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By: - 16th September 2011 at 11:51 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There is a flying example, based in the US now I believe, but I’ve seen it fly at Duxford.
I believe I’m right in saying that Ray Hanna thought it ‘superior to the Hawker Sea Fury in every respect!’ High praise indeed...
...(even though he must have been wrong because nothing is better than a Sea Fury)!
(Actually, I think it may be a Lavochkin La-9 that is still airworthy.)
By: - 16th September 2011 at 11:54 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
That was an La-9. It moved from new Zealand last year to Jerry Yagen's collection at Virginia Beach, and was indeed a most impressive fighter. I saw it's first return to flight at Ardmore, and saw it display at Wanaka. Amazing watching it display with the L-39 jet.
By: - 16th September 2011 at 12:01 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There are no flying La-7s. There are probably only two survivors, one is Kozedub's La-7 in Moscow and the second is in Prague museum Kbely. Don't forget, that La-7 is wooden plane. Most of them ended with end of war or were changed by La-9 and 11 with full-metal structure. A few planes serving in Czechoslovak Air Force after WW2 were in very bad condition and were canceled soon. Creaking Door saw the last flyable La-9 in Duxford, not La-7.
By: - 16th September 2011 at 14:19 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
one is Kozedub's La-7 in Moscow
Kozhedub's La-7 was wheeled out of the Monino museum for the 'Flying Legends show held there in 2004.....
Kozhedub was the highest-scoring allied ace of WWII....
Close-up of the 62 kill markings and the three 'Hero of the Soviet Union' medals. The 'laurel wreath' is recently applied - I'm not sure what it represents ?
It is now housed in the recently opened GPW hangar at Monino - I took this photo on 19 August 2011....
There's a La-7 on a pole outside the Lavochkin OKB in Khimki, Moscow....
... along with a few murals outside the main gate....
Finally, there's an immaculate La-9 in Chinese markings in the China Aviation Museum at Xioa Tang Shan.......
Ken
By: - 16th September 2011 at 14:23 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Oh - and just to finish off......
There's a LaGG-3.....
... and a La-5....
... at Park Pobed (Victory Park) in Moscow...
Ken
By: - 16th September 2011 at 16:15 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
:) This i think was Ray Hannas La9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EiKUFjegpw&feature=related
By: - 16th September 2011 at 18:54 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Quite simply, the La-7 was utterly superb. It was also made of complex wood-laminate and wood-plastic products which no one has managed to reproduce since the 1940's. There are no commonly available "modern" materials with suitably useful properties which might be used instead. Ergo, I wonder if we ever will see a flying La-7 (amongst others)?
During the war, the La-7 served from the spring of 1944 to the end. Their employment was very heavy indeed from the summer of 1944 onward. In that time, the La-7 set a superior mark for operational availability, and an unsurpassed record for success. In both victories-per-sortie and outright number of claims-to-losses, the La-7 beat all comers, even the wonderful Yak-3. In all, 115 La-7s were lost to all military causes, more than half of which were known to be the result of flight accidents or anti-aircraft fire. A conservative estimate of proven claims attributable to the La-7 now exceeds 3400, and the tabulation is nowhere near completion as yet.
All Lavochkin pilots agree unanimously that the wooden machines (in particular the La-5FN and La-7) handled much better than the later, metal, La-9s and -11s. Certainly they were more manoeuvrable in the traditional sense. The later aircraft were a compromise to post-war longevity (all metal structures) and increased fire-power (to combat enemy bombers, as was seen to be the correct role for the La-9/-11).
A few planes serving in Czechoslovak Air Force after WW2 were in very bad condition and were canceled soon.
I certainly cannot agree with that statement. Six of the 54 serving La-7s in Czech service were withdrawn during inspections in late 1946 due to their poor condition, this the result of the shockingly poor maintenance they had been subjected to since 1945 [as per the investigation, most of which concerned improving such procedures]. In December 1946 the Ministry of National Defence banned all La-7s out of pure fear (not based on any rational investigations). Subsequent proper tests carried out by the Scientific Institute for Aircraft (now the VZLU) proved that, while the strength of the wood-laminates had been reduced from the time of manufacture, the inherent La-7 structure was so immensely strong that this did not matter. Even in the worst case, where 50% of the manufacturer's quoted values were obtained on a section of fuselage, the resulting strength was still sufficient to exceed any logically plausible flight loading. All La-7s were therefore returned to service by the summer of 1947; the last was retired in 1950.
In the USSR, La-7s were phased out of use during the later 1940s over the objections of the VVS. Lavochkin refused to guarantee the wooden structures for more than two years , and this upset the government to no end. The all-metal La-9/-11 structure, on the other hand, was guaranteed for 10 years. The government decided that this represented value-for-money, and thus the La-9 (and more so) the -11 were awarded significant contracts. Whether these machines represented an "improvement" over the wartime aircraft is a highly debatable point.
By: - 16th September 2011 at 19:19 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A conservative estimate of proven claims attributable to the La-7 now exceeds 3400...
That seems an astonishing number of ‘proven claims’ for a fighter aircraft that only entered service in October 1944...
...I’m not doubting the excellence of the aircraft or the skill (and courage) of its pilots but were there actually that many enemy aircraft for the La-7 to shoot down at that time?
By: - 16th September 2011 at 19:50 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A couple of old Russian fighter pilots?
Well one of 'em is. :)
Mark
By: - 16th September 2011 at 20:28 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I thought that the La-9 as displayed for a short time at Duxford was an awesome aircraft, comparable to the Bearcat and Sea Fury in performance. I was very disappointed by its short display history in the UK..did it fall foul of the CAA? Last time I saw it,static, was in a hangar at Wanaka, NZ. Sadly missed.
By: - 16th September 2011 at 20:32 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
No they are definately both old!
By: - 16th September 2011 at 21:17 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks everyone and particularly NII_VVS and Flanker Man.
Sounds like it really did live up to the hype.
What would wood-plastic products be? Something bakolite-esque? Or is this no longer known?
This is immensely impressive...
"Even in the worst case, where 50% of the manufacturer's quoted values were obtained on a section of fuselage, the resulting strength was still sufficient to exceed any logically plausible flight loading."
It´s hard to imagine that such a classic seems to be rather neglected by the warbird community.
By: - 16th September 2011 at 21:39 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The Hanna-Hogan Lavochkin La-9 ZK-LIX at Wanaka 2004
By: - 16th September 2011 at 22:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
...and in dynamic mode, Wanaka, April 2006.
Mark
By: - 16th September 2011 at 22:14 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I love the pride and dramatic poses that the Russians put into some of their displayed and preserved aircraft, especially the Khimki La-7 in this case.
Can you image a genuine Spitfire displayed like that in Southampton town centre!
By: - 16th September 2011 at 22:14 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
That seems an astonishing number of ‘proven claims’ for a fighter aircraft that only entered service in October 1944......I’m not doubting the excellence of the aircraft or the skill (and courage) of its pilots but were there actually that many enemy aircraft for the La-7 to shoot down at that time?
The La-7 entered regimental service with the 63 GvIAP during late May 1944. The first claim of which I am aware (ergo, not the definitive answer!) was made in June (same unit).
As for the Luftwaffe-- indeed, they were fielding huge numbers of aircraft on the Eastern Front until the very end. Including large numbers of jet aircraft, likely more than in the West. The LW's estimation of their own losses during 1944 is staggering; I am just now working on an article detailing these via different categories and locations.
By: - 16th September 2011 at 23:05 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
What would wood-plastic products be? Something bakolite-esque?
According to Yefim Gordon's 'Lavochkin's Piston-engined Fighters' it was "del'ta-drevesina" - (delta timber) composite or wood impregnated with phenol formaldehyde resin.
The first production Lavochkin, the LaGG-3 was named after the three designers (Lavochkin, Gorbunov and Gudkov), but the Soviet pilot's black humour mockingly deciphed this as Lakirovanny Garanteerovannyy Grob (Varnished Guaranteed Coffin).
Ken
By: - 16th September 2011 at 23:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
According to Yefim Gordon's 'Lavochkin's Piston-engined Fighters' it was "del'ta-drevesina" - (delta timber) composite or wood impregnated with phenol formaldehyde resin.
Sounds like a wood based version of Paxolin as used for instrument panels and seats?
By: - 16th September 2011 at 23:31 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
According to Yefim Gordon's 'Lavochkin's Piston-engined Fighters' it was "del'ta-drevesina" - (delta timber) composite or wood impregnated with phenol formaldehyde resin.
Sounds like a wood based version of Paxolin as used for instrument panels and seats?
By: - 17th September 2011 at 01:46 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Quite simply, the La-7 was utterly superb. It was also made of complex wood-laminate and wood-plastic products which no one has managed to reproduce since the 1940's. There are no commonly available "modern" materials with suitably useful properties which might be used instead. Ergo, I wonder if we ever will see a flying La-7 (amongst others)?During the war...
I entered this thread with the intentions of sharing my experiences with the La-7 in Oleg Maddox' IL-2 series, but I can see you have it covered, this is some excellent information! Of course, i'm joking :p
Can anyone confirm that this is an La-9? I took it at DX FL in I think 2005 (the first airshow I ever attended on my own).
You'd think there'd be some La'7's flying around, with their excellent reputation as an uberplane, it's such a shame that none seem to be.
Does anyone know of any airworthy Lagg-3 or La-5 aircraft?
Posts: 490
By: James D - 16th September 2011 at 11:17
I have read several times that this was reckoned by some to be one of the best aircraft produced in WW2. How good really was it?
I´m also a little surprised that there seem to be no flyers around (or are there?).
Any projects underway anywhere to rebuild to fly?