GregP
Major
The Planes of Fame Yak-3 has an unusual history.
It apparently started life as a genuine Yak-3 and was operatednby the Soviet Union for some 15 years before it taxiied into a hangar and damaged the nose. The nose was repaired and a radal was fitted, and it served as a Yak-11 type trainer until it was sold to a party in the UK, where it was operated for some time before being taxiied into another hangar, damaging the fuselage again. Ed Maloney bought it and had a Yak-3 fuselage built here in the U.S.A. to be mated to the original Yak-3 wings. He also installed an Allison engine and a modified C-47 propeller. It still flies that way today. So, the wings are original and the fuselage is a new-build unit.
It is painted in the Normandie-Nieman unit colors.
It apparently started life as a genuine Yak-3 and was operatednby the Soviet Union for some 15 years before it taxiied into a hangar and damaged the nose. The nose was repaired and a radal was fitted, and it served as a Yak-11 type trainer until it was sold to a party in the UK, where it was operated for some time before being taxiied into another hangar, damaging the fuselage again. Ed Maloney bought it and had a Yak-3 fuselage built here in the U.S.A. to be mated to the original Yak-3 wings. He also installed an Allison engine and a modified C-47 propeller. It still flies that way today. So, the wings are original and the fuselage is a new-build unit.
It is painted in the Normandie-Nieman unit colors.
