Dayton, Ohio. It was reassembled and made operational for several test flights, during which time it was disguised with U.S. markings. Efforts were made to keep the aircraft's identity secret and it was flown only in the early morning. On one occasion it was passed on the runway by a formation of F-86 Sabres whose pilots inquired as to the plane's identity. A story was conceived that the aircraft was a Bell X-5, which had a similar layout. At the completion of design and flight evaluations the aircraft was again disassembled and shipped quietly back to Yugoslavia in its original paint scheme. Records On September 21, 1957, the Polish pilot Andrzej Abłamowicz set two FAI world records in the Yak-23 with civilian markings SP-GLK, in its weight class, climbing to 3,000 m (9,843 ft) in 119 seconds (4,962.6 ft/min, 25,21 m/s) and to 6,000 m (19,685 ft) in 197 seconds (5,995.4 ft/min, 30,45 m/s). This plane was withdrawn in 1961. Variants Yak-23: Fighter version, serial built. Yak-23UTI: Two-seat training version with longer fuselage and lighter armament, three built. Yak-23DC: Romanian-built two-seat training version. Four Yak-23 single-seaters were converted in 1956 by ASAM Pipera, two of them belonging to the Bulgarian AF. S-101: Czechoslovak designation. Operators Albanian Air Force - The first aircraft was received in 1951. Bulgarian Air Force - Received over 100 aircraft, used them until 1958. Czechoslovak Air Force - Received 20 aircraft in 1949. Korean People's Army Air Force - A small number were used in the Korean War. Polish Air Force - Received about 100 aircraft operated between 1950 and 1956. Romanian Air Force - Received 62 aircraft in 1951 and used them until the late 1960s. Soviet Air Force - Operated aircraft between 1949 and 1951. Specifications (Yak-23) See also References Bibliography Gordon, Yefim & Kommissarov, Dmitry. Early Soviet Jet Fighters. Manchester, UK: Hikoki Publications, 2014. . Green, William & Swanborough, Gordon.The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander Books. 1994. . Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey, 1995. . Mikolajczuk, Marian. Yakovlev Yak-23: The First Yakovlev Jet Fighters. Sandomirez, Poland: Stratus, 2008. . External links Gallery of Jak-23 in Praha-Kbely museum 1940s Soviet fighter aircraft Yak-023 Single-engined jet aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1947