As a Yak 52 operator, I enjoyed your coverage of the general aviation scene in 22-28 January issue, but saw no mention of older Russian designs which are becoming increasingly common in the West because of their incredible value for money.
Yaks and Sukhois are widely available. Did you know that Yakovlev have put the Yak-3/9 back into production (the Soviet equivalent of the Spitfire)? Aerostar in Romania is building the Yak-52W and -52TW. These aircraft out-perform just about every Western equivalent, where there is one. However, they do use a lot of fuel and when 100LL (leaded aviation fuel) is no longer available I don't know what will happen.
Ian Parker
Wokingham, UK
Source: Flight International