A lovely airfield not far from Birmingham and where I was to spend the next two days having enormous fun in a Russian registered YAK 52 with Genna (Gennady Elfimov) of Sky Trace.  Genna came with impeccable credentials having been a pilot who use to fly for Moscow Aerobatics Team .

The Plane I had come to see and fly, ever since I read about these I had wanted to fly one, now a dream comes true. Here she calmly awaits her next crew outside the hanger.

An internal view showing the joystick, the flaps, throttle and pitch levers which are on the left and the cowl flaps control on the right. On the seat, a parachute, tied with a static line.... just in case.

 The brake lever is actually on the column and differential breaking is made by using the rudder steering and squeezing the brake handle. The instruments are apparently the same high quality units found in much larger military aircraft. Speeds are indicated in Km/hr, the VSI in m/s and the engine power in %. The horizon has a second integral slip and turn indicator and the fuel gauge is a very accurate illuminated panel which is seen here on the lower right of the dash.
The G meter and alarm/fault indicators sit on top of the instrument panel.

A plume of smoke ejects as the compressed air turns the 360 HP radial over and kicks it in to life.
 

After two days at Halfpenny Green, and about 3 hours in the YAK it was time to say good-bye. I've looped the loop, split S's, Barrel Rolls, Inverted flight, a few spins, steep turns and I mean steep, pulled 5 1/2 G's and about 19 landings, which seemed more like controlled nosed dives at the time. All in all it was some of the best 3 hours flying yet.

The most amazing plane I have flown yet, if you haven't flown one of these, you don't know what your missing.