Air Race Addict's
March 24, 2004
Oklahoma City Visit
PART DUEX
As you know, I went to Oklahoma City's Wiley Post Airport
for a short visit in March. My main intent was to visit with the Miss America
Air Racing Team, mostly to check up on her health and the outlook for Reno 2004.
As a bonus for my time, Greg Butler was kind enough to show me around the Brent
Hisey Yak 3, to which they are in the process of doing some repairs and
modifications. I thought I would share these pictures as a follow on to the
story and pictures I put up for Miss America. Enjoy, and look for this aircraft
and it's Allison power in the pits in September.
You will notice the almost amazing simplicity in the
construction of this aircraft, which was designed in WWII by the Soviets who had
one thing in mind. And to get there, they needed simplicity, reliability, and
ruggedness, all rolled into one. The succession of Yakolev Design Bureau
aircraft, and for that matter, almost all Soviet designed aircraft for many more
years after, all echo that idea. The landing gear indicator is a barber pole pin
that pops up through the top of the wing when the gear is down and locked.
Purely mechanical in nature, no wires or bulbs to burn out or not work due to
lack of electrical power, SIMPLE. Same with the fuel level indicator. Just like
the one on your lawn mower. I learned a lot from Greg. I never new this little
tidbit. For "anti-rattling" dampening of the engine panels, the Soviets used
leather lacing wrapped around frames that panels attached to. Not only was this
functional, it was necessary. Rubber was in short supply, and dead farm animals
were not. Go figure. You can see this lacing in a couple of these photos. It is
the diagonal lines you see on the frame work.
