incredible 7,500 fpm, although the standard rate of climb is more like 3,280 fpm. Neither my T-6 nor my T-28 can touch that.”

It is truly a rare breed.

The airplane is built in Russia from Russian designs and materials, with the Allison and Hamilton Standard prop being the only American parts on the airplane. The prop, by the way, is a DC-3 prop that has been cut down to give a bit of ground clearance.

The issue of parts is a challenge, especially items such as fuel/oil hoses, air values, and cylinders. Kirkland is based at Kingman, Arizona, which also happens to be the home of M-14P Inc.

The M-14P engine is used in Yak-52s and some Nanchang CJ-6s, and the company is recognized around the world as one of the leading experts of Russian- and Chinese-built warbirds.

“Company president Jill Gernetzke and her crew know how to find parts for Russian airplanes,” said Kirkland. “For instance, I needed to replace the oil lines, which required specialized hoses not found here. Jill was able to locate 7 meters of hose in Romania. You do have to reach out to the community worldwide to help locate certain components, and M-14P Inc. has contacts around the world.

“In fact, many Yak owners have invested the time and expense to replace Russian hoses and fittings with U.S. standards. Additional items like fuses and switches need to be sourced and imported as well, while the parts are available.”

Kirkland also speaks highly of Casa Grande, Arizona-based GossHawk Unlimited, another aviation maintenance shop that helps keep warbirds flying.

While the Yak-9 is new by WWII warbird standards, having been built in 1999, it was constructed using the same materials and methods of the original production.

When these airplanes first became available in the late 1990s, the going rate was in the $275,000-$350,000 range. Current values range between $450,000-$600,000. Compare this cost to today’s market price of a Mustang or Corsair, then compare the performance of the fighters, and it is easy to see why the Yak is such a desirable airplane to own.

The airplane is built in Russia from Russian designs and materials, with the Allison and Hamilton Standard prop being the only American parts on the airplane. The prop, by the way, is a DC-3 prop that has been cut down to give a bit of ground clearance.

The issue of parts is a challenge, especially items such as fuel/oil hoses, air values, and cylinders. Kirkland is based at Kingman, Arizona, which also happens to be the home of M-14P Inc.

The M-14P engine is used in Yak-52s and some Nanchang CJ-6s, and the company is recognized around the world as one of the leading experts of Russian- and Chinese-built warbirds.

“Company president Jill Gernetzke and her crew know how to find parts for Russian airplanes,” said Kirkland. “For instance, I needed to replace the oil lines, which required specialized hoses not found here. Jill was able to locate 7 meters of hose in Romania. You do have to reach out to the community worldwide to help locate certain components, and M-14P Inc. has contacts around the world.

“In fact, many Yak owners have invested the time and expense to replace Russian hoses and fittings with U.S. standards. Additional items like fuses and switches need to be sourced and imported as well, while the parts are available.”

Kirkland also speaks highly of Casa Grande, Arizona-based GossHawk Unlimited, another aviation maintenance shop that helps keep warbirds flying.

While the Yak-9 is new by WWII warbird standards, having been built in 1999, it was constructed using the same materials and methods of the original production.

When these airplanes first became available in the late 1990s, the going rate was in the $275,000-$350,000 range. Current values range between $450,000-$600,000. Compare this cost to today’s market price of a Mustang or Corsair, then compare the performance of the fighters, and it is easy to see why the Yak is such a desirable airplane to own.

Length: 28 ft. (8.55 m)

Wingspan: 31 ft., 11 in. (9.74 m)

Height: 9 ft., 10 in. (3.00 m)

Wing Area: 185.1 ft.² (17.2 m²)

Empty Weight: 5,526 lbs. (2,512 kg)

Loaded Weight: 7,049 lbs. (3,204 kg)

Powerplant: Allison V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,500 hp (1,120 kW)

Maximum Speed: 362 ktas at altitude (672 km/h)

Range: 365 nm (675 km)

Service Ceiling: 35,000 ft. (10,650 m)

Rate of Climb: 3,280 ft./min. (16.7 m/s)

Wing loading: 38 lbs./ft.² (186 kg/m²)

Power/Mass: 0.21 hp/lbs. (0.35 kW/kg)

About $1,200 to $1,500/hour, based on a 650-hour TBO.

• This Yak-9 was converted to a hydraulic brake system, replacing the stock pneumatics. 

• The fuel system includes wet wings that hold a total of 140 gallons. 

• There are no fuel gauges in the cockpit, but fuel is checked by looking out onto the wings and checking the float gauges. 

• The 140 gallons gives the Yak approximately 500 nm at cruise settings. 

• The only trim setting is a complicated wheel trim for the elevator that uses wires and pulleys. The rudder and aileron trims are fixed tabs. 

 • Very little rudder is needed for takeoff and flying. 

This feature first appeared in the November Issue 952 of the FLYING print edition.