New Yakovlev Yak-9UM for Catalonia

The Fundació Parc Aeronautic de Catalunya has obtained a new fighter for its collection, which is based at Sabadell in Catalonia, one of the provinces of Spain. The new arrival is Yakovlev Yak-9UM OO-RAW (msn 0470403) which arrived from Belgium on 20 July 2022.

This Yak-9UM is one of nine aircraft that were built for Shadetree Aviation Inc. USA, by Strela Aircraft Co. in Orenburg, Russia in 1996. From 1993 onwards, this firm built some twenty Yak-3 and ten Yak-9 fighters. These ‘Strela Yaks’ were constructed according to the original Yakovlev drawings, with the exception of their powerplants. As the original Klimov M-105PF engines were both rare and not very reliable, the constructors at Strela decided to choose the American Allison V-1710 12-cylinder V-engine for their new built aircraft.

Yak-9UM 0470403 was delivered to James K. Wickersham/ Shadetree Aviation, Carson City (NV) as N9250 in March 1997. It was sold to Christophe Jacquard & Richard Goode as F-AZYJ two years later, who flew the aircraft as Soviet Air Force ’03 white’ from Dijon-Darois. F-AZYJ was damaged in a landing accident there on 8 July 2001, which was a reason for the owners to sell it.

It went to Franz-Herman Enk, living in Weeze, Germany. The machine was rebuilt in Freiburg, and made its first flight from Stadtlohn as D-FENK in September 2005. But the joy was shortlived: D-FENK crashed during its landing at Aachen Airport on 16 July 2008. The Yak was finally transported for repairs to FASTaero in Brasschaat, Belgium, and finally received a Permit to Fly on 10 March 2020.

Hopefully the Fundació Parc Aeronautic de Catalunya has more luck with their new acquisition!

                     Photos: FPAC and Gabriel Estrada