Yak 42 number of seats. IzhAvia - “Good old Soviet aviation. What is the best seat to check in on Izhavia aircraft to feel like in business class? Full review of two flights. ". Salon and best places
Medium-haul passenger air transportation is always in great demand. In the mid-70s, the main aircraft of this class, the Tu-134, became obsolete, and in connection with this, a program was adopted to develop a new aircraft to replace it. They became the Yak-42. I must say that the year of development in 1975 is a very modern value for aviation, even in the USA and Europe. For example, McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft were developed in the early 60s. Thousands of them have been produced (mainly in the form of modifications of the Boening-717 and others), and no one is going to decommission them. Yak-42 for more than 30 years of production, more than 250 units were assembled.
The main performance characteristics of the Yak-42
- Maximum takeoff weight - 57000 kg;
- Maximum landing weight - 51 t4
- The mass of an empty unfilled aircraft is 31.5 tons;
- Fuel consumption - 3.1 t/h;
- Flight range - 2500-2900 km;
- Passenger capacity - 120 seats;
- Practical ceiling - 9100 m;
- Cruising speed - 700 km / h;
- The maximum speed is 810 km/h.
The aircraft's maximum payload is 25 tons. In the ferry mode, the aircraft can cover significantly distances of more than 3000 km. It can also be used to transport various cargoes, but no other modifications, except for the main passenger version, have been released.
First aircraft with turbofan engines
Yak-42 was lucky enough to become the first domestic passenger aircraft with turbofan engines. A turbofan engine is a hybrid of a turbojet engine with an external propeller. The turbine shaft drives the internal turbocharger and external fan, which increases the overall thrust of the engine. Just a jet engine without a propeller is inefficient at low speeds.
The turbofan engine has a housing in the form of a coaxial pipe. Air is blown into the space between the pipes by an external fan, which not only increases draft, but is also very important for cooling. Turbofan engines are reliable, have a high motor resource.
The Yak-42 is equipped with engines with a high bypass ratio (D-36). This parameter refers to the ratio of the injected air volumes in the combustion chamber and in the external cold circuit. The greater this ratio, the higher the efficiency of the engine. On the Yak-42, the volume ratio is 5.4, which provides the aircraft with good efficiency. Another advantage of the two-circuit scheme is low noise due to the reduction of gas pressure at the outlet of the nozzle.
The correctness of the use of turbofan engines on passenger aircraft has been confirmed by time. It is this type of engine that is the main one for Boeing aircraft and is manufactured by Rolls-Royce.
Design features of the Yak-42 aircraft
The design of the Yak-42 is simple, reliable and utilitarian. It removed many excesses, but not at the expense of reliability. By the way, initially the liner was supposed to be exported on a significant scale, so the cost of the car could not be too high. Simple interior finishing materials were used. Luggage racks do not have covers. Chassis - tricycle unified design. Each support has two and 4 identical tires. The total number of wheels is 12.
Medium-haul transportation is often carried out at airfields with not the best technical equipment. The Yak-42 can take off from any hard-surfaced airfields. It doesn't even need a ladder since it's built into the door. Runway lighting requirements are determined by the navigation electronics installed on the aircraft. Any electronic equipment can be installed on the Yak-42 aircraft. The on-board network has a standard for aviation 200 volts alternating current with a frequency of 400 Hz. Electronic navigation and communication equipment is largely unified and easy to install. Now such improvements are being made by the efforts of private airlines without the participation of the aircraft manufacturing plant.
Piloting is carried out by two pilots instead of four. This also further reduces the cost of operation. The aerodynamic layout of the Yak-42 is a low-wing aircraft with all three engines in the tail. The wing is strongly displaced back. In the sky (bottom view), the aircraft is perfectly recognizable from a great distance.
Security systems, duplication of vital elements
Chassis retraction is carried out by hydraulic cylinders powered by a standard hydraulic system. It also feeds the hydraulic stabilizers of the vertical rudder and flaps. The uninterrupted operation of these systems is key to safety. In the event of a pressure failure in the hydraulic circuit, the aircraft will be uncontrollable, so the hydraulic system has a huge margin of safety and a completely independent backup circuit. The emergency hydraulic system is powered by batteries and has two standby hydraulic pumps.
In addition to the control system, the fuel system is duplicated. On the Yak-42, they went along the path of installing a simple fuel system with three separate tanks. Each of them has pipelines to three engines. In case of local damage to lines, tanks or engine failure, manual switching and (or) merging of lines is performed using solenoid operated valves.
To power the onboard electrical equipment and charge the batteries, an auxiliary power unit is provided, which is an aircraft engine of low power. It is located in the tail section next to the three main engines.
Yak-42 production and further operation
The Yak-42 did not go into mass production due to the objective economic difficulties of the 80s and 90s. For more than 25 years of production, about 180 aircraft have been assembled. Inside Russia, the main operators are Saratov and Izhevsk Airlines (IzhAvia).
It's rare to hear about flying a Yak-42 these days. Now they continue to be operated mainly by low-cost domestic carriers and firms involved in VIP transportation. And if the layout of the cabin of private firms is adjusted to the customer (or the owner of this aircraft), then the layout of the Yak-42 cabin of other airlines is practically the same.
The development of the aircraft began in 1972 with the filing of Aeroflot, which hoped to replace the Il-18 and Tu-134 with this model. However, he did not cope with his task and was gradually withdrawn from the fleet of the national carrier of the Russian Federation.
The history of the creation of the Yak-42
The three-engine aircraft was based on Yak-40 models. Two engines on the sides of the rear fuselage and one on top, including the air intake in the fork. The main plumage was designed in the form of the letter T, and the tail plumage was in the form of an arrow (arrow-shaped). The chassis was designed with twin wheels on all supports. The fuselage of the aircraft is all-metal, and the aircraft itself can be described as a low-wing aircraft.
The international aviation exhibition Le Bourget in 1977 presented the Yak-42 to all countries. In the same year, mass production began. Aeroflot launched passenger transportation on the Yak-42 only towards the end of 1980. However, after a two-year operation, a catastrophe occurred that covered the production for a while. And after the disaster in 2011, about fifteen airlines stopped flying on this type
General information about the aircraft
Despite the fact that the Yak-42 never replaced the Tu-134 as expected, some companies still use it in their flight program.
At a cruising altitude of up to 9 thousand meters, the aircraft can reach a maximum speed of 700 kilometers per hour. The height of the vessel is small - 9.8 meters, the length of the Yak-42 is only 36 meters. Two pilots are needed to control the aircraft, and the cabin is equipped for one flight mechanic. The capacity of the passenger cabin starts from 39 people and ends with 120, the same figure is the most common among airlines. A distinctive feature of the passenger compartment is the numbering of seats using Cyrillic letters.
Which airlines operate this type of aircraft?
For 2017, the Yak-42 is operated by three Russian airlines. KrasAvia owns a fleet of Yak-42s of nine aircraft, Saratov Airlines of five, and Izhavia operate 10 aircraft. The total number of Yak-42s among commercial and passenger traffic is thirty-five aircraft. "Gazprom Avia" only two years ago withdrew its seven units.
Abroad, this type of aircraft is operated by the Chinese Air Force, in the amount of two pieces. The Yak-42 is leased from Iran and Pakistan, and also owned by the PRC - eight pieces and Cuba - four.
Scheme of the Yak-42 cabin in a single-class layout
In all Russian operating companies, this model is in the same lineup. The most interesting and distinctive feature of the aircraft is that passengers need to enter it not from the left side of the fuselage, but from behind. Under the tail unit is the main emergency exit, also known as the main service door.
According to the layout of the cabin of the Yak-42, a total of 20 rows can be counted. The first row begins in the same way as on other types of aircraft, in the bow. Here, according to reviews, the best places for the Yak-42, the cabin layout assumes only a partition in front of the passenger, that is, no one will lower the back of the seat during the flight. There is space for stretching the legs, but not much, due to the wall in front. Although sitting in the front row is much more spacious. The disadvantage of such places is the toilet room, which is located right behind this wall. Therefore, the extreme places C and D will be very inconvenient, because it is next to them that people will crowd, being in line.
The 6th row is completely uncomfortable due to the presence of an emergency exit behind the bulkhead, so the seatbacks here are fixed in an upright position throughout the flight. In the 7th row, according to the cabin scheme, the best places for the Yak-42, as they are located directly at the emergency exit. There is a lot of space for stretching the legs, and the reclined back of the chair will not interfere in front. But the downside will be the prohibition of placing hand luggage on such a large area, and the view from the porthole will be partial.
Behind the 13th row there is also an escape hatch, so the backs of this row are locked. But the 14th row has the full advantage for a comfortable flight and the same disadvantages of the ban on the location of hand luggage in the legs. Thus, according to the layout of the cabin, the seats of the 14th row have the best places for the Yak-42. In the 19th row, extreme places C and D will be inconvenient, since the toilet room is in close proximity, and all the sounds of flushing, smells, and crowding lines create discomfort for rest.
The worst option for landing is the 20th row, because immediately behind the toilet wall, because of which the back of the chair will not recline. Plus, excessive noise in the tail section is created due to the presence of engines.
Yak-42 in a two-class layout
Undoubtedly, comfortable business class seats are the best seats in the Yak-42 cabin. The economy class salon reserves 100 seats, and the business class seats 16 and stretches from the first to the fourth rows. Two seats on each side of the fuselage. But the numbering of the economy class starts with the number seven and ends with the twentieth row.
In this form, the first row of the business with its extreme places B and G will have small disadvantages in the presence of a toilet room behind the front partition. Noises and unnecessary fuss come from the kitchen counter, as well as the ban on placing hand luggage at the feet. The 7th and 14th rows of the economy class have the same advantages in additional legroom, being the best places for the Yak-42 according to the cabin scheme. .
Of all the types of domestic aircraft still operated in civil aviation, the Yak-42 remains in the shadows more than others. Meanwhile, these are unique machines that are worth paying attention to.
Now the largest operator of this type is Saratov Airlines. This is not surprising, given that the mass production of the Yak-42 was established in Saratov.
2. The base airport for the Saratov "Yakov" is Saratov, but very often Saratov can be found at Domodedovo airport. There are 14 Yak-42s in the airline's fleet, 4 of which are in storage.
In addition to Saratov Airlines, the following domestic airlines operate the Yak-42:
Izhavia - 8 aircraft, Tulpar-AIR - 7 aircraft, Grozny Avia - 4 aircraft, KrasAvia - 2 aircraft, Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation - 2 aircraft. Until recently, Gazprom Avia had several Yak-42s, but the airline abandoned this type. Also, several aircraft fly in Iran, China, Pakistan and Cuba. 
3. A little about the history of the Yak-42. This type was developed from 1972 to 1980 to replace the popular but aging Tu-134. In 1988, mass production of a new modification with increased range and maximum takeoff weight, the Yak-42D, began. 
4. A total of 183 Yak-42 aircraft were produced (two of them for strength tests): 11 at the Smolensk Aviation Plant from 1977 to 1981, most of them - 172 aircraft at the Saratov Aviation Plant. In 2003, the production of Yak-42 aircraft was stopped, the fuselages of unreleased aircraft were cut into scrap metal. 
5. The design of the aircraft was developed for operation at a variety of airfields. So the Yak-42 does not require such a long runway as the most common types of Boeing-737 and Airbus A319 aircraft. Also, the Yak-42 does not require an airfield ladder. 
6. Technical characteristics of the Yak-42:
The manufacturer of OKB A.S. Yakovlev, medium-haul type, narrow-body.
Length 36.38 m, wingspan 34.88 m, wing area 150 m².
Cruise speed 700 km/h
Maximum speed 0.75 M (810 km/h)
Flight range 2900 km
Flight altitude 9100 m
Takeoff run 1800 m
Run length 1670 m
Empty weight 33500 kg
Fuel consumption 3100 kg/h
Specific fuel consumption 35.0 g/(pass. km)
Crew: 2 pilots and 1 flight engineer
Number of passengers (economy) 120
Engines 3 × 63.74 kN Progress D-36
7. Let's get to know the plane better. To do this, let's go to the hangar, which performs maintenance and repair of aircraft. 
8. The plane is really unique. 
9. This board of airport equipment is called a “drop” among themselves.
After the Saratov Aviation Plant stopped producing the Yak-42, and then completely went bankrupt and closed, it became very difficult to maintain this type. It seems that only the love of aviation allows technicians to keep these aircraft alive. 
10. I must say that despite the shortcomings inherent in the Yak-42, among which, first of all, low efficiency is noted, the aircraft had prospects for development. Options for replacing engines, new avionics, as well as an extended version of the Yak-42M, designed for 168 passengers, were worked out.
11. Unfortunately, plans to improve the Yak-42 are in the past. 
12. Let's go around the plane from behind and go inside along the boarding ladder. 
13. Salon is quite short, 3 + 3 layout. 
14. For the period of repair work, the chairs are carefully covered with covers. 
15. Let's look into the cockpit. Of course, you will not find a bunch of computers here. Warm analog appliances. Engineers shamanize in the cockpit. 
16. I wait until the cabin is free, I take another shot. 
17. A real metal steering wheel with a chic Yak-42D nameplate in the center. 
18. The same letters, but larger on the cab door. 
19. Another shot of the Yak-42. We flew to Saratov and back on a more modern and comfortable one, but still I really want to make the same flight on the domestic Yak-42. 
I want to say a big thank you to the technicians whose golden hands allow the Yaks to still surf the sky.
P.S. Interesting facts about the Yak-42:
1. The engines on the Yak-42 work without reverse. The aircraft lands at a low speed, the landing gear brakes and wing mechanization are sufficient for braking.
2. In the Georgian city of Rustavi, the decommissioned brother of the Yak-42, the Yak-40, was converted into a kindergarten (photo: www.kulturologia.ru).
3. Domestic pop figure Sergey Minaev sang the following lines in a parody of the song of the Swedish band Yaki-Da:
If the planes do not fly in bad weather, it does not matter,
"Ilys" cannot, but "Yakis" yes.
Considering that the Yaks have lower airfield requirements, this is very similar to reality.
4. There were also projects of transport variants of the Yak-42.
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Designed for short and medium range flights, the Yak-42 was developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s at the Yakovlev Design Bureau to replace the aging Il-18 and Tu-134. The aircraft has three turbofan engines located in the rear fuselage and forkle. It is capable of taking off and landing on poorly prepared airfields with short runways, has high fuel efficiency, and has the reliability of engines and service systems.
General information about the Yak-42 aircraft
Flight tests were carried out in 1975, and in 1977 the Yak-42 was presented for the first time at an exhibition in France. Since 1980, the aircraft has been at the disposal of Aeroflot.
For two years of operation, one and a half million people were transported on domestic Yak-42s, the aircraft was used on a large number of routes both domestically and internationally.
The Yak-42D model with an increased flight range (see photo) entered serial production in 1988. 
The fate of the aircraft, despite its effectiveness, did not work out. The restructuring and collapse of the Union, the decrease in passenger traffic, the variety of attractive foreign models did not play in favor of the domestic small Yak-42. After the closure of the Saratov Aviation Plant in 2003, the serial production of the aircraft was discontinued.
For 2018, 35 Yak-42s are in operation with Russian air carriers. 2 more - in China, 8 - in North Korea and 4 - in Cuba. Several aircraft are on lease in Pakistan and Iran.
Flight performance
Scheme of the Yak-42 cabin for one class of service
The Yak-42 and Yak-42D currently in operation have two types of cabin layout: one and two classes. Let's get acquainted with the configuration of the cabin of one class for 120 passengers and determine the best and worst places (see diagram). 
The entrance to the aircraft is located in the tail section, in addition to it, there are 6 emergency exits.
There are two toilets at the beginning and at the end of the salon (see diagram of the salon).
1 row - increased legroom. Comfortable seats with a slight drawback due to the closeness of the toilet.
Behind 6 there is a partition next to it, and immediately behind it there are two emergency exits. The backs of the sixth row seats recline slightly.
In front of 7 next there is a large space for free access to emergency doors. Luggage cannot be placed under the seats. Seats next to emergency exits are not available:
- children under 12;
- disabled people;
- passengers carrying animals;
- foreign citizens who do not speak Russian or English.
Two more emergency exits are located between rows 13 and 14. The backs of the seats in the 13th row are fixed.
Look for cheap tickets for any type of transport without leaving your home:
Best Places
For a comfortable flight, it is very important to sit relaxed. This can be done by stretching your legs and reclining the back of the chair. The best places in the Yak-42:
- 1, 7 and 14 - completely
Worst Places
The worst are the seats in the tail section of the aircraft, the seats next to the bathrooms and those that do not fold out the back. In Yak-42 it is:
- 6, 13 and 20 - completely
These seats do not recline.
19 C, D - places in the aisle next to the bathrooms
Seats 20 of the last row are the most uncomfortable. They have fixed backs, toilets are located behind them and they are in the tail of the aircraft. There is also a lot of noise from the engines.
Scheme of the Yak-42 cabin for two classes of service
In the Yak-42 there is a layout for 100 passengers in the cabin for two classes. Business class occupies the space of the first six rows (see diagram). There are 16 places in total.
Otherwise, the configuration and choice of the best seats are the same as in the Yak-42 cabin for 120 passengers. (Starting from row 7, the schemes are the same)
According to passengers, the Yak-42 is generally liked by travelers. Yielding outwardly to foreign liners, our domestic Yashka is not inferior to them in reliability, power and stability. This small plane takes off quickly, flies very smoothly, and lands quickly. The noise in the bow is very small, and in the tail no more than in Airbuses and Boeings, and according to some reviews even less. When you walk through the cabin, it does not shake or shake. It doesn't need a long runway and stops quickly after landing.
In the days of the USSR, many excellent aircraft were developed, and with the possibility of developing the domestic aircraft industry and investing funds, the Yak-42, with further improvement, could take pride of place among modern commercial airliners.
The Yak-42 is a Soviet jet passenger aircraft developed by Yakovlev Design Bureau designers in the mid-70s. This machine is designed to work on routes of medium length. The first flight of the Yak-42 was made in 1975, its operation began in 1980, the serial production of the liner continued until 2003. During this time, 183 cars were produced. Production was established at the Saratov and Smolensk aviation plants.
The Yak-42 aircraft is still in operation, both in the former Soviet republics and in far abroad countries: Iran, Cuba, China, Pakistan.
The liner was created to replace the outdated Tu-134, but this never happened. Tupolev machines are still in operation (a total of 853 Tu-134 aircraft were built). However, the reason for the failure was not the shortcomings of the Yak-42, but the collapse of the USSR and a sharp reduction in purchases of domestic aviation equipment. In general, the Yak-42 is an excellent machine, with excellent flight performance and good handling, this aircraft holds eight world records. During serial production and operation, about ten modifications of the Yak-42 aircraft were developed.
The design of the liner was very modern (even by world standards) for the early 80s. The engineers paid special attention to the convenience of passengers: the Yak-42 cabin is equipped with large round windows, comfortable seats for passengers, and excellent sound insulation.
Currently, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 project is being promoted as a replacement for the Yak-42, but it can hardly be called successful.
History of creation
In the early 1970s, a decision was made in the USSR to create a new medium-haul passenger aircraft designed to replace the obsolete Tu-134 and Il-18 liners. The designers of the Yakovlev Design Bureau took up the development of the machine; in the course of the work, the experience gained during the creation of the Yak-40 aircraft was actively used.
The layout of the aircraft was chosen, similar to the Tu-154 and Yak-40 liners - with three engines in the rear of the machine and a T-tail. In two years (1974-1976), four prototypes of the new aircraft were created, one of which even had a special parachute for spin testing.
The first prototype of the future airliner had a wing sweep of 11°. Initially, the designers planned to almost completely repeat the design of the Yak-40 and install an almost straight wing on the new aircraft. Such a design solution increased the lift of the aircraft, which made it possible to save fuel and increase the flight range. However, a wing with a greater sweep (especially with more powerful engines) gave the aircraft better speed characteristics.
The sketch was presented to Brezhnev and received approval, which at that time was almost decisive. After approval, the Yakovlev Design Bureau decided to reduce the development time for a new machine by one year. At the end of 1974, an experimental machine was ready, and in March 1975, it took to the air for the first time.
The tests were carried out normally, but the speed characteristics of the car were lower than expected - 680 km / h at an altitude of 8 thousand meters. The Ministry of Civil Aviation demanded that the new liner have a cruising speed of 700-800 km/h. To achieve such characteristics, the Yakovlev Design Bureau decided to increase the sweep of the wing.
Changes to the design were made very quickly: within a few months, the Yak-42 with the wing of the new form took part in test flights. The aircraft received excellent reviews from test pilots, they noted the excellent power-to-weight ratio of the new machine, its excellent handling, stability and good aerobatic qualities.
In 1977, the Yak-42 was shown at the international aviation exhibition in France.
Serial production of the new aircraft began in 1977, but it received an airworthiness certificate only in 1980, when its operation began. A serious blow to the project was the 1982 disaster near Mozyr, as a result of which everyone on board died. After this tragedy, the production and flights of the Yak-42 were stopped for two years.
In 1988, the production of a new modification of the aircraft, the Yak-42D, began, which had a longer flight range and increased takeoff weight. This car was exported. Currently, due to the termination of the Saratov Aviation Plant, maintenance of Yak-42D liners is no longer carried out.
The last Yak-42 was made in 2003. In Russia, the operation of these aircraft continued until the tragedy that occurred on September 7, 2011. On this day, a Yak-42 crashed near Yaroslavl, on board was the local hockey team Lokomotiv. The accident killed 44 people. After these events, the flights of the Yak-42 were suspended.
Design Description
The Yak-42 is a low-wing aircraft with three engines, a semi-monocoque fuselage and a tricycle retractable undercarriage. The entrance to the passenger compartment is made through a retractable ladder in the tail of the aircraft (as on the Yak-40). Such a scheme made the access ladders unnecessary, which many third-class airfields did not have at all.
The design of the aircraft used many innovative solutions for its time, which made it possible to achieve characteristics that often contradict each other: landing and takeoff of the Yak-42 are possible from poorly prepared airfields, while the machine has good cruising speed and excellent efficiency.
In front of the fuselage of the aircraft is the cockpit, as well as the niche of the front landing gear. It is followed by a passenger compartment with a maximum capacity of 120 people.
The Yak-42 is equipped with three D-36 engines with a high bypass ratio (it is equal to 5.4), in addition, they are highly reliable and economical. Two engines are installed in engine nacelles, and one more is located in the fuselage, at the base of the keel. The significant thrust-to-weight ratio of the D-36 engine made it possible to take off and land even if one of the engines failed. It should also be noted that D-36s have minimal exhaust and comply with international environmental standards.
It should be added that the designers have made every effort to reduce their aircraft noise level. Its level fully complies with international standards. The engine nacelles are equipped with a special noise reduction system consisting of perforated inserts made of metal and plastic.
The chassis of the Yak-42 is tricycle, its cleaning and release, as well as braking is carried out by a hydraulic system. The wheels are unified with those used on the Tu-154.
The aircraft hydraulic system has two subsystems - main and emergency. She is responsible for the operation of the wing mechanization elements, controls the stabilizer and rudder, extends and retracts the landing gear.
