YASIG

The Quarterly Yugoslav Aviation Special Interest Group Bulletin
No. 1-4, 2000

Reviewed by Jim Schubert

This is a new one to me!  This bulletin looks a lot like the old IPMS/USA Quarterly.  The current issue has 40 pages printed on a photo-copy (Xerox) machine on A-4  (8 1/8" x 11 5/8") size paper of pretty fair quality.  As a consequence of the printing process and the quality of the paper, the reproduction of photos is only ok.  The contents of this issue include Yugoslav centered articles on: 

      Potez XV in Yugoslav Service
      S.M. S.79K in Yugoslav service
      Bücker Bü.133 Jungmeister
      Lockheed L-10A Electra
      Royal Yugoslav "Liberandos"
      Yak.9P Acro
      Documentation of Royal Yugoslav Air Force Planes Captured by German Forces up to May 20, 1941
      Ikarus 451M
      Yugoslav Aviation Colours
      Utva 75
      Gates (No!  Not Bill.) Learjet 25B
      OA-10A Thunderbolt II
      Cessna 441 Conquest

All text and captions are presented in both Serbian and English.  The graphic and textual presentation is very professional and compares favorably with similar IPMS publications from around the world.

I was especially interested in the article on the Ikarus 451M light ground attack fighter.  This was Yugoslavia's first indigenous jet airplane.  It first flew in late October 1952.  Only one was built and it was tested until 1959.  Upon retirement it was spruced up and has been on display in the Yugoslav Air Force Museum since 1962.  This little single seat, tail dragger was fitted with one 20mm gun on the fuselage centerline and six 6.8 Kg. rockets under the wings for ground attack.  Power was provided by Two French Turbomeca Palas turbojets, one under each wing Meteor style.  Span is 21 feet and length is 25 feet.

Yugoslav aviation history is a bit too esoteric for my tastes and already overloaded interests, but if you want to know more about YASIG, e-mail the editor, Nenad Miklusev at yasig@eunet.yu.  A year's membership is US$20.00 for surface shipment of the bulletin.