Lampa
Holdings
Pty Limited
ACN 008 632 504
Unit 2
Janecho Building
Walker Street
Canberra Airport
ACT 2609
Correspondence:
PO Box 754
Fyshwick ACT 2609
Tel: 02 6262 9400
Fax: 02 6257 8300
Email:
info@lampa.com.au
Contrary to common held belief the Nanchang CJ-6 IS NOT a derivative of, or licence built, Yak 18A. It is a totally indigenous Chinese aircraft both designed and manufactured in China for use by the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) as a basic and advanced trainer
The CJ-5 was a licence production of the Soviet Yak18 primary trainer with manufacturing by the Nanchang Aircraft Factory commencing in 1954. Up to this time Nanchang had only repaired aircraft and the CJ-5 was their first foray into aircraft manufacture. It was of tube steel and fabric construction with a tail wheel configuration and powered by a Soviet 5 cylinder radial engine with a wooden prop. A total of 379 CJ-5’s were produced between 1954 and 1958 and delivered to the Air Force, Navy air force and the CAAC.
Nanchang CJ-6 NNE after issue of CofA and delivery to Canberra in 2003. Shutters at the front of the engine are manually operated from the cockpit to control engine cooling.
From late 1957 to mid 1958 the conceptual studies, general layout design, wind tunnel testing performance analysis and preliminary design of the structure and systems were completed, and a full size mock-up was manufactured in the Shenyang factory. In 1958 the project was transferred to the Nanchang Aircraft Factory where a complete set of drawings consisting of a total of 5,177 standard pages were released in a very short time. On release of the drawings to the factory the first airframe was completed in just 3 weeks. It was subjected to static tests and drop tests of the landing gear. These tests demonstrated complete compliance with the design criteria.
First flight of a completed CJ-6 aircraft took place on 27 August 1958 and in September two aircraft were ferried to Beijing for a flight demonstration to military and government leaders.
A Czechoslovakian manufactured engine and propeller powered the initial aircraft, however, testing indicated these two components were not well matched and, as a result, performance did not meet specification. In 1960 a test aircraft were retrofitted with a Soviet A-1P engine and matching propeller and tested in July of that year. These tests included the first spin tests, which were carried out successfully. Further flight-testing of the prototype aircraft was carried out for a total of 612 hours and 1,800 landings and resulted in the type being approved for mass production in January 1962.
In 1962 the Housai HS6 9 cylinder radial engine of 265HP and matching metal propeller were produced and these became a standard fit for all aircraft until 1965 where the HS-6A engine uprated to 285HP was made available. This engine has been used up to today and has resulted in a change of designation of the aircraft to CJ-6A. All components in the aircraft are manufactured in China making the type a totally indigenous designed and manufacture aircraft.
The
development of the CJ-6 took a total of four and a half years, a rather
short time for a totally new aircraft to be designed and manufacture by
an industry that, up until that time, had only had its toe in the aircraft
manufacturing industry.