Yak-3 exhibited in Bucharest in the 1950s/1960s?

I've heard that immediately post war, a Yak-3 of Soviet ace Cpt. A. I. Koldunov was donated to Rumania. Reportedly, it was exhibited in the 'Communist Pupils' Palace' ('Palatul Pionierilor') for quite a while.

Does anyone know what happened to this exhibit?

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on March 31, 2006 05:59 pm

If the memory does not fail me, sometime in the 1970's or 1980's there was a WWII Russian plane in an inner courtyard of the Palace of Culture in Iaşi. I wonder if it had any relation to the plane you mentioned.

I believe that was a post-war Yak-17 jet, also used by the Rumanian military aviation.

Gen. Dénes

When i was young i saw a plane (that looked like a Yak) in the backyard of a small church. The church is near Baneasa railway station.

It could very well be your version as a lot of time has passed since then. An engine for that type of plane is still preserved in the Technical Museum Ştefan Procopiu in Iaşi.

I believe that was a post-war Yak-17 jet, also used by the Rumanian military aviation.

It seems they have some (unfortunate) plans for this plane: Un avion Yakovlev - Yak 17 va fi amplasat in fata Palatului Culturii (the article is in Romanian language only).

I forgot to post the photo that came with this article.

I think this is a stupid ideea. . Can't we do nothing to save the plane to make a protest or something like this. It's a rare plane from ww2 and must be conserved and put in a museum. I our days this kind of monuments are dystroyed an vandalized, an example the railroad car and the 2 ww2 antiaircraft guns at Fetesti, the windows of the car were broaken, etc. This is my opinion

The Yak-17 is a post-war Soviet machine. Nevertheless, it's rare bird, indeed, therefore I agree with Claudiu.

Gen. Dénes

What makes it special is that it is a two-seat Yak17. If I am not mistaken, this is the only existing such airframe in the world.

This subject was discussed on another forum with some further photos. http://cartula.net/modules/ipboard/index.php?showtopic=1050 It looks like the "reason" why it is not in a museum is bureaucracy (and maybe the only thing that saved it from being turned into pots and pans): it is an "item of inventory"! The accountants of "Palatul Culturii" have to account for it in every audit along with kettles, papeclips, pencils, desks, buckets and mops, etc. If it were a "historical item", it would have been destroyed long ago.
Radu

The sad thing is that it already is in a museum.

Thanks Radu for the link to the photos.

Instead of being turned into pots, the plane could now be at risk to become a mere 'graffiti canvas'.

On the other hand, I wonder if the contest mentioned in the article was for a practical project or was only destined to stimulate the creativity towards a hypothetical project. Anyhow, let us hope that it would be hard or even impossible to gather the money or to get all the paperwork done to put this project into practice.