Perestroika |
Bob Yancey's YAK 11 „Perstroika“ 1988 In stock form, a 289 mph stock Yak-11 would probably not even qualify to race at Reno. But Yancey considered the airframe and what could be done to bring the speed up. The Shvetsov radial engine was reliable, but if he was going to make a racer out of a Yak-11 airframe, a lot more power would be necessary. Yancey’s idea was to graft his Corsair’s R-2800 CB-16 to the Yak airframe - that would take care of the horsepower requirement. The airplane already had short wings, and enough internal volume for fuel, ADI and the associated plumbing for race systems. Several other modifications could be made for increased speed. After purchasing one of the airframes, Yancey and his crew went to work on the aircraft. A new engine mount was designed and fabricated, and the massive R-2800 was attached to the airframe. The cowling was taken from a French transport aircraft and modified to fit the engine and fuselage contours. Stock Yak’s had some fabric covering on the fuselage; that was discarded in favor of aluminum skin that would hold up at race speeds. A new four blade propeller would be necessary to absorb the high horspower, so a cut-down Aeroproducts unit was installed. Due to the short landing gear, clearance between the ground and the propeller would be tight. After fourteen months of work, Yancey debuted the #101 Yak at Reno in 1987. The polished airplane sported a sleek racing canopy that drastically impaired visibility from the cockpit, but added greatly to is image as a racer. The oil cooler had to be relocated behind the cockpit due to lack of space near the engine, or possibly because of weight and balance issues. NACA inlets on the fuselage sides fed the unit. The R-2800 brought the power to approximately 2,200 hp in an airframe that weighed just over 7,200 lbs. This could be one fast racer! USN 94 René Hieronymus Scale 1:72 Building time approx: 25 hrs.
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