Aircraft of the Yak brand, military and civilian, have established themselves as reliable and easy-to-fly aircraft. The first samples of aircraft were created in artisanal conditions. General Designer Alexander Yakovlev was young and energetic.
Starting conditions
When a plane flies over a city or a village lost in the taiga, people will definitely look into the sky. For several generations, the Russian population has become accustomed to such pictures. Many people still believe that domestically produced cars fly at an altitude of ten thousand meters. Until recently, this was the case. However, in the past two decades, many aircraft factories in our country have ceased to exist. The famous Yak-40 aircraft intended for local airlines has been discontinued for a long time.
The designer of this aircraft and other machines, Alexander Yakovlev, was born on April 1, 1906 in the family of an employee. Parents lived in Moscow. When the boy was eight years old, he was enrolled in a gymnasium. It was at this time that the First World War began. Then came the revolution and civil war. Alexander did not participate in these grandiose events, but watched the events taking place. In the gymnasium, his favorite subjects were history and literature.
Path under the clouds
When Soviet power was established in the country, the leaders of communist construction relied on young people. Many peers of Alexander Yakovlev were carried away by technology. Some took up inventing cars, others ships, and still others planes. Sasha also kept up with his friends. At that time, the interest of young people focused on modeling flying models. When Yakovlev was barely fifteen years old, he designed and assembled a working model of a glider. The wingspan of the model was two meters. The tests were successfully passed on the site near the school.
The teenager himself did not expect such a result. The first success, as they say, inspired him. Alexander began to take a substantive interest in the technology of aircraft production. The next real step was the aircraft modeling circle, which he created at school. Further events developed along an increasing trajectory. In the summer of 1924, Yakovlev, according to his own drawings, assembled a glider and went to the Crimea with no competition. Here, in the vicinity of Koktebel, the first glider competitions in the USSR took place. The glider turned out to be no worse than the others presented by the participants. It is interesting to note that Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, the future founder of Russian cosmonautics, also took part in the competition.
At the combat post
When the age approached, Yakovlev voluntarily joined the army. He served at the Air Force Academy. I was eagerly engaged in the maintenance and repair of aircraft. In parallel with his service, Alexander was engaged in the construction of another aircraft. In 1927, according to his drawings, a prototype of the AIR-1 machine was assembled. From that moment on, Yakovlev was allocated funds for the creation of a design bureau. In the early 30s, the famous Yak-12 aircraft was created at the Yakovlev Design Bureau. In everyday life, this model was called a winged car. Comrade Stalin was present at the test of this "car".
When the war began, all the efforts of engineers and workers were aimed at creating a full-fledged combat vehicle. By 1943, Yak-3 fighters arrived at the front. Then the improved instances. After the Victory, Yakovlev worked closely on the creation of a jet fighter. Tens of thousands of machines created by an outstanding designer flew in the skies over the Soviet country. There is no room for them in the air today. Alexander Sergeevich Yakovlev died in August 1989.
