Clashmaker.com

(Click HERE, if you wanna see the ‘beginning of the series’)

Like those trips to Springbank..

There are some reasons for that. It is an enjoyable ride, first of all. Going West via Old Springbank Road gets you soon into the open, and you can see a lot of space on foothills, and Rockies on the horizon - my favorite look as you roll down the Hill.

Then you are going to see friends, and airplanes flying, - not quite of a look you are used to seeing routinely, at work, - so, only two these things would be enough to make your day.

Yes, chances are, you may see something surprising in Springbank. As for example, today - I spotted two apparent guests on this field, perhaps, deployed temporarily for a firefighting season. Or, maybe, they are getting ‘domesticated’ here?

However, I headed to Springbank to see Butch Foster, and the Yak-1, - as I always do (wait, once I went to the aerodrome for another reason -to do my medical at the Doctor Adams’), and it has become a sort of mission since that time I first came across the project, and the folks behind it.

Another surprise was that the Yak, and an earlier project by Butch, the P-40 replica, were parked in different place. I called Butch, and luckily, he had his cell on, so it was easy to locate all them in the ‘C’ Hangar.

We had a small talk, Butch filled me with info on what has been made recently, and what are their next objectives to achieve, - in order to get the plane into the air as it was planed. And it is going to happen soon, - Butch said they would be able to clear the remaining snags in the 20s of September, and the final Transport inspection is already due to be scheduled for the end of the same month.

And then I hopped into the cockpit.

‘Keep imagination under control!’, I told to myself, looking forward through the canopy.

Involuntarily, I started to memorize ‘what’s what’ on the instrument panel.

I liked this plaque

I got a feeling (’by the pants’ the seat will be comfortable enough to spend an hour or two in it while flying the Yak.

After I climbed back down on the floor, I made a few more shots

Flaps were down, and I also noticed the paint was refreshed at some areas and spots. And as far as I remember, I haven’t seen the plane with an official registration painted on the fuselage..

and the names of the ‘Letchiks’ (’Pilots’):

It is hilarious - how Butch and Ron ‘Russified’ their original names to give the plane a taste of ‘authenticity’.

I had a look at the bottom

Butch explained they locked gear struts by this clam to prevent the gear from inadvertent collapse, ‘there’s no pressure in the gear retraction system, you know…’, he said.

And now it is time to talk about the ‘main snag’ Ron and Butch have had to deal with for almost a year. And the project’s progress was actually slowed down by this much time.

(to be continued…)