The Missus and I spent the day volunteering at the Military Aviation Museum. Each Saturday during the summer we have a program called 'Summer of Flight' where one of our planes is showcased with a brief lecture and a flight demonstration. It's super cool and very popular.
Today's flight, the penultimate SOF demonstration, was made by our Yakolev Yak-3. The Yak-3 was the Soviet Union's best fighter of WWII. It was extremely fast (407mph), agile, and had an excellent power-to-weight ratio. It was so good that the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) instructed its pilots to avoid combat with Yak-3s, even if the German force was numerically superior, since the Yak had a 15:1 kill ratio.
Our Yak is a Yak-3M. It was produced by the Yakolev Corporation in 1991 using the original plans, tools and dies that were used to build them in 1944 and 1945. To distinguish between the originals and the modern builds, the aircraft were given the M designation. The major difference between the originals and the modern builds (besides the M designator) is the engine. The originals used Soviet-built Klimov-105 engine and the modern builds use an American Allison.
I was, as usual, working safety duty on the flight line during the demonstration. To get this shot I placed my camera on the pavement - right on the safety line the Museum guests aren't allowed to cross - a fired off a series of shots as the Yak passed on its takeoff run.
