JAK-40 ČSA/KUBA

The Yakovlev Yak-40 (NATO designation: Codling) was a Soviet all-metal airliner in a low wing configuration. The drive was provided by three Ivchenko AI-25 engines. The prototype flight took place in 1966. Serial production was carried out in the years 1968-1981, and in its course over 1000 copies of this aircraft were created. The Yak-40 was developed as a successor to the Li-2 aircraft (a license copy of the DC-3 aircraft) and the Il-14. When designing it, the focus was on the possibility of operating from airports with poor avionics equipment and runways of poor quality. The machine also had the STOL capability, i.e. short take-off and landing. In the course of serial production, many development versions of this machine were created, including: Jak-40 (basic production version), Jak-40 Salon (higher standard version), Jak-40DTS (sanitary version) or Jak-40K (transport version) - passenger). It is worth adding that in the period 1973-2011, this type of aircraft served as official aircraft for transporting the President of the Republic of Poland and the Marshals of the Sejm and Senate.