Yaks are another perennial favourite, and their typically wide-stance, robust-looking gear can actually hide developing problems if you don’t know what to check for.
Check gear leg symmetry carefully. Yaks’ wide gear stance means asymmetric flex or damage on one leg can be less visually obvious than on a narrower-stance model — a side-by-side comparison of both legs, ideally with the gear off the model, is worth doing rather than relying on a quick glance.
Tailwheel assembly deserves specific attention on tailwheel Yak configurations — this is a smaller, often-overlooked component that takes a surprising amount of load during taxi and on any less-than-perfectly-smooth landing, and a worn or loose tailwheel steering linkage is a common, easily-missed cause of ground handling problems.
If your Yak runs a petrol twin, the vibration and fastener-loosening points from Day 13 apply directly — a full fastener check across gear, engine mount, and cowl fixings is worth doing as standard pre-season practice.
Inspect any scale add-on details near the gear, such as scale gear doors or fairings if fitted — these are often lighter-duty items than the structural gear itself and can work loose or crack without it being obvious the underlying gear is fine.
Test-fit and function-check retracts if your Yak is retract-equipped, well before your first flight of the season rather than discovering an issue on the day — a full cycle test on the bench, checking clean, positive movement with no binding, catches most retract problems while they’re still a bench job rather than a field problem.
As with the Extra, a Yak’s typically demanding flying style means a proper seasonal check is time well spent rather than an optional extra.
Take a look at our Carbon Fibre Undercarriage for 80cc models – suits Yak and others. for a solid example of correctly sized gear.