A pilot is not only about romantic stories and singing, but about hard work, daily risk and great responsibility. But still, every second boy dreams of becoming a pilot and flying his own plane into the sky. And how can you not dream when you see examples of great people in this profession before your eyes? Many of them also once dreamed of becoming pilots, probably heroes of their country, receiving awards and medals, but the price of these awards is too high. In this article we will summarize information about the hero pilots of both the Soviet Union and modern Russia.

Pilots Heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Heroes of the USSR

Each combat mission of an attack aircraft or bomber during the Great Patriotic War can be equated to a feat, so great was the danger of being shot down.

• The most successful fighter pilot in Allied aviation (64 aircraft shot down). Three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Air Marshal (May 6, 1985) The first three times Hero of the Soviet Union, Pokryshkin was the second most successful (after Ivan Kozhedub) fighter pilot among the pilots of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition in the Great Patriotic War.
• Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov
• Nikolay Dmitrievich Gulaev
• Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev

Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets The number of Heroes of the Soviet Union who received this title for their exploits during the Great Patriotic War is 11,739. This title was awarded posthumously to 3,051 of them. The first titles of Hero of the Soviet Union were awarded to pilots on July 8, 1941. Moreover, here too the pilots supported the tradition: six pilots were the first Heroes of the Soviet Union in the history of this award - and three pilots were the first to be awarded this title during the Great Patriotic War! On July 8, 1941, it was assigned to fighter pilots of the 158th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 41st Mixed Air Division of the Air Force of the 23rd Army of the Northern Front. Junior lieutenants Mikhail Zhukov, Stepan Zdorovtsev and Pyotr Kharitonov received awards for ramming operations carried out in the first days of the war. Stepan Zdorovtsev died the day after the award, Mikhail Zhukov died in January 1943 in a battle with nine German fighters, and Pyotr Kharitonov, seriously wounded in 1941 and returning to duty only in 1944, ended the war with 14 destroyed. enemy aircraft.

Forgotten heroes pilots

and his fearless feat

Women pilots

Women pilots of the Great Patriotic War

During the Great Patriotic War, about 600,000 women fought in the ranks of the Red Army, along with men. Over 90 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, more than 100,000 were awarded orders and medals. Not all women, of course, took direct part in the fighting. Many served in various rear services: economic, medical, headquarters, and so on. However, a significant number of them directly participated in the hostilities. At the same time, the range of activities of women warriors was quite diverse: they took part in raids of reconnaissance and sabotage groups and partisan detachments, were medical instructors, signalmen, anti-aircraft gunners, snipers, machine gunners, drivers of cars and tanks. There were many women in aviation: pilots, navigators, gunners - radio operators, armed forces... At the same time, female aviators fought both in regular “male” aviation regiments and in separate “female” ones. Some of the most famous pilots, the history of the creation and combat path of women's aviation regiments will be discussed below.

• Evdokia Davydovna Bershanskaya Since February 1942, she was the commander of the women's 588th (46th Guards Taman) night light bomber regiment. Under her command, the regiment made 23,672 combat missions and dropped more than 3,000 tons of bombs on the enemy. Twenty-three female pilots of the regiment became Heroes of the Soviet Union. As part of the same regiment, the squadron commander, Hero of the Soviet Union, Evdokia Andreevna Nikulina, fought with the enemy. She flew 774 night combat missions.
• Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak The most successful female pilot of the Great Patriotic War. She made 168 combat missions, in 89 air battles she personally shot down 11 enemy aircraft and 1 spotter balloon, and destroyed 3 more aircraft in a group with her comrades. On August 1, 1943 she died in an air battle. Her remains were found only in 1979 and buried in a mass grave near the village of Dmitrievka, Shakhtarsky district. By decree of the President of the USSR on May 5, 1990, she was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

- this is the nickname of the aviation regiment, which was formed to fight the fascist invader. All his warriors - from pilots and navigators to technicians - were women.

This title was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 14, 1961. It was awarded to all Soviet cosmonauts who flew into space, with the exception of Georgy Dobrovolsky and Viktor Patsayev, who died at the end of their first flight. In total, from 1961 to 1991, over the 30 years of the title’s existence, it was awarded to 70 cosmonauts - 68 men and 2 women (Valentina Tereshkova and Svetlana Savitskaya). For the first time, the title “Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR” was awarded to the first person to make a space flight, immediately upon returning to Earth, on April 12, 1961. The last time it was awarded was to cosmonaut Toktar Aubakirov, who returned from his first flight into space on October 10, 1991, just two months before the collapse of the USSR. Among those awarded this title, the youngest was German Titov, who received it at the age of 25, and the oldest was Lev Demin, who was awarded the honor of becoming a USSR pilot-cosmonaut only at the age of 48.

The profession of a pilot is not only about romantic stories, singing it in songs, but about hard work, daily risk and great responsibility. But still, every second boy dreams of becoming a pilot and flying his own plane into the sky. And how can you not dream when you see examples of great people in this profession before your eyes? Many of them also once dreamed of becoming pilots, probably heroes of their country, receiving awards and medals, but the price of these awards is too high. Each of them has the right to be named and recognized, but there is not enough space on the Russian Internet to give them all their due. But in the person of several contemporaries we can recall every hero since the time of the first one who rose to heaven.

• Vladimir Ilyich Sharpatov

At the end of the last century (1996), Vladimir Sharpatov was a pilot and crew commander of the Il-76 aircraft. He received an award from the President for the courage and heroism he showed in escaping from Afghanistan, where he and his team were prisoners for a year. Vladimir Sharpatov received the “Hero of the Russian Federation” and the “Gold Star”; his colleague at the helm, Gazinur Khairullin, the co-pilot, also became a Hero of the Russian Federation. His team - Navigator Zdora Alexander, flight radio operator Vshivtsev, leading engineers Butuzov Sergey, Ryazanov Viktor, flight engineer Abbyazov Askhat were awarded the Order of Courage for their services to the fatherland.

• Timur Avtandilovich Apakidze

Honored military pilot of Russia, the first among naval aviation pilots to receive his Hero of Russia award. He died in 2001 at the 85th anniversary of naval aviation during ceremonial performances. He was awarded the “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Russian Federation, the Order of the third degree for service “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR” and “For Personal Courage”, the Medal “For Military Merit”, streets were named after him.

• Case in the Komi Republic

The Tu-154 winged aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing, and thanks to the pilots and valiant crew, no one was injured, although there were more than seventy passengers on board. Pilots Andrei Lamanov and Evgeniy Novoselov were awarded the title of Hero of Russia, and team members received Orders of Courage. Problems with on-board batteries led to this situation; the plane was supposed to travel from Polyarny airport to Moscow Domodedovo airport, but did not make it in time.

• Alexander Kruzhalin and Oleg Spichka

Unfortunately, not all pilots are rewarded alive and in good health. On June 23, 2012 last year, during testing of the MiG-29KUB fighter, hero pilots Alexander Kruzhalin and Oleg Spichka did not return home. They carried out their last tests in the Astrakhan region, for which they received the title of Hero of Russia, posthumously. They landed their last plane close to a populated area, without causing physical damage to a single living soul. Eternal memory to them. Saved the lives of more than 200 conscripts. On June 21, 2000, the deputy commander of the military transport aviation squadron of the Orenburg Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Zelenko, was at the controls of the Il-76, flying the Makhachkala - Astrakhan - Novosibirsk flight. There were more than two hundred Dagestani conscripts on board the plane. An accident occurred during the flight. But despite all the difficulties, the ship's commander was able to land the plane. And how many surviving pilots did not receive awards, who, thanks to their courage and high skill, landed planes in emergency situations. Or such pilots who fought, but, unfortunately, could not help either themselves or their passengers. There are not enough pages to list everyone and remember all the situations that, like a film, fly by for years - ... 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 ... by cities and names. Commander-Captain Andrei Churbanov and pilot-operator Senior Lieutenant Oleg Tumakov died... Not far from Itum-Kale, Hero of Russia Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Nikolaevich Yakimenko and Captain Oleg Anatolyevich Podsitkov died... The Su-17M3 plane crashed during testing, the two pilots who tested it... Pilot Dmitry Khrebtov died on training flights...

USSR test pilots

• Valery Chkalov has a dizzying career as an aviator. He tested many airplanes, helicopters, fighters and bombers. In addition, he became the creator of several figures that were called aerobatics. These include “ascending corkscrew” and “slow roll”. He took part in the creation of the latest aircraft and set several records for flight duration.
• Mikhail Gromov was a versatile person. He showed outstanding abilities in music, drawing, and medicine. He served not only as a test pilot, but also as a military doctor. Gromov set two international records in the field of aviation, and more than once flew across Europe, China and Japan.
• For setting several records and courageously fulfilling his duty to the Fatherland, he was awarded the Order of Lenin. Many test pilots of the Soviet Union held high positions in military service. Among them -
• Vladimir Averyanov, a colonel who tested both jet bombers and passenger aircraft. He has a huge number of awards.
• Ivan Dzyuba became a participant in the Great Patriotic War. During these terrible times, he proved himself to be an outstanding test pilot. He has more than two hundred and thirty-eight combat missions and twenty-five air combats to his credit. He shot down six enemy aircraft personally, as well as two in a group. For services to the Fatherland, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and awarded the Order of Lenin, as well as the Gold Star medal.

Test pilots are the heroes of our time, the bravest representatives of their nation, possessing leadership qualities, intelligence, responsibility, composure and good health. Each flight may be their last, and yet they must experience the pleasure of flying, this is the main condition for admission into the ranks of these brave guys. They sit at the helm of their car so that the designers can refine or improve

Legendary test pilots

The former USSR is simply overflowing with heroes. Some remained unknown in the history of the country, but not the test pilots. The names of these brave guys were immediately recognized by the country's political elite. Almost all of them received the title of Hero of the USSR.

One of these people, whose name went down in the history of the domestic aircraft industry, is Valery Chkalov. Valery Pavlovich started as a welder at the Aviation Plant in Nizhny Novgorod. And already in 1931 he tested brand new I-15 and I-16 fighter aircraft.

For his stunts in the air, he even received a prison sentence and was sentenced to a year in prison, which was later replaced with a suspended sentence. After all, Valery’s “recklessness” was recognized as new aerobatic maneuvers. In 1935, Chkalov was awarded the Order of Lenin. Chkalov's crew was the first to fly from the capital to the Far East. And two years later he flew through the North Pole and landed in Vancouver. After such merits, Stalin offered Chkalov the post of People's Commissar of the NKVD, but Valery Pavlovich refused and continued to fly. Test pilots who die during a flight are doubly heroes. In December 1938 he made his last flight. He died while testing the new I-180 fighter.

Military pilots

Test pilots played an important role in military aviation during World War II. Despite the harsh conditions of the war, the Soviet Union increased its military power. Aircraft design companies produced new, improved aircraft that required testing. One of these heroes of the military sky was Sergei Nikolaevich Anokhin. In 1931 he graduated from the Higher Gliding School. And already in 1933 he set a record in his country. I spent almost 16 hours in the sky on one glider. Before the war he tested experimental gliders.

During the war, he tested aircraft and gliders. The first to test a liquid-fueled interceptor fighter. In May 1945, during testing of the Yak-3 fighter, the aircraft broke down, the pilot was seriously injured and lost an eye, but did not stop flying. Conducted test flights on such aircraft as Yak, Mig, Su. In 1959, among the first ten, he received the title “Honored Test Pilot.” He made his last flight at the age of 73.

Test pilot awards

Until 1958, test pilots were not awarded all kinds of orders for services to the Motherland; many retired without a single medal. Many received the title “Hero of the USSR” only in 1957. And in 1958, by decree of the Presidium of the Armed Forces, the honorary titles “Honored Test Navigator of the USSR” and “Honored Test Pilot of the USSR” were established. Only 1st class pilots could receive such a rank and the corresponding order.

In total, 419 test pilots were awarded this title during the Soviet period.

Post-war period

The development of aircraft manufacturing in the USSR became a priority task in the post-war period. The Cold War between the USSR and the USA led to an arms race. There was also ahead

Another outstanding test pilot is Yuri Petrovich Sheffer. Since 1977, he was the leading tester at the Tupolev plant. Was in the Buran VKS detachment. Participated in tests of Su-25 and Mig-25 fighters.

Volk Igor Petrovich - Hero of the USSR, Honored Test Pilot, Test Cosmonaut. Tested domestic aircraft of all types since 1965. Performed a special skill showed when performing “cobra” and “corkscrew”.

Viktor Vasilyevich Zabolotsky is a Soviet test pilot, at flight test work since 1975. During his work, he mastered more than 200 types of aircraft.

Modern period

After the collapse of the Union and loss in the Cold War, Russia, as the successor to the USSR, did not curtail its aviation programs. And today, high-speed aircraft, fighter jets, and the latest helicopters capable of conquering the skies are being designed.

Bogdan Sergey Leonidovich - Hero of the Russian Federation and Honored Pilot of the Russian Federation. Conducted testing of Su and MiG fighters. Since 2000, test pilot at the Sukhoi Design Bureau.

Magomed Tolboev has been a test pilot since 1981, received the title of Hero of the Russian Federation and Honored Test Pilot of the Russian Federation. Tested Su and MiG fighters. For the first time he took several types of ultralight aircraft into the air.

This list can be continued for a long time, because many people in our country are capable of feats, but only for those chosen by fate. In the modern period, the latest supersonic aircraft, bombers, and airliners are being developed and tested; only thanks to these brave people, many models will see the world.

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 he tested Il-62 passenger aircraft (as a 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.