RICHARD PAVER PROFILES
WILL GREENWOOD’S IMPRESSIVE
YAK-3UA
“Klimov VK107s being as rare as Yak-3s
and diffi cult to maintain and supp ort, the
new-build Yaks were fi tted with American
Allison V-1710-111 V12-format engines”
FRANCO-SOVIET PATRIOTS
built by Strela Aircraft at Orenburg,
an original production plant for
Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev’s
design bureau. Orenburg is 700
miles (1,126km) southeast of
Moscow, close to the Kazak border
and far enough away from the
advance of the Third Reich’s armed
forces for the mass production of
the superb line of Yak fighters that
would help the turn the war around
in the USSR’s favour.
The ‘U’ in the designation stands
for Uluchshyenny
(improved).
The
Strela
Yak-3UAs were based very closely on
the original, but featured an all-
metal structure. Klimov VK107s
being as rare as Yak-3s and difficult
to maintain and support, the
new-build versions were fitted
with American Allison V-1710-
111 V12-format engines – best
known for powering the Curtiss
P-40 Warhawk family, Lockheed
P-38 Lightnings and early North
American P-51 Mustangs.
Strela was created out of the
former State Aircraft Factory 47
(Gosudarstvenny Aviatsionny
Zavod – GAZ-47) in
Leningrad in 1958
(hence the ‘47’ in
G-OLEG’smanufacturer’s serial number,
0470202). Up to 1998, Strela
specialised in missiles.
Imported into the UK in March
2015, the Yak had previously been
operated by Maxi Gainza, based
at Bremgarten in Germany, and
registered as D-FLAK.
The work undertaken to give
G-OLEG British
certification
was carried
outLeft
Yakovlev Yak-3UA G-OLEG
in fl ight. ALL RICHARD PAVERBottom left
Inside the cockpit.Bottom right
Will Greenwood with
his Yak.March 2018 FLYPAST 95