Nanchang CJ-6
Nanchang · China · first flew 1958 · light aircraft
China’s home-grown primary trainer — a rugged radial-engined tandem two-seater that has become one of the world’s most affordable warbirds.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.46 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Radial-engined tandem trainer with a long framed canopy
- Low tapered wing with distinctive upward crank at the roots
- Warbird-circuit regular, often in PLAAF silver or camouflage
Often mistaken for a Yak-52, but the CJ-6 has a distinctive gull-like crank where the wing meets the fuselage, a longer glasshouse canopy and fully retracting gear (the Yak’s wheels hang half-exposed).
Specifications
- The Nanchang CJ-6 has a length of 8.46 m (28 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10.22 m (34 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 300 km/h (186 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Developed at Nanchang after the licence-built Yak-18 proved outdated, the CJ-6 first flew in 1958 with a tricycle undercarriage and an all-metal airframe. Over 2,000 were built for the PLA Air Force, which used it as the first rung of every Chinese military pilot’s career for half a century.
Variants
CJ-6 with the original engine; the definitive CJ-6A with the 285 hp Huosai-6A radial; armed CJ-6B export trainer.
Where you'll see it
Still training pilots in China and several client states, while hundreds of surplus airframes fly privately in the US and Australia — a staple of formation teams and airshow flypasts.
Related aircraft
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