Yakovlev Yak-40

The idea of the Yak-40 sounded audacious: to give jet comfort to passengers of rural routes flown by the An-2 and Li-2. Three AI-25 engines provided a thrust reserve for short strips, the straight wing simplicity and reliability, the built-in tail airstair independence from airport equipment. The machine became the first Soviet aircraft certified to western airworthiness standards and was sold to Italy, West Germany and other countries — a rare case for Soviet civil equipment. A thousand Yak-40 were built in total. The exhibit is a Yak-40 from the government flight detachment in an 11-seat VIP layout; the interior is fully preserved.