In article ,
Seb wrote:

Hello hope it's the right place to ask,
I don't know if anyone finds it strange why ex-Soviet aircraft are
rarely exported to the West, even though they are known for being cheap
and easy to operate. I assume there's a good reason I just don't know
it! I used to assume it was partly due to protectionism/other political
factors--possible 'vicitms' for this are

-An-2: cheap and rugged, but not allowed in the US to land at a
different airport it leaves from, or drop parachuters. Officially
because it's not completely certified, but looks a bit like an attempt
to stop people from using it commercially (and so protect the domestic
aviation industry which hasn't anything comparable to the An-2). On the
other hand it could just be because the An-2 is dangerous and unreliable.

-Il-76: in a well-publicized incident in the US, it was theorized that
if the Il-76 were available to the forestry service, very useful as a
firebomber, it would have done much to contain a serious forest fire.
The forestry service seems to drag its feet about the subject (again
just another case of governments reluctant to buy foreign kit), but then
again bureaucracies drag their feet all the time, especially when
questioned about their failures.

On the other hand the few Western countries (eg. Finland) who have
experience with Soviet kit, when given a chance, chose Western equipment
for their latest procurement. And I do also get the impression that
Russian aircraft score badly in things like noise and pollution emission
and fuel economy--although the Westernized types with Western engines
aren't doing so well neither. Any comments?

Seb

Actually, the Yak-52 series, the Su-28, the Aerovochodny L-39 and a few
others ARE popular in the US. The big problem is that they are
certificated "Experimental-Exhibition" and have a number of operating
restrictions, including distance from home base. Granted, some of those
restrictions are surmountable, simply by faxing FAA that, for instance,
you are going to take your L-39 on a 600 mile cross-country to an
airshow, but the whole proces is a royal pain.