Yak 17 Feather (oz5435)

About this Plan

Yak 17 Feather. Peanut scale jet fighter.

Quote: "For a real change of pace, try this Peanut version of a post-WWII Russian jet fighter. Performance is excellent and the prop is not all that noticeable in flight.

With the end of World War II in Europe, a vast amount of German wartime jet experience fell into Allied hands. The victors quickly gathered up examples of airframes, engines and test data. German designers and engineers were also spirited away to the USSR, America and Great Britain. As Russia was behind in jet technology, its designers looked for a quick solution to update their aircraft.

Russian designers found a partial answer by the simple adaptation of existing Yak-3U airframes to accept captured German Junkers Jumo 004 engines. The resulting Yak-15 jet still featured a tailwheel landing gear, which was not ideal due to handling problems. An improved version, the Yak-17 (code named Feather), featuring an uprated RD-10A engine, was introduced. A pro-duction run of 430 aircraft gave many Russian pilots their first experience flying jet fighters.

Before build ing this model of the Yak-17, perhaps a bit of background is in order. Many scale purists insist that a jet model flown with a propeller just doesn't look right. This is perhaps true when viewed on the ground. But after having flown six scale jets with propellers, I can attest to the fact that you just don't notice the prop in flight.

I began flying propeller-driven rubber-powered scale jets back in 1984, the result of having admired the unfinished bare bones of an F-84 Thunderjet designed by my close modeling friend, David Smith. This inspired me to design and build an X F-84H as my first prop-powered jet. Since that time, our Columbia, South Carolina club, The Palmetto Aeromodelers, has sponsored a 'Modern Military' FAC event which has seen a number of prop-driven scale jets compete.

I won a Kanone in 1988 with an 18-inch version of this same model. More recently, the FAC has adopted a 'Jet Scale' event which closely follows our original intent to showcase these prop-powered jet designs. By modeling jet aircraft powered by rubber-driven props, you can open a new era of exciting possibilities that are very inexpensive compared to other types of jet propulsion.

I trust this is not your first rubber scale model, as I don't really enjoy the step-by-step type article. However, a few tips here should help insure a good flying model. Try to use matched wood for longerons to reduce the chance of unequal pull on the basic structure when assembling the box. Using a balsa stripper is an excellent way to strip your longerons from the same piece of 1/16 sheet.

Naturally, the lighter your model is the better the potential for improved performance. A gram scale is indispensable to the dedicated rubber scale modeler..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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