@ Fairfield, CA
July 2011
The late Eddie Andreini was a popular figure on the West Coast airshow circuit, among the aircraft he performed with was this pristine Yak-9, seen here at the Air Power Expo at Travis AFB. Incorporating the combat experience of the successful Yak-7 fighter drove the development of this new fighter. The Yak-9 was the most mass-produced Soviet fighter of all time, being in production from 1942 to 1948, with 16,769 built. Following World War II, it was used by the North Korean Air Force during the Korean War. In the early 1990s, Yakovlev started limited production for the warbird market of Yak-9 replica aircraft using original wartime tooling and Allison V-1710 engines, Eddie’s example was built in 1996. With its American V-12 Allison engine power, it can actually outperform the famous P-51 Mustang at lower levels. Nikon D300 w/18-200mm.
