Yakovlev Yak-18

what is it?

The Yakovlev Yak-18 (Russian: Яковлев Як-18; NATO reporting name Max) is a tandem two-seat military primary trainer aircraft manufactured in the Soviet Union. Originally powered by one 119 kW (160 hp) Shvetsov M-11FR-1 radial piston engine, it entered service in 1946. It was also produced in China as the Nanchang CJ-5.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · low wing · retractable tricycle gear · 10.6 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 300 km/htop speed
• range 700 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 2passengers
• size 1,320 kgmax take-off weight
• built 8,000made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 80 years ago, in 1946.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 10.6 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1946

introduced

1946

status

still flying

number built

8,000

role

training aircraft

origin

🇷🇺 Soviet Union

makers

Yakovlev

engines

1× Ivchenko AI-14RF / Shvetsov M-11 / AI-14R

crew

2

passengers

2

length

8.4 m

wingspan

10.6 m

height

3.4 m

max take-off weight

1,320 kg

top speed

300 km/h

range

700 km

ceiling

5,060 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.