Author: Jim T. Graham
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/09
Page Numbers: 76,77
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Born to Fly

Jim T. Graham | [email protected]

A Yak with many accents and a fun RC or full-scale ride

My job in the RC industry is to run RCGroups. I get to work with Jim Bourke, who owns the RCGroups and Flying Giants web sites. He also runs a company called Knife Edge Software, which makes the RealFlight G4 RC flight simulator.

Jim recently purchased a rare full-scale Unlimited aerobatic airplane. In an interview with him at the Joe Nall fly‑in, Jim gave some insight into the history of the aircraft, talked about how RC and full-scale aerobatics relate to each other, and described what it’s like to own and operate a one-of-a-kind airplane.

Interview with Jim Bourke

JG: Can you tell everyone what aerobatic airplane you bought? JB: I bought a full-scale Yak-54 Unlimited aerobatic airplane. I have been flying it about 45 hours so far.

JG: We have all seen a lot of Yak-54 RC kits and ARFs out, but the reality is that there aren’t that many full-scale Yak-54 aircraft around. JB: It’s hard to know exactly how many there are, but as far as I know they made around 12. Several have been lost in accidents, unfortunately.

As far as I know, mine is the only one flying in the United States. There are a few in France for sale by an aerobatic team. There are also a few in Russia. I also understand the Russian government has an order for 50 Yak-54s, but the company that makes them has not been in a position to fulfill that order.

So as it stands right now, I think I have the only one that is really flying in private hands.

JG: What is the physical size of this aircraft compared to other aerobatic airplanes? JB: The first thing you notice is how large it is. If I put it next to an Extra 300, the Extra is dwarfed in size.

The Extra is a fine airplane and gets a lot of its performance from its smaller size and light weight. The Yak-54 is a heavy airplane. It’s all metal — entirely made of aluminum. The wingtips come up to my chest; the spinner comes up to my nose, and I’m 6 feet 2 inches.

It has 360 horsepower, so it has the power required to pull it through the air. It’s not dainty; it’s a tank. It’s big, noisy, and puts out a lot of smoke. It has a deep, throbbing sound when you start it up. It vibrates when you fly. It is kind of like having a Harley. I love it!

JG: When you’re sitting in this thing, what can you see? JB: Down the runway you can’t see very much. It’s a very tall airplane in the front, and the tail wheel is very short. The wings block your view, and you can see a little out of the corners.

You’re lined up on the runway, then you can’t see it, and that’s how you do it. If you can see the runway, you have to cover it up with the airplane, and that keeps it straight. Once you’re off the ground, visibility is just fine. It has a bubble canopy, and you can see all around.

JG: Let's bring this back to RC. Would you say being an RC pilot helps you while you fly this full-scale aerobatic airplane? JB: Flying RC the way that I have has helped me tremendously in my spatial awareness. I know what needs to happen next and what inputs are needed. Coordinating an RC model is harder in some ways. That transitions very well.

There are things that are very hard about full-scale aerobatics, though. The physiological factors play a big part, which you don't have in RC. Disorientation, vertigo, and sickness are things you have to deal with in a full-scale aerobatics airplane.

Another factor is using your feet for the rudder instead of using your finger. Coordinating slow rolls, snap rolls, and other maneuvers requires you to push with your feet and hold onto the rudder pedals while you're upside-down. None of those things come into play with RC.

In general, though, going from RC to full-scale aerobatics is a pretty easy transition. It's a real advantage, and I encourage people that fly RC to try it out.

JG: What would be a few things you would really want to tell someone about the Yak? JB: The most common question asked is, "Are you sure you're ready for a plane like that?" I always say, "No, I'm not ready." No one is really ready until they do it. You have to have training and practice, and that is how you become capable of handling an airplane like the Yak.

At this point, I have put the airplane in every orientation you can put it in, and it's handled really well. I feel very safe in the airplane, but a mistake is very costly. The primary thing is to let everyone know that I think it's a safe activity, and I mitigate as many of the dangers as possible by wearing a parachute, practicing very high, and by taking it very seriously.

People also want to ask about the airplane itself. It has a nine-cylinder Vedeneyev M14P, 360-hp engine. It's a very rugged and reliable engine that produces a lot of torque.

People ask if it can hover and the answer is, "Not quite." I haven't felt comfortable trying that out, but from what I have seen it will do a solid torque roll and come down in a tail slide. I think with a 400-hp engine, I might have a better chance at hovering. People are mostly interested in the performance and history of the airplane.

JG: Can you give us some history on Russian Thunder? JB: The Yak-54 was originally designed to be a trainer for jet pilots. They also designed it to be an Unlimited aerobatic airplane as well. When it came out, the Yak-54 was a lot less expensive than the Sukhoi Su-29, so U.S. distributors lined up to take a shot at selling the airplane. Unfortunately it didn't do all that well in sales.

The Extra and Edge aircraft started dominating the aerobatic competitions because they have a little bit more vertical and are a lot lighter. Of the Yak-54 aircraft sold in the U.S., one was lost in an accident in Alaska, one went back to Europe, and the last one in the U.S. at that time was called "Dancing Bear," which was sold to a man named Eric Beard, who renamed it "Russian Thunder."

He flew it in air shows and really showed the airplane off with his piloting skills. Unfortunately he passed away a few years ago. I approached his widow and purchased it from her.

The airplane itself was used in the RealFlight simulator, which is how I became aware of it. It was on the cover of the box and our example of a 3-D aircraft when we released RealFlight G3. That is also how I got to know Eric and the airplane.

JG: So people out there can fly Russian Thunder using RealFlight? JB: Russian Thunder is in RealFlight G3 and G4.

JG: Will Russian Thunder be offered as an ARF to the RC community? JB: Yes it will. Chris Hinson of Extreme Flight RC will produce an ARF of Russian Thunder in several sizes. They will probably start off with the 50cc to 100cc size.

JG: To end the interview, I heard that you went to see your airplane before you left for Joe Nall. Is that true? JB: I love it. I have to see it every once in a while. Even if it's in the shop or I can't fly it, I'll go down and take a look at it. I sometimes spend some time in the cockpit or work on it a little bit. It's just nice to be around.

JG: Where can everyone learn about and follow Russian Thunder? JB: Right now I'm doing most of my updates about the airplane on my blog. Ultimately, the Russian Thunder website is going to be the source for information on the airplane.

At the 2008 Joe Nall fly-in, I was able to interview Jim Bourke in an interesting way. Check out the video.

Sources

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.