Eastern european aircraft...

[TwoDeadDogs]

Hello all
Have any of you any experience of Russian/East european military aircraft? How do they compare to Western aircraft, in terms of flying qualities, reliability, ease of use,etc. Yak-52 drivers need not reply.
regards
TDD

[airborne_artist]

A good friend of mine was killed in an L39 accident at Duxford - brake failure was the initial problem, but further failures/incorrect actions soon made it far worse. The AAIB inquiry is worth reading.

Search pprune on "L39 Duxford" for more threads.

[chromate]

Not sure exactly what you're looking for, but why exclude the Yaks? They have many qualities typified by Russian aircraft.

If you're talking about jets, then you might want to check out a couple of nice articles John Farley wrote for Flyer mag about taking the controls of a Mig 29. You may even get a reply from the man himself.

[TwoDeadDogs]

Hi all
I am not not running down Yak-52 drivers in particular, but they have been well covered in the general-aviation press. What I'm interested in is how Western-trained pilots and engineers relate to the eastern aircraft. For example,I've had a good look around an An-26, in the past, and found it hugely interesting in terms of build quality, ergonomics, utility,etc. The same applies to an An-125 and a Tu-154 recently. In both cases, I found some of their ideas and concepts to be widely different than we in the West are used to, but still practical and efficient,all the same. I make a habit of visiting as many unfamiliar aircraft as I can and it is always fascinating to see how different manufacturers relate to the same idea.
regards
TDD