The Yak seen here at Farnborough Airshow

overshot the runway during landing at Dijon-Darois airfield 6 days later and was substantially damaged

This is a heavily modified Let C-11 (Yak-11) trainer now powered by an Allison engine. Ex N9YK which still had a radial engine. It was then called a Yak-9 but this seems to make no sense as the trainer was based on the Yak-3 while the Yak-9 was a slighty larger and heavier, all-metal fighter which never used a radial engine.

Built as a Let C11 trainer it was one of a large batch of the type acquired by Alain Chapel and Jean Salis from the Egyptian Air Force in 1985. In 1988 it was sold to the USA where it was rebuilt as a Yak-9, registered N9YK and sold to Jean-Marie Garric who replaced the original radial with an Allison V-12. It returned to France in 2003 and is now painted as a Yak-3 in the colours of Marcel Albert the most successful pilot of the Normandy Niemen Squadron, who served from the creation of the group in December 1942 until the end of the war and returned to France with his YaK-3 gifted by Stalin.

Carries the markings of The Normandie-Niemen Squadron of Free French fighter pilots who scored impressive victories with the Soviet Air Force.

Replica constructed in the early 2000s

Arriving for its participation the day after in "Legend'Air en Limousin air show" in St Junien, Haute-Vienne, France..