Book "Yak-Sportplanes" by K. Udalov and A. Atanasov

[athpilot]

КОНСТАНТИН УДАЛОВ, АСЕН АТАНАСОВ: Спортивные самолеты «Як», Москва.: Авико Пресс, 2023 г., 96 с., УДК. 629. 735. 33 (47+57)
Konstantin Udalov / Asen Atanasov: "Yak´s" Sportsplanes, Moscow 2023

Unexpected and within a short time, russian aviation-historian Konstatin Udalov teamed up with is colleague Asen Atanasov to publish a book about the sportplanes by YAK. They write: "Civilian and military pilots take their first steps in the air on training and sports aeroplanes. The pilots of the Soviet Union's national aerobatics team can be called so without any exaggeration. On what planes do the chosen ones of the cloud roads polish their skills, what technique will they master in the future? The series of books "Sport Planes", the first of which is about the Yak-55M aeroplane, is designed to answer these questions" (p. 3).
The book starts with older Yak-Trainers and goes on to the evolution, that led to the Yak-55. The plane and its construction is described in great detail and in a variety of contexts (e.g. artist flyer, promotion, recordflights and record attempts). Then special variant of the SP-55M is described, followed by the Yak-54 (pp. 74-76) and the projects Yak-56 (pp. 76-77) and Yak-57 (pp. 78-79). Completely new to me was the Yak-110: a double fuselage spotsplane with an additionel ramjet under the central wing. It was even build and flown. Amazing! The book has detailed descriptions (historical and technical), shows excellent sources and has lots of fotos and really great artwork of these beautiful planes. I wish everyone a good reading and a great time!

 

[riggerrob]

That twin-fuselage variant was converted in the USA by a pair of American air show performers. It paraded around the air show circuit for a few years before COVID.

 

[gabrielorosco]

Hello to all!

Today I had the chance to get a copy of the newest book “Yak’s Sportsplane”, written by our friend Mr.Konstantin Udalov (Ucon), and illustrated by Mr. Asen Atanasov. The book has 96 pages, and, as all of Udalov’s books, it is fully illustrated, giving us a unique experience regarding aviation books.
The book is focused in the complete history of the Yakovlev 55M sportstplane, it is the first book of more to follow about trainer and acrobatic aircraft. After a brief introduction, the book starts with a historical line about the first Yakovlev’s trainers, it is possible to understand all the steps that culminated in the development of the Yak-55M. These first chapters and the introduction give us a glimpse on the importance of trainer and acrobatic aircraft not only in the USSR and Russia, but also how these machines are necessary for every single pilot.
From page 12 onwards, the book is entirely focused on Yak-55M, with a full panoramic view of development and construction, as well as all of its variants used in a wide range of contexts. The artwork is another masterpiece, and could not be different, as we all know the excellent work of the artist Asen Atanasov, from Bulgaria. I would like to use this opportunity to announce the newest member in our team, a new star in aviation illustration, Mr. Alexey Valyaev-Zaitsev, the producer of some great side-view illustrations present in the book.
After all description about the Yak-55M, we have an interesting surprise, the exotic Yakovlev 110. It’s a very unusual design for an acrobatic aircraft, with two fuselages joined by a central wing, just like the American F-82 Twin Mustang. Breath-taking pictures are present in this section, as well as beautiful illustrations. I recommend this book for all aviation enthusiasts and historians, as it writes a new chapter in the literature devoted to aviation, especially about trainer and acrobatic aircraft.
I wish everybody a nice read!