Apparently the glide ratio is worse than the Pitts, which is hard to believe,
I did several hours in a Yak 52 in NZ a couple of years ago (in between some Vampire flying
) and it was great fun. I agree with SSD's comments on the power. It's the only piston-engined aircraft that I have flown, where I've felt a push in the back as I opened the throttle on take-off.
My instructor demonstrated a forced-landing from the overhead. The nose-angle and the ROD were jaw-dropping. I would want a lot of dual practice before trying that solo. The Vampire was a piece of cake, by comparison.