Yak 54 Russian Thunder flown by Rich Perkins at KSQL

Rich Perkins and the Yak-54 Russian Thunder Rich is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and CEO of Attitude Aviation. He is a former U-2 pilot, an internationally known air show performer, and an award winning instructor pilot. Rich holds the highest aviation ratings in both the military and civilian worlds: US Air Force Command Pilot wings and the Airline Transport Pilot license for both land-based and seaplanes. He has over 10,000 hours of flying time in over 120 different aircraft, and he is equally at home soaring serenely somewhere in the stratosphere or upside down fifty feet off the ground at five hundred miles per hour. RUSSIAN THUNDER IS BACK! There is only one Yak 54 in the western hemisphere, and this Big Bad Yak is ready to roll the thunder again. Familiar to airshow fans throughout the U.S., Russian Thunder was campaigned by the late Eric Beard in the early 2000’s. Now, after a complete rebuild, a new engine and paint, Russian Thunder is back, with veteran airshow performer Rich Perkins at the controls. Rich flies the Yak 54 to its limits in a high energy fully aerobatic performance, with lots of smoke and, yes, Thunder. Yak 54 Russian Thunder flown by Rich Perkins YAKOVLEV YAK-54 At the KSQL Air Show