Yakovlev Yak-18 "Max"

Yakovlev · Soviet Union · first flew 1946 · light aircraft

The Yakovlev Yak-18 was the Soviet Union's standard primary trainer for three decades, a clean low-wing monoplane that replaced the Po-2 biplane and trained a generation of Soviet and allied pilots.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	8.05 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Standard Soviet primary trainer from the late 1940s, replacing the Po-2 biplane
Low-wing monoplane with tandem open or enclosed cockpits and a tailwheel undercarriage
Produced in very large numbers and exported widely across the Soviet bloc

Light low-wing monoplane with a round-nosed radial or flat-four piston engine, tandem cockpits under a long canopy, and a tailwheel undercarriage on early variants or tricycle on the Yak-18A.

Specifications

The Yakovlev Yak-18 has a length of 8.05 m (26 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10.6 m (35 ft).
Its maximum speed is 248 km/h (154 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1946, the Yak-18 entered service in 1947 and became the universal primary trainer across the Soviet bloc. The design evolved through several variants, eventually spawning the aerobatic Yak-18A and the four-seat Yak-18T.

Variants

Major variants include the original Yak-18 with a tailwheel, the Yak-18A with a tricycle undercarriage, the Yak-18P single-seat aerobatic version, the Yak-18PM and PS for competition aerobatics, and the widened four-seat Yak-18T.

Where you'll see it

Served as the primary trainer of the Soviet Air Forces and was exported to China, Poland, North Korea, and numerous other nations; China produced a derivative as the Nanchang CJ-5.

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