Yakovlev AIR-6

The Yakovlev AIR-6 was a Soviet light utility aircraft of the 1930s. It was a single-engined high-wing monoplane designed by Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev, with 128 being built.

AIR-6
Role	Light utility aircraft
National origin	Soviet Union
Manufacturer	Yakovlev
Designer	Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev
First flight	1932
Introduction	1934
Number built	128[1]
Developed from	Yakovlev AIR-5

Design and development

In 1932, the Soviet aircraft designer Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev, working as an engineering supervisor at the Polikarpov OKB, designed the AIR-5,^{[nb 1]} a five-seat high-wing monoplane with a steel-tube fuselage and a wooden wing, powered by an American Wright J-4 Whirlwind radial engine giving 149 kW (200 hp). Although the AIR-5 successfully passed State acceptance trials, no production followed, as there was no suitable Soviet replacement for the imported engine.^[3][4]

Yakovlev instead designed a scaled-down aircraft of similar layout to the AIR-5, but powered by a readily available 75 kW (100 hp) Shvetsov M-11 engine, to serve as a light utility aircraft. The new design, the AIR-6, was a high-wing monoplane using much of the structural design of the AIR-5, (and also featuring landing struts from the Polikarpov U-2 and tail surfaces from the Tupolev I-5 fighter), with a pilot and one or two passengers sitting in tandem in an enclosed cockpit.^[5][6]

Operational history

The prototype AIR-6 flew in 1932, passing state acceptance trials in October 1933.^[7] An accident with the Yakovlev AIR-7 sport aircraft, however, was blamed on a design error by Yakovlev, who was sacked from the Polikarpov design bureau.^[8] This caused production plans to be delayed until Yakovlev was allowed to set up his own design bureau, with production starting in 1934. A total of 128 AIR-6s were built, with several being fitted with floats, and 20 equipped as specialist ambulance aircraft.^[1]

Operators

 Soviet Union

• Soviet Air Force

Specifications

Data from OKB Yakovlev^[9]

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Capacity: one or two passengers
• Length: 7.8 m (25 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 12.08 m (39 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 19.8 m² (213 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 616 kg (1,358 lb)
• Gross weight: 961 kg (2,119 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov M-11 five-cylinder radial engine, 75 kW (100 hp) ^[10]

Performance

• Maximum speed: 168.5 km/h (104.7 mph, 91.0 kn)
• Cruise speed: 130 km/h (81 mph, 70 kn)
• Range: 715 km (444 mi, 386 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 4,600 m (15,100 ft)
• Time to altitude: 6.6 min to 1,000 m (3,300 ft)

See also

Related development

• Yakovlev AIR-5