Russian warbirds could be a bit "agricultural",
Part-owning the Yak taught me a lot about Russian aeroplanes. They are not 'agricultural', just 'different'. The Yak was superbly and very cleverly engineered, designed with a different but not inferior mind-set to western equivalents. I had a great deal of respect for it as an aeroplane; the more I flew it and got iinvolved in maintaining it, the greater my respect for Russian aircraft design and engineering.
And one has to bear in mind the operating environment it was designed for. Not the UK flying club scene, but the Russian Air Force. Mechanics would do all the preparation for the pilots, and mechnaics would be standing by with fire extinguishers during start.
The U/C didn't fully retract, and the prop was wood, so if young student Ivan forgot the gear on final, the prop snapped and saved the engine, and the aeroplane still ran along the ground on the main gear and the tail skid. Jack it up, change the prop, and go flying again! In Russia. Not in the west, where a shock-load strip would be insisted upon.
Last edited by Shaggy Sheep Driver; 30th Jan 2011 at 22:38.