@ Fairfield, CA
March 2024
Airshow performer Barry Hancock taxies in Red Thunder #1 after a flight performance by the Red Thunder duo during the 2024 Wings Over Solano event. This Yak-50 was built in 1985 and imported from the UK to the US in 2015. A development of the earlier Yak-18 trainer, the Yak 50 became a full re-design. It had more power; a smaller, lighter airframe; a wing section designed to enhance inverted flight; and a semi-monocoque metal-skinned construction. The Yak-50 was in production from 1975 to 1986 with a total of only 314 built, seeing use as a military trainer by several countries. It is estimated that less than 60 Yak-50s are flying today. The Yak-50 dominated the World Aerobatic Championships in 1976, taking the top two places for the men’s competition and the top five spots on the women’s side.