Crafts

List of military test pilots of heroes of the USSR. Outstanding aircraft test pilots. Development of military aviation of the USSR

The cosmonaut who was the first to travel into outer space presented his autobiography “The Time of the First. My destiny is myself...” With the permission of AST Publishing House, we publish the most interesting excerpts.

Recognized by a mole

There are still a lot of insinuations surrounding Yuri’s death. What was the reason?

For the investigation, a State Commission was created, headed by Dmitry Fedorovich Ustinov (at that time Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee), and the deputy commander-in-chief of the Air Force, Marshal Pavel Stepanovich Kutakhov. Of the seven people who were part of it, only two remain today: me and Stepan Mikoyan - test pilot, lieutenant general of aviation, son of People's Commissar Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan. (Alas, while the book was being written, Mikoyan died. - Ed.)

We were involved in the investigation as specialists. As a result of the work, a very strange statement was made: supposedly a training MiG-15, piloted by Gagarin, performed a sharp maneuver associated with turning away from foreign objects - a flock of geese, say, a probe balloon - and went into a tailspin. As a result, it collided with the ground and the crew died... But as an expert, I categorically disagreed with this. And he gave arguments. At the time of the disaster, I and my “lunar” group were practicing parachute jumps nearby, in Kirzhach. We heard an explosion and a supersonic sound - they sounded almost simultaneously - and determined the direction where it came from. Later, the wreckage of the plane was found there.

They arrived at the scene of death by nightfall. And they saw the remains of the guys (test pilot Vladimir Seregin died along with Yura). There is little left of them. No, well, it was possible to determine that it was them. Based on the clothing - they found Seregin’s blue demi-season jacket; based on a fragment of his body with a mole - I saw it on Yura’s neck the day before, when we were at the hairdresser. This is such a terrible memory...

“The Su-15 pilot descended too low”

I spoke with three peasants who indicated that they had seen a low-flying plane. During an investigative experiment, they independently identified the Su-15 among ten full-scale mock-ups. According to them, smoke first came out of its tail, then fire, and it soared into the clouds. It is clear that this is not Gagarin's plane.

We know that on that day, March 27, 1968, Gagarin and Seregin were supposed to fly at an altitude of up to 10,000 meters, and above that, tests of the Su-15, which took off from the experimental airfield LII (Flight Research Institute) in Zhukovsky, were taking place. In short, the pilot of this fighter-interceptor violated the regime: he descended under the clouds, looked at the landscapes - this is often done, then turned on the afterburner and passed through the clouds next to Gagarin’s plane, without seeing him, at supersonic speed.

The indignant flow of this Su-15 overturned the training MiG-15 and drove it into a deep spiral. Yuri’s last report at an altitude of 4200 meters was made: “I, 625th, completed the task in RIP1*, I’m going to the line**.”

I thought that the official version did not stand up to any criticism, but they told me then: there are serious examinations here, don’t get involved, Colonel. All the same, I did not agree with the conclusion of the State Commission and, as it turned out later, I was right: the rest were all lying.

“They rewrote my testimony”

In 1991, when the 30th anniversary of the first manned flight into space was celebrated, everyone and everyone was talking about the death of Gagarin, and the most absurd versions were put forward: that the pilots were supposedly drunk, that they were hunting... It was impossible to bear it, and we The country's leadership was asked to open the documents collected by the commission and re-conduct the investigation. We were allowed. After that, using modern computer technology and a wind tunnel, Academician Sergei Mikhailovich Belotserkovsky checked everything.

Calculations confirmed: a plane flying at a speed of 750 could descend in 55 seconds from an altitude of 4200 meters to zero, only by entering a deep spiral. Only one route is possible (one!), others simply do not fit into these data.

By the way, among the documents about the investigation of the disaster, I found my report - it was completely rewritten by someone, and the interval between supersonic sound and explosion was increased from 1.5 - 2 seconds to 15 - 20: this should have meant that the distance between the planes was 50 there were kilometers and the Su-15 is not to blame.

“This pilot is over 90.”

In 2013, I turned to Putin: “Vladimir Vladimirovich! Forty-five years have passed since Yuri Gagarin died, open the documents.” They opened it. Everything is as I said: an unauthorized aircraft passed next to the “sparky” (as the two-seat version of a single-seat fighter or sports aircraft was called), turned it over, and then they asked me not to give the name of this test pilot...

By the way, he is alive. He is already over ninety. In 1988, the Hero of the Soviet Union became...

It turned out that the head of cosmonaut training Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin knew about this, aircraft designer Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev knew, but when the letter from the comrades who confirmed my version reached the first deputy chairman of the Military-Industrial Commission under the Council of Ministers of the USSR Nikolai Sergeevich Stroev (in 1954 - 1966 he was the head of the LII), he ordered: “Don’t raise this question - you’ll kill the pilot. He did it unintentionally."

Now there is no secret in this, but there is sloppiness and violation of flight regulations, but something else upsets me: that the people who worked on the commission knew the truth, but pretended that it was not so. I would like everyone to know the truth about Gagarin's death.

I have been fighting alone since 1968, proving something. I, as a specialist invited to work on the commission, wrote my vision of what happened, I was present during the study, and I heard everything, I was thirteen kilometers from the site of Gagarin’s fall.

Now I was given the opportunity to announce the true reason, provided that I did not name the pilot who violated discipline and created an emergency situation. I gave my word that I wouldn’t name it. But he is to blame. He was supposed to fly at the same altitude, but went down. I talked with peasants during an investigative experiment, who each separately said that they saw a plane that looked like a balalaika... And this is a Su-15, it has a delta wing...

Bullets for Brezhnev

On January 22, 1969, I was in a car fired upon by officer Viktor Ilyin during the assassination attempt on Brezhnev.

It just so happened that the car with the cosmonauts was hit by bullets intended for Leonid Ilyich... He then came up to me at a gala reception and asked to show the bullet mark on my overcoat. What about me? Since the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee asks, we went to the locker room, and I showed him the trace of a bullet that flew tangentially. Brezhnev was then very confused. He examined everything carefully and said:

Don't worry, it wasn't you, it was me who was shot.

Ballistics later carried out an examination and found that it was a miracle that I was not hit. That's what they said:

God saved you, Leonov.

I answered:

So, I will pray...

This Ilyin managed to shoot 16 times in a few seconds. The first bullet hit the driver in the head, and I turned sharply in his direction. If I had continued to sit in the same position, the next bullet would have landed right at my temple. Another one passed near the stomach, the third touched the overcoat on the left side of the chest, the fourth hit the upholstery of the chair behind the back. It was as if someone from above was actually deflecting the bullets away from me... A man was shooting from two pistols at point-blank range from a distance of nine meters...

The 9th Directorate of the KGB probably knew about the impending assassination attempt, they were already looking for Ilyin, after all, he left his military unit near Leningrad, taking two pistols and four magazines for them. Therefore, at the entrance to the Kremlin, the car with Brezhnev (A.N. Kosygin was still sitting there with him) separated from the motorcade and headed towards the Spassky Gate, and another car was allowed through the Trinity Gate, where the cosmonauts were sitting: in front - the driver and security officer Kostya, in the central in the seats - Beregov and I (he is on the right, I am on the left), in the back - Tereshkova and Nikolaev. We had exactly the same car as Brezhnev - ZIL-111.

Ilyin, dressed in a blue police uniform, stood in a cordon at the Trinity Gate. He missed the first ZIL-111 and opened fire on the second, being sure that he was shooting at Brezhnev. In all honesty, security officers in bulletproof vests should have been sitting there, but I was in their place...

“Ilyin was not mentally ill”

They brought this shooter Ilyin to my home (fifteen years later). I asked for forgiveness. Like, I wasn’t aiming at you, I wanted to rid the country of a usurper. Well, I say, what a usurper he is... And he kept asking: “What should I do now?” I told him:

You killed a man, and he was left with two children. Find the widow of the driver you shot, the children left without a father. Fall at their feet, pray for forgiveness... Help somehow, if you can...

This was the conversation. This Ilyin was not mentally ill, as they later wrote. Absolutely normal, adequate. He served his time. Already in the 90s, he was released from the psychiatric hospital, and he very much regretted that he had taken the life of an innocent driver...

ALMOST A JOKE

"Liquor in Orbit"

On the first day in orbit, I played a great prank on the Americans with vodka. (We are talking about the famous docking of our Soyuz and the American Apollo, which happened on July 15, 1975, it is also called the “cosmic handshake.” - Ed.) The MCC did not know about this, no one knew. It was purely my idea. Even before the flight, I took out the labels: “Stolichnaya”, “Russian”, “Starka” and “Moskovskaya”. I put them in the logbook, and I had the tape. And after we went into orbit, I stuck vodka labels on tubes of borscht. And he also wrote a slogan from Shakespeare: “O brave new world that has such people.” And I made friendly caricatures of each of them.

When we sat down at the table after docking, Kubasov and I took out tubes of “vodka.” We explain to the Americans: “Guys, we must honor Russian customs in space too. And according to tradition, we have to have a drink before dinner.” Tom Stafford began to deny:

Impossible... I can't... (Impossible... I can't...)

Like - it’s impossible, it’s a violation. And he shows it to the television cameras. And I tell him:

I'll turn it off now so no one can see. And turned it off. And from the Earth they shout:

Turn it on!

I gave everyone a tube, they all looked at the labels and said:

Listen, we'll get hit for this.

Nothing...

They open: chin-chin! And there... borscht...

“We will never forgive you for this,” they shout: “we took such a risk, and you deceived us!”

Then I saw - there was a close-up of Donald Slayton's face when he says: “Listen, why did you deceive? It would be better if there was vodka!” But no one believes that we didn’t drink vodka. Nobody.

“The theory of drinking cognac in space”

And we really didn’t have a single gram of alcohol. Although academician Oleg Georgievich Gazenko, the founder of space medicine, was convinced that a little cognac in orbit would not hurt.

There was such a moment. When Lebedev and Berezovoy flew, they both turned forty years old during the flight. On a cargo ship, I decided to secretly send them cognac: I cut out the middle of a loaf of bread and hid a flask there.

So then Valya Lebedev wrote “The Theory of Using Cognac in Space”: you need to take the bottle in your mouth, make a sharp nod of your head - it will be exactly thirty grams. And it was published in a scientific journal!

The board of the ministry is underway. Minister Afanasiev is blacker than a cloud. Log shows:

Who did it?

I stood up and said:

Sergei Alexandrovich, I did this. They have been flying for so long, they are forty years old, a bottle of cognac lasts for six months...

And from the audience they shout:

Few! Few!

The general, Yuri Pavlovich Semenov, stands up and says:

Alexey discussed this with me. I agreed, and we sent this bottle to cognac.

*RIP - test flight area.

**Frontier - line of descent.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, many boys dreamed of becoming pilots. Nobody really thought about how difficult it is to fly in the sky. It seemed to the guys that the pilots were romantics who got great pleasure from the flight.

How did the first Hero pilots receive their titles?

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was first awarded in 1934, although from the founding of the Soviet state until 1939 there were no wars, that is, the pilots did not carry out combat missions. Let us note that it was the pilots who became the first Heroes of the Soviet Union. These names are not as well known as the names of some aviators during the Second World War. Let us remember who these first pilots are - Heroes of the Soviet Union.

As you know, in 1934 there was an operation to rescue the Chelyuskinites. It was not possible to save people without the participation of aircraft. At the same time, the technology at that time was still poorly developed, and the rescue mission could only achieve a positive result thanks to the high professionalism and heroism of the pilots.

First Heroes by name

Nikolai Kamanin received the Gold Star of Hero No. 1 at the age of 25. He made 9 flights over the Arctic, saving 34 people (on the sunken icebreaker Chelyuskin the crew consisted of 104 people). In the photo below, Kamanin is depicted on the left.

The difficulty of the mission to rescue the sailors was that the area was not well studied at that time. Also, the pilots did not have complete confidence in the reliability of the engines, because at that time they practically did not fly over such long distances.

Mikhail Vodopyanov made three difficult flights, during which he was able to save more than 10 people. The uniqueness of this pilot's participation in the rescue operation is that several months earlier he was seriously injured and underwent long-term treatment. The authorities did not want to allow him to participate in the operation, but he insisted.

Also in this operation took part such pilots - Heroes of the Soviet Union, as Ivan Doronin, Sigismund Levanevsky, Vasily Molokov, Mavriky Slepnev. Each pilot made a huge contribution to saving people in the Arctic Ocean.

War and great pilots

Analyzing the orders for awarding the titles of Heroes of the Soviet Union during the Second World War, we discover an interesting trend: more than 50% of the noted legendary warriors who defended our Motherland from invaders are pilots. Of course, fighting on the ground is also not easy, but air battles are much more difficult than ground battles. The level of courage and endurance of Soviet pilots is simply amazing. WWII pilots - Heroes of the Soviet Union - made a huge contribution to the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany.

In this section it is worth mentioning Alexey Maresyev and Pyotr Shemendyuk. These heroes, even despite severe physical injuries, continued to serve aviation.

For example, Maresyev is a famous hero of B. Polevoy’s work “The Tale of a Real Man.”

His plane was shot down over territory that was controlled by the Germans at that time. The pilot was unable to eject. Fell to the ground along with the car. It so happened that when he hit the ground he was thrown out of the cabin. For 18 days, the hero crawled to the front line. Discovered by Soviet children in the Novgorod region. After that, he was treated for some time in a Novgorod village. After a long treatment and amputation of both legs, he was able to return to duty and made many more combat missions.

Fighter pilots - Heroes of the Soviet Union often returned to the front after being wounded. According to verified but little-known information, about 20 Soviet pilots fought against the Nazis with amputated legs, arms or other severe limb injuries.

It is worth noting that for many pilots, WWII was not their first combat experience. Everyone knows that many Soviet military personnel took part in the fighting in Spain (civil war). For example, Sergei Gritsevets is considered one of the ace pilots of the 1930s. Belarusian by nationality, he was born in 1909 in the Grodno province. He entered aviation on a Komsomol ticket in 1931. The pilot's track record, according to official information, is 40 aircraft shot down.

Development of military aviation of the USSR

The pilots - Heroes of the Soviet Union - performed admirably during the Second World War. Although initially the technical level of German aircraft exceeded the equipment and quality of Soviet aircraft, the level of skill of the “red” pilots, some time after the start of the war, more than compensated for all the shortcomings of the technology.

The improvement of Soviet combat aviation actually took place already during the war. The fact is that in the first days of hostilities, most Soviet aircraft were destroyed at airfields during fascist bombing. According to many experts, this is even better. If wooden planes entered into battle with Junkers or other fighters, they would not have a single chance of winning an air battle. Such determination of the Nazis saved the lives of many Soviet pilots.

During the war years, according to rough estimates, the aces shot down more than 4,000 of the best German aircraft. The rating of Soviet aces is determined primarily by the number of Junkers shot down. Let's talk about each of the best separately.

The legendary Ivan Kozhedub was born in 1920 on the territory of the Shostka region of modern Ukraine. After graduating from school in 1934, he entered the Chemical Technology College. For a long time, aviation was nothing more than a hobby for him. Kozhedub’s path in aviation began with military service in 1940. He went to the front at the end of 1942 after working as an instructor at an aviation school. By the way, the first air battle for the legendary pilot could have been his last, because first his plane was shot down by the Germans, and then by “their own”. Kozhedub passed this test and was able to land his car. In the photo below, he is shown on the right.

Such pilots, three times Heroes of the Soviet Union, like Ivan Kozhedub, quickly become professionals in their field. They don't need a lot of time to prepare. So, for some time after this accident, Kozhedub did not fly. The pilot's finest time came during the Battle of Kursk. During several combat missions in July 1943, he managed to shoot down 4 Junkers. Before the beginning of 1944, the hero’s track record already included several dozen victories. Until the end of the war, he was able to shoot down 18 aircraft of this brand.

Semyon Vorozheikin and other twice Heroes of the USSR

No one surpassed this result, and only Arseniy Aleksandrovich Vorozheikin was able to repeat it. This pilot was awarded the Hero Star twice. Vorozheikin’s overall combat result is 46 enemy aircraft shot down. Besides him, the pilots - twice - are:

Alekseenko Vladimir Avramovich;
Alelyukhin Alexey Vasilievich;
Amet-Khan Sultan;
Andrianov Vasily;
Begeldinov Talgat Yakubekovich;
Beda Leonid Ignatievich;
Beregovoy Georgy Timofeevich;
Gulaev Nikolay Dmitrievich;
Sergei Prokofievich Denisov.

For aircraft to be used successfully, it must undergo flight tests. This is what test pilots work for. Very often they risk their lives because no one has ever flown the aircraft model they are testing before. Many were awarded the Star of the Hero of the USSR. The most outstanding tester of aviation technology of the Soviet period is considered

The crews under the leadership of Chkalov made 2 record flights for their time (Moscow-Vancouver via the North Pole and Moscow-Far East). The length of the route to Vancouver was 8504 km.

Among other Soviet test pilots, it is worth noting Stepan Mikoyan, Vladimir Averyanov, Mikhail Gromov, Ivan Dzyuba, Nikolai Zamyatin and Mikhail Ivanov. Most of these pilots had a non-technical first education, but the entire aviation elite was united by one feature: they received theoretical training in the then developed system of aviation clubs. Such unique schools provided students with the opportunity to receive theoretical and practical training at a fairly high level.

Attack aircraft of the USSR during the Second World War

Attack pilots, Heroes of the Soviet Union during the war years, occupy an honorable place in the lists of people awarded state awards for their exploits during air battles of 1941-1945. According to historical data, more than 2,200 pilots received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Moreover, it is attack aircraft that can be found the most on the list (860 names).

There are also many representatives of this type of aviation on the list of twice Heroes of the Union. As you know, the two heroic Gold Stars had 65 pilots to their credit. In this list, attack aircraft also take first place (27 people).

Who was able to receive the title of Hero three times?

Alexander Pokryshkin and Ivan Kozhedub - these pilots, three times Heroes of the Soviet Union, wrote their names in golden letters in the annals of the Second World War.

The fact is that three times the state awarded only three people with such a high rank. In addition to the two pilots, this is Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny, a military man known since the revolution. Pokryshkin received his awards according to orders dated May 24 and August 24, 1943, as well as August 19, 1944. Ivan Kozhedub was noted by orders of the Commander-in-Chief of February 4 and August 19, 1944, as well as after the end of hostilities in August 1945.

The contribution of Soviet pilots to the victory over the enemy is simply invaluable!

Aces pilots. They performed feats both in peacetime and in wartime. They spent hundreds of hours in the sky, and it became a real home for them. Our material contains quotes from legendary pilots who made the glorious history of the Russian Air Force.

If there is, then be the first.

Valery Chkalov, Soviet test pilot ,
Hero of the Soviet Union

It seems that I have always longed for the sensations that now constitute my belonging - the belonging of the lucky one who has penetrated into the air. I often happened to fly in my dreams, and the dream was delightful.

Sergei Utochkin, one of the first Russian aviators
And test pilots

Where I am a pilot, I am a pedant. But I'm also a romantic. I am interested in logic, psychology, literature,
painting.

Mikhail Gromov, Soviet test pilot ,
Hero of the Soviet Union

Bravery without hardening is a blank shot.

ace pilot , three times Hero of the Soviet Union

Our squadron was called "singing" because of our affection for the song, and my call sign is “Maestro”. From our squadron, 11 pilots received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, this honor fell to me twice. And every rank, every military award was paid for at the price of risk, skill, military superiority and real victories.

Vitaly Popkov, pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union

Height is the key to victory. The one who is higher can dive onto an enemy plane at any moment and, having developed high speed, reach it.

, honored test pilot THE USSR,
twice Hero of the Soviet Union

Once upon a time I read the words when I was a child V.P.Chkalova : “If there is to be, then to be the first.” So I try to be one and will be until the end.

cosmonaut , Hero of the Soviet Union

Nesterov went to research the capabilities of the aircraft by making a loop. Artseulov proved that it is possible to pull an airplane out of a spin. And what about the air rams that Soviet pilots used to achieve victory over the German aces? Don't discount this. For the Russian soul, incomprehensible to anyone, there are no barriers!

Victor Pugachev, Honored test pilot THE USSR,
Hero of the Soviet Union

Since June 1941 on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Until September 1942, he fought as part of the 4th IAP (flying I-153, Hurricane and Yak-7), then until the end of the war as part of the 9th Guards IAP (on the Yak-1, Airacobra and La -7).

By August 1943, the squadron commander of the 9th Odessa Red Banner Guards Aviation Regiment (6th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, 8th Air Army, Southern Front) of the Guard, Captain Amet-Khan Sultan, made 359 combat missions (of which 110 were in the skies of Stalingrad) , conducted 79 air battles, in which he shot down 11 enemy aircraft personally and 19 as part of a group.

On August 24, 1943, for the courage and courage shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

By the end of the war, he carried out 603 combat missions, in 150 air battles he personally shot down 30 and in a group 19 enemy aircraft.

On June 29, 1945, the assistant commander of the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (1st Air Army) of the Guard, Major Amet-Khan Sultan, was awarded the second Gold Star medal.

After the war, he entered the Air Force Academy, but soon left and began working as a test pilot (in total he mastered about 100 aircraft). In 1946 - Guard Lieutenant Colonel. In 1947 he received the title “Test Pilot 1st Class”. In 1952 he was awarded the Stalin Prize.

In 1961, he was awarded the title “Honored Test Pilot of the USSR.” Died in a test flight on February 1, 1971.

Awarded the orders of Lenin (three times), the Red Banner (five), Alexander Nevsky, Patriotic War 1st degree, Red Star, Badge of Honor, medals. Honorary citizen of the city of Yaroslavl. Enlisted forever in the lists of the military unit. A bronze bust of the Hero was installed in his homeland, a memorial plaque was installed in the city of Kaspiysk, Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Schools No. 27 in Makhachkala and No. 8 in Kaspiysk bear his name. The Hero's relatives live in Moscow.

Valery Pavlovich Chkalov- Soviet test pilot, Hero of the USSR. He was the captain of the plane that made the first non-stop flight over the North Pole from Moscow to Vancouver.

Chkalov began his breathtaking career as a pilot as an aircraft assembler at the 4th Kanavinsky Aviation Park in Nizhny Novgorod.
From December 3, 1931, he participated in tests - he tested the latest fighter aircraft of the 1930s, I-15 and I-16, designed by Polikarpov. He took part in testing tank destroyers VIT-1, VIT-2, heavy bombers TB-1, TB-3, a large number of experimental and experimental vehicles of the Polikarpov Design Bureau.

Chkalov was famous for his “recklessness”. After the accident that occurred in Bryansk, Chkalov was accused of numerous violations of discipline. By the verdict of the military tribunal of the Belarusian Military District on October 30, 1928, Chkalov was sentenced to a year in prison and was also dismissed from the Red Army. He served his sentence for a short time; at the request of Kliment Voroshilov, less than a month later the sentence was replaced with a suspended sentence.
Chkalov became the author of new aerobatic maneuvers - an upward corkscrew and a slow roll. On May 5, 1935, aircraft designer Nikolai Polikarpov and test pilot Valery Chkalov were awarded the highest government award - the Order of Lenin - for creating the best fighter aircraft.
On July 20, 1936, the flight of Chkalov’s crew from Moscow to the Far East began. It lasted 56 hours before landing on a sandy spit of Udd Island in the Sea of Okhotsk. The total length of the record route was 9,375 kilometers.
On June 18, 1937, Chkalov began flying on an ANT-25 plane across the North Pole from Moscow to Vancouver (Washington State, USA). The flight took place in difficult weather conditions. On June 20, the plane landed safely in Vancouver, Washington, USA. The length of the flight was 8504 kilometers.
Stalin personally invited Chkalov to take the post of People's Commissar of the NKVD, but he refused and continued to engage in flight test work. Chkalov died on December 15, 1938 during the first test flight of the new I-180 fighter at the Central Airfield.

Stalin, Voroshilov, Kaganovich, Chkalov and Belyakov. Meeting after the flight to the Far East. Shchelkovo airfield, August 10, 1936

STEPAN MIKOYAN

Stepan Mikoyan was born on July 12, 1922. He is the son of the famous political figure Anastas Mikoyan. Stepan Mikoyan - Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant General of Aviation. In 1940, he entered the Kachin Military Aviation Pilot School in Crimea. In 1941, he retrained to fly the Yak-1 fighter and in December was sent to a fighter regiment defending Moscow.
From the first days of 1942, Stepan began to participate in Yak-1 flights to cover our troops in the Volokolamsk area. In the winter of 1941–1942, Stepan Mikoyan made 10 successful combat missions as part of this regiment. The 11th sortie to cover Istra on January 16, 1942 almost became fatal for Mikoyan - his Yak was mistakenly shot down by junior lieutenant Mikhail Rodionov from the 562nd regiment.
Mikoyan mastered 102 types of aircraft and flew about 3.5 thousand hours. By October 1942, he had flown 14 combat missions. Having carried out 3 air battles, he shot down 6 enemy aircraft as part of a group. Stepan Mikoyan ended the war with two orders.

Photo: Hayk/Wikimedia Commons

MIKHAIL GROMOV

Soviet pilot Mikhail Gromov was born on February 12, 1899. He became Colonel General of Aviation, Hero of the Soviet Union. As an extremely gifted person, he early showed a variety of abilities, including in music and drawing. After high school, he entered the medical faculty of Moscow University and then served as a military doctor.
Gromov tested many famous aircraft. Performed a number of long-haul flights across Europe, China and Japan.
On September 10–12, 1934, on an ANT-25 aircraft, he made a record flight in terms of range and duration along a closed route - 12,411 km in 75 hours. In 1937, the ANT-25-1 made a non-stop flight from Moscow to the North Pole to the USA, setting 2 world aviation records. For this flight, Gromov was awarded the Order of Lenin.

VLADIMIR AVERYANOV

Colonel, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR Vladimir Averyanov was born on October 11, 1934. In 1953, Averyanov graduated from the Stalingrad Aero Club. In 1955 he graduated from the Armavir Military Aviation School of Pilots, then served as a pilot in air defense aviation.
From May 1965 to December 1968 - test pilot at the Kazan aircraft plant. In 1965–1966 he tested serial jet bombers Tu-16 and Tu-22, in 1966–1968 - passenger aircraft Il-62 (co-pilot), as well as their modifications.
From January 1969 to September 1994 - test pilot at the Saratov Aviation Plant. Tested production passenger aircraft Yak-40 (in 1969–1981) and Yak-42 (in 1978–1994). He has many medals and is an Honored Test Pilot of the USSR.

Photo: testpilot.ru

IVAN DZYUBA

Colonel, Hero of the Soviet Union, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR Ivan Dzyuba was born on May 1, 1918. He graduated from the Odessa flight school (1938), participated in the Great Patriotic War as a fighter pilot.
From June 1941 to September 1943, he made 238 combat missions and conducted 25 air battles. By February 1942, he shot down 6 enemy aircraft personally and 2 in the group.
On July 21, 1942, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism displayed, Major Ivan Dzyuba was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. Since 1943 he served as a test pilot.

NIKOLAI ZAMYATIN

USSR test pilot, captain Nikolai Zamyatin was born on May 9, 1916 in Perm, graduated from Sverdlovsk State University and the Sverdlovsk Aero Club in 1940.
In January-November 1942 he served as a pilot of the 608th Bomber Aviation Regiment, in November 1942 - December 1944 - a pilot, senior pilot and flight commander of the 137th Bomber Aviation Regiment.
Zamyatin fought on the Karelian Front. Participated in the defense of the Arctic. He made 30 combat missions on the Pe-2 bomber. From 1947 to 1971 - test pilot at the Flight Research Institute. Conducted tests of the refueling system on the Tu-2 aircraft, tests of turbojet engines: VK-7 on the Tu-4LL, AL-7 on the Tu-4LL, VK-3 on the Tu-4LL, AM-3M on the Tu-16LL, VD-7 on the M-4LL. Awarded the Order of the October Revolution, two Orders of the Red Banner, and the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree.

MIKHAIL IVANOV

The famous test pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel Mikhail Ivanov was born on July 18, 1910. Since 1925 he worked as a turner's apprentice in Poltava. Completed a theoretical training course at the Poltava Aviation Club of Osoaviakhim. In the Soviet army - since 1929. In 1932 he graduated from the Stalingrad Military Aviation School of Pilots, then served in combat units of the Air Force.
In 1939–1941, he was a test pilot for military acceptance at aircraft plant No. 301, testing production UT-2 training aircraft and Yak-1 fighters. In 1941, he was a test pilot for military acceptance at aircraft factory No. 31. Ivanov tested production fighters LaGG-3, La-5FN and Yak-3.
In November 1941, during the evacuation of the aircraft plant in Tbilisi, he took part in hostilities on the Southwestern Front. In total he made about 50 combat missions.
On April 24, 1946, he tested one of the first Yak-15 fighters. Conducted tests of various modifications of the Yak-3 and Yak-11 fighters. He received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal for the strength and courage shown when testing new aircraft.