On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 12:48:50 +0200, 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!

Can't speak to "the West" in general, but I can probably give you some
answers regarding the United Statues. One big reason is that many of these
aircraft are not type-certificated in the US, and they were built at a time
when reciprocity agreements did not exist. Without type certificates,
these aircraft cannot be flown on any sort of commercial service.

For instance, there are six AN-2s parked at my home airfield (just outside
Seattle). The owner imported them about ten years ago, and had been unable
to sell a single one. They can only be certified in the Experimental
Exhibition category, which means that they cannot operate for hire, nor can
they carry skydivers or tow gliders even if owned by a private individual.
There *are* privately-owned AN-2s operating in the US, but about the only
thing you are allowed to do with them is fly them to airshows.

Why doesn't someone get a type certificate for these airplanes so they
*can* operate commercially? It's not a simple process...there a lot of
tests that the airplanes undergo, and a lot of analysis that must be
documented. Even if the analysis and testing equivalent to FAR-23 was
performed and the documentation found, it must be translated into English
for submittal to our FAA.

This would be an expensive and drawn-out process. And if Antonov *does* go
through it, they won't do it on an existing aircraft like the AN-2. If
they did, Antonov would't make a dime... after all, who would pay the
manufacturer $1,00,000 for a brand-new AN-2 when they could buy a used one
in Poland for a tenth of that amount?

The other factor that limit the inroads of these aircraft in the US is the
problem of parts and spares. Conversion of the electronics and engines to
US standards is only the beginning. Think of things as simple as bolts...
US-certified aircraft use bolts that are approved under the old Army-Navy
(AN) or National Aerospace Standard (NAS). If I need a bolt for a Cessna,
I can drive ten miles down the road and buy standard bolts that are
approved to the same requirements.

If I need a bolt for an AN-2, what do I do? If the plane has a standard
type certificate, I *cannot* replace a bolt with an AN or NAS unit...it
must be replaced with a bolt that meets the standards that Antonov imposed
at the time the aircraft was built. I doubt they used US standards. If
the aircraft is being operated on an Experimental certificate, the owner is
allowed to replace the hardware with US-equivalents, but that won't work if
one wants to operate ex-Soviet aircraft commercially.

I took a quick look through the US aircraft registration database, and
found about 360 Antonov and Yakovlev aircraft, plus almost 200
Nanchang-built Yaks. No Illyushins.

Ron Wanttaja