How do you restore a Yak-11? (updated)
This question Frenchman Laurent Lecomte must have asked himself many, many times. He acquired a Yakovlev Yak-11 project in 2006.

It was built under licence as C-11 by the Czech LET factories with construction number 171814 and flown by the Magyar Légierő (Hungarian Air Force) as 1949. After its withdrawal from service in 1973, the trainer became a museum exhibit. It was part of the collection of the Magyar Republestorteneti Muzeum Alapitvany, at Szolnok AB, Hungary.

After the arrival of the project in Nantes, France, Lecomte made a reservation for registration F-AZYL, in the historic section of the French registry. In the years that followed he spent numerous hours of his spare time to slowly restore the Yak to airworthy status. In recent weeks the restoration, now taking place at Saint Nazaire airport, saw good progress with the fabric covering of the fuselage. When Lecomte sticks to his plans the trainer will ultimately be finished in its original Hungarian Air Force colours. At a certain moment Lecomte owned a second C-11 (170315) but he exported this aiframe to the USA, where it still seems to be stored.

Photos: Laurent Lecomte