
Cowra Rotary will be catering for a private flying group known as the Red Radials, who will arrive for six days of flying activities in Cowra from October 17 to October 22.
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The Members of the Red Radials are current airline pilots and/or former RAAF/RAN pilots who have significant flying experience.
The Red Radials operate the Yak-52 aircraft and the Nanchang CJ-6.

About 20 pilots will fly in to Cowra on Tuesday, October 17 and will park on the grass tarmac.

From Wednesday to Saturday the Red Radials will be conducting flying activities in and around the Cowra area with all flying be conducted at or above the minimum limit of 500 feet.


Flying activities for the group will include training for formation flying, search and rescue training, safety training and general flying.


Members of the public are welcome to view the flying activities. For the Aviation enthusiast, this should be worthwhile.

About the aircraft:
Yakovlev Yak-52

The Yakovlev Yak-52 is a Soviet primary trainer aircraft which first flew in 1976.
It is still being produced in Romania by Aerostar.

The Yak-52 was designed originally as an aerobatic trainer for students in the Soviet training organisation, which trained both civilian sport pilots and military pilots.
Since the early 1990s and the fall of the Soviet Union, many Yak 52s have been exported to the west.
Engine starting, landing gear, flaps, and wheel brakes are all pneumatically actuated.
Fun facts about the Yakovlev Yak -52:
- Max speed 285km/h (cruise speed 190km/h),
- Range 550 km,
- Service ceiling 4000metres
- Take off distance 170 metres
- Landing distance 250 metres
Nanchang CJ-6
The Nanchang CJ-6 is a Chinese design twin-seat basic trainer which first flew in 1958, was introduced in 1961 and mass produced from 1962.
The CJ-6 makes extensive use of pneumatics to control the gear and flap extension/retraction, operate the brakes and start the engine.
An engine-driven air pump recharges the system; however if air pressure is too low to start the engine then the onboard air tank can be recharged by an external source.
Fun facts about the Nanchang CJ-6:
- Max speed 300km/h (cruise speed 190km/h),
- Range 700 km,
- Service ceiling 6250metres
- Take off distance 280 metres
- Landing distance 350 metres