Test pilot - profession and destiny. A noble profession is a pilot. Three main directions Who is testing new aircraft profession

Test pilot is a professional pilot who tests the functionality and safety of new aviation technology: airplanes, helicopters and others.

Wage

RUB 100,000-150,000 (zarplat.info)

Place of work

Test pilots work in the flight test centers of the Ministry of Defense, as well as in the aviation industry: design bureaus, aircraft building and aircraft repair plants.

Responsibilities

A test pilot is a rare profession; only an extra-class pilot can become one. And this is not surprising, because the specialist tests absolutely new aircraft, assessing their functional qualities. The final assessment and comments of the pilot will help the designers improve the mechanisms, introduce modifications or completely redesign the apparatus.

If the production of the aircraft is already on stream, the test pilot makes overflights. This is the only way to guarantee the safety of the vessel's operation by ordinary pilots in the future.

Important qualities

The most important qualities of a test pilot include: composure, self-confidence, courage, responsibility, analytical mind and the ability to make informed decisions in emergency situations.

Reviews about the profession

“The test pilot constantly“ does not remember ”that he may not return from flight. He "knows it." Otherwise, I would not have been able to work efficiently ”.

Sergey Nikolaevich Tresvyatsky,
test pilot of the Russian Federation.

Stereotypes, humor

The profession of a test pilot is associated with risk. The technical imperfection of the machine can lead to tragedy. But despite the dangerous work, pilots are always calm and cold-blooded.

“Dad,” asks the father’s son, “is it true that test pilots remain calm in any environment?”
“It's true,” my father replied.
- Then I'll show you my school diary.

Education

To become a pilot, you need a higher specialized education, and then at least 3 years of practice. You can study, for example, at the St. Petersburg Academy of Civil Aviation.

In Moscow, you can study at the Technical University of Civil Aviation.

In Russia, the profession of a pilot is considered one of the most prestigious. Photos of pilots in uniform evoke languid sighs in women and genuine envy in men. That is why many young people so passionately dream of conquering this profession. However, it is quite difficult to do this, especially if you do not know where to start.

Pilot profession: description

A pilot is a specialist capable of flying a specific aircraft: an airplane, a helicopter, an airliner, and so on. It is noteworthy that earlier only civil aviation aviators were called pilots, and military ones were called pilots. Today, this line has been washed away, but the very division into civilian and military is still valid.

In addition, there is a certain hierarchy on the plane itself. The captain of the vessel is the first pilot, his deputy is the second pilot, and on large airliners their company is complemented by a navigator. Thus, a young specialist does not immediately fall into the commander's chair, but only after the expiration of the probationary period, which depends on the type of vessel and the rate of training of the person.

Main question

But how is the profession of a pilot mastered? After all, to fly an airplane you need skills and knowledge that will not appear on their own. Well, the answer to this question can be quite simple - the first step is to enter the flight school. However, it should be selected based on what kind of pilot you want to become: civilian, military or test pilot.

civil Aviation

Civil aviation is considered to be one of the highest paid in the country. The monthly salary of these specialists starts at 70 thousand rubles and ends with a threshold of 350-450 thousand. Agree, a very attractive salary, especially for those who love the sky. However, before getting a job in an airline, a person will have to go through a difficult path of training.

It should start with a flight school or an aviation club. At the same time, the second option is suitable only for those who plan to fly a small plane. The rest must choose one of the following universities:

• St. Petersburg University of Civil Aviation;
• Higher Aviation School of Civil Aviation in Ulyanovsk.

Any of these institutions allows you to learn flying skills. For admission, you need to pass several exams (mathematics, physics, Russian), and also have excellent physical shape. After graduating from an educational institution, the named profession will be available to a person. will now be able to obtain a commercial pilot license and get a job with an airline.

In the service of the Air Force of the Russian Federation

Military aviation is a place where only people who are strong in body and spirit go. Ultimately, however, only a few of them become real pilots. This is due to the great complexity of training: the pilot must not only master the control of the aircraft, but also understand how to act in combat conditions.

In addition, you should be prepared that this is a rather multifaceted profession. The pilot can be the captain of a fighter jet, bomber, military transport aircraft, attack helicopter, or even a reconnaissance vessel. Therefore, you need to choose a certain direction in advance in order to perfectly comprehend it.

As for the training itself, it takes place in two ways:

• Firstly, a conscript can express a desire to serve in the Air Force when passing the commission of the military registration and enlistment office. If the physical and mental data of the conscript is in order, then he can be sent to the appropriate unit. True, this is not the most reliable method, since it does not guarantee 100% hitting the required troops.
• Secondly, every citizen of Russia can enroll in a military flight school. There are several such establishments in our country. However, the most prestigious is the Air Force Academy. N.E. Zhukovsky and Yu.A. Gagarin.

And yet it should be remembered that a military pilot is an extremely difficult profession. The pilot must be prepared for the fact that, if necessary, he will have to open fire on other aircraft, in which there will be living people. Not to mention the fact that at any moment his life may be in the balance of death. And it is the realization of this fact that most often leads to the fact that people give up their military pilot careers halfway.

The dangerous profession of a test pilot

Test pilot is a rather rare profession. Among the chosen ones are only those who have proven themselves as a real specialist in their field, as an excellent ace in the sky. Most often, test pilots are former military pilots who have served more than five years for the good of their homeland. But there are also exceptions.

The main task of these masters is to test new types of aircraft, helicopters, control systems, guidance systems, and so on. At the same time, the pilot must not only determine how well the new car works, but also be able to notice the defects and possible defects of the designers.

The problem is that sometimes new aircraft can crash during flight. This leads to dangerous situations. And if the pilot is not able to quickly find a way out of them, then he risks paying with his life.

Pros and cons of working in the sky

Of the merits, it should be noted the prestige of the job, which is supported by a good salary. Plus, many pilots have an indescribable pleasure in flying. No less attractive is the fact that a person has a unique opportunity to see the whole world, working for major airlines.

But there are also disadvantages. Pilots always risk their lives when flying. Someone more, someone less, but everyone has a chance to fall. In addition, do not forget about the great stress on health that arises from all kinds of stress.

Test pilots are people whose fearlessness can be envied. They deserve the title of heroes for the work they do. Read about the most famous test pilots who lived in different countries in the article.

What do aircraft testers do?

To get this profession, you need to measure your capabilities and desires. The test pilot must have good health and character traits such as self-discipline, courage, responsibility, courage. The intelligence of people in this profession must be high. In addition, without love for technology, there is nothing to do in the place of the person who chose this path.

Test pilots test the latest aircraft such as helicopters and airplanes. These people evaluate the quality of the aircraft, and if something is not designed correctly, they return the iron birds for revision. However, this profession can be dangerous: possible errors of designers can lead to tragedy up to the death of the tester.

Who was the first test pilot?

You always have to start somewhere. When the profession described was not yet as widespread as it is in our time, people still carried out experimental flights on the first created airplanes and helicopters.

The Wright brothers were engineers and testers of their own aircraft, making their first flight in the early twentieth century on Christmas Eve 1903. This test was captured in the photo, and the airplane itself can be seen as an exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum of the United States of America.

Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky became famous for testing an airplane, which he designed on his own, inspired by the works of French pilots, back in 1882. However, in one of the notes drawn up within the walls of the Ministry of War in 1884, it is indicated that this device never took off. Currently, there is no other evidence that could help us answer the question of whether the tests of Mozhaisky's plane were really unsuccessful.

It is believed that the first test pilots of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromov and Andrei Borisovich Yumashev, who became famous in the thirties of the last century - collected the "Gromov" set of military pilots before the start of the Great Patriotic War. Those who were among them tested a huge number of attack aircraft, bombers and fighters.

The first test aircraft of France

French test pilots are rightfully considered the pioneers of aviation. Since the end of the nineteenth century, many engineers have not only designed their own aircraft, but also tested them. The most famous French people who contributed to the development of aviation technology were:

• Clement Ader. The first flight of this test engineer took place on October 9, 1890 and was documented. Despite the fact that the design created by Ader obviously did not have sufficient potential for development, the name of this man is known all over the world, because it was he who first outlined the ideas of how aviation technology can be used for combat purposes.
• Louis Bleriot became the first Frenchman to fly over the English Channel in a self-constructed aircraft without the use of catapults and railways. He did this in July 1909. The aircraft scheme that he proposed more than a hundred years ago is still in use today. Only the capabilities of the aircraft components improve, but the iron birds still correspond to the Louis Bleriot scheme.

Test pilots of the USSR

When listing the outstanding test pilots from different countries, one cannot fail to mention the people of this profession who lived in the USSR. Our country can boast that it has raised such outstanding aviators as Valery Chkalov, Mikhail Gromov, Vladimir Averyanov (pictured above), Ivan Dziuba and others.

• Valery Chkalov has a dizzying career as an aviator. He has tested many aircraft, helicopters, fighters and bombers. In addition, he became the creator of several figures that have been called aerobatics. These include "upward spin", "slow roll". He took part in the creation of the latest aircraft, set several records for the duration of flights.
• Mikhail Gromov was a versatile person. He showed outstanding talent for music and drawing, medicine. He served not only as a test pilot, but also as a military doctor. Gromov has set two international records in the field of aviation, more than once he 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 is Vladimir Averyanov, a colonel who tested both jet bombers and passenger aircraft. He has a huge number of awards.
• Ivan Dziuba became a participant in the Great Patriotic War. In these terrible times, he proved himself to be an outstanding test pilot. On his account - more than two hundred and thirty-eight sorties and twenty-five air battles. He shot down six enemy aircraft personally, as well as two in a group. For his 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.

Honored Aviation Testers

Of course, the fearlessness of the test pilots must be rewarded. In order to express gratitude and gratitude to these people, they are not only awarded various medals and orders, but also given a high rank. This is "Distinguished Test Pilots".

In the USSR and Russia, it is worn by such aviators as Vladimir Averyanov, Sergei Anokhin, Alexander Fedotov and others. Today there are 419 of them.

Pilot Writers

One of the most famous aviators with a talent for writing is the American Jimmy Collins. From under his pen came a collection of short stories, which is called "Test Pilot". In this book, the author wrote short stories about what can happen to a person of his profession. Everything would be fine, but shortly before his death, he wrote the short story "I'm Dead" with a comment that it was prepared "in case he crashes." Unfortunately, it was published by his friend, journalist Winsten Archer.

Russian test pilots also had a talent for writing. Among them are Nikolai Zamyatin, who participated in the Great Patriotic War, and Vasily Ershov, whose works are the textbooks of current cadets.

Books written by test pilots don’t lie, just as their authors don’t lie, who put into their works everything that they have to experience.

Page 11 of 19

Chapter ten. Factory test pilot

Valery Pavlovich, together with his fellow countrymen - the inhabitants of Vasilev - is raving fish.

At the aircraft plant, Chkalov found a job that he liked the most.

During “test flights, with a great sense of responsibility for the aircraft entrusted to him, he first checked how the designer’s plan was embodied, studied in detail all the advantages and disadvantages of the aircraft. Then he tried to squeeze out of the car everything that it can give. Sometimes test pilot Chkalov achieved more than the designer himself counted on.

Communists - designers, engineers, pilots highly appreciated Chkalov's skill, his disinterested passionate love for aviation, his stubborn and courageous struggle for something new. At party meetings, they discussed more than once what conditions Chkalov needed to create so that at the work of a factory test pilot he could more fully and better show his talent.

Chkalov's style of work remained the same: once the young pilot of the Leningrad squadron did not part with the plane for whole days, and now the experienced pilot, who was entrusted with testing new machines, also did not leave the factory workshops for a long time. Everything was important for him there, everything was interesting.

Valery Pavlovich returned home late, when Moscow had long been shining with the lights of countless electric lamps. Stars shone softly high in the sky. At home Chkalov awaited a short rest and hours of intensive study. In the factory shops, communicating with the creators and builders of aircraft, he felt that he lacked theoretical knowledge. Without hesitation, Valery sat down at the books and drawings. I studied systematically every evening. If he himself could not figure out complex formulas, he turned to an engineer or designer.

- Now, Lyolik, I look at many things with different eyes, I myself feel how I grow, - he shared his thoughts with his wife.

Olga Erasmovna always listened with interest to her husband's stories. Aviation remained the permanent ruler of Valery Chkalov's inner world. Loving and sensitive Olga Erazmovna found how to keep the word given before marriage - never interfere in Valery's aviation affairs - and at the same time not be a “outside witness” of the main thing that filled the life of a loved one. She knew how to listen, she knew how to say an encouraging word in time. And carefully, with great tact, she achieved the fact that Valery Pavlovich felt the need to share with her real plans and seemingly almost unrealizable dreams.

Olga Erazmovna was the first with whom he shared his impressions of his new work.

“Now,” he said, “I have completely, completely different responsibilities. Although at the Research Institute I was also a test pilot, but there, you know, I tested ready-made, air-baptized machines, and here I myself take part in the birth of the aircraft. Just listen ...

And he enthusiastically told his wife how, as the chief designer, having received a government assignment, which outlined the number of crew members, weapons and flight characteristics, he was looking for the most successful design forms for the new aircraft. The chief designer solves this creative problem in different ways, and consults with other designers and the test pilot. The word of the test pilot is an important and responsible word, emphasized Valery. The test pilot, among other things, is the authorized representative of the entire flight crew, which will have to fly a new aircraft in the air.

In the future, Olga Erasmovna learned other details of the path along which the newly created air machine passes. This path is far from smooth, many samples of new aircraft remain only samples. Only an aircraft with the best tactical data, powerful armament, high speed, good stability and controllability is suitable for mass production. In addition, the design must be technically simple.

The chief designer, after he himself has a clear idea of ​​the outlines of the machine, the combination of materials, the type and power of the engine, equipment, weapons, makes the initial drawings, sketches the general view of the aircraft and transfers everything to his assistant, also a highly qualified designer. He draws several variants of the aircraft layout. Then amendments are made until the final, better version is obtained. It is transferred for detailed development to the design office.

Many people are involved in the design of the aircraft. Each group of designers develops one thing - the fuselage, wing, control, engine, chassis, armament, tail unit, equipment.

The flight qualities of an aircraft - speed, altitude, range, stability - are determined by aerodynamic calculations by a special group of design engineers.

Another group of engineers is calculating the strength of the aircraft. Strength and lightness are essential qualities of the machine. They seem to contradict each other. The joint work of designers and design engineers is to find the strength that is really necessary for a given type of aircraft, not to the detriment of just the same necessary lightness.

Simultaneously with the drawings and calculations, a full-size model of the future aircraft is being prepared from pine blocks and plywood. Such a model allows you to study in detail the projected machine and gives a complete picture of the future aircraft, therefore it is accepted by a special commission. If the layout is accepted, so-called plazas are made: on plywood frames, those large parts and details of the aircraft are drawn in full size, which, due to their size, cannot be drawn on paper. Drawings and plazas are transferred to the workshops.

Individual parts are made in different workshops. The test pilot jealously watches everything, right down to the grinding of the parts. Both designers and workers listen attentively to his advice.

After the aircraft is assembled, tests and measurements are carried out to determine if its true weight corresponds to the center of gravity and other design data. Devices and equipment are checked.

Then the tests of the strength of the machine begin. Although it is possible to determine the ultimate load on each part by mathematical calculations, these calculations may turn out to be erroneous. To test them, each aircraft of a new type is subjected to strength tests before takeoff. All parts of the machine are subjected to a significantly higher load than during flight.

For these most important tests, two completely identical aircraft are always built at the same time. One of them is doomed in advance to destruction. In search of ultimate strength, its parts are loaded in the shop until they break. This is done in order not to endanger the life of the test pilot in the air. The strength of the aircraft must be absolutely reliable.

Engineers conducting the tests load the wing of the aircraft until it finally sustains and collapses. This moment is recorded, and then it is precisely determined what is the actual strength of the wing. The chassis, hand and foot controls, motor frame, rudders - everything is brought to destruction.

And only after the results of the tests in the workshop confirm the correctness of the calculations, the same aircraft is prepared for tests in the air.

A single copy of the new aircraft is handed over to the test pilot - the result of high creativity and hard work of designers, scientists, engineers, workers.

- Such an aircraft must be very, very safe! - Chkalov told his wife. - And although you know: everything is calculated, checked a thousand times, and you have no doubt that the car will fly and will fly well, but still you can always meet with a surprise.

The test pilot sits in the cockpit only after the lead engineer has checked the engine, instruments, controls, and radio communications again and again. The tester does not take off immediately. First, he makes a few runs on the ground to find out how the brakes, wheels, and steering wheels work. And only if everything is in order, it rises into the air. In the air, at different altitudes and different speeds, the pilot examines how accurately the designer's plans have been implemented.

All the characteristic properties of the aircraft, noticed by the pilot during the tests, are recorded in the passport. After the test flight, the passport, along with the records of instruments installed on the ground, as well as the results of observations from the ground, are transferred to the chief designer. If the aircraft has passed the factory tests, it is sent for state tests at the Air Force Research Institute. There the fate of the new aircraft is finally decided.

The famous designer Hero of Socialist Labor A.S. Yakovlev writes in his "Stories of the Designer":

“Perhaps there is no more noble, lofty and heroic profession among aviators than that of a test pilot.

Despite the fact that the modern aviation science of aerodynamics - the science of aircraft strength and vibration - is a powerful weapon in the hands of a designer, the first flights of a new aircraft are fraught with a lot of unexpected. And the task of the test pilot is to identify everything that does not lend itself to the calculations of the designer and scientific experiments in the design.

It is not so much the first flight that is dangerous, but the subsequent tests: checking the maximum speed, altitude, checking the machine for strength, vibration, corkscrew, etc.

The art of a test pilot in this case can be compared with the art of a rider, for the first time circling a young furious horse. Only the pilot's business is much more complicated and dangerous than that of the rider. As the horse does not want to obey the will of the rider, seeks to throw it off, so the new plane stubbornly resists mastering it and seems to be trying to use every mistake of the designer and pilot ...

Therefore, the test pilot listens very carefully to the behavior of the machine, does not relax his vigilance for a minute until the machine is studied in detail. It is not for nothing that test pilots say that with a new aircraft one cannot switch to "you" ahead of time.

Test pilots are inconspicuous, humble heroes who blaze the trail for new aviation technology.

I have met with many outstanding representatives of this profession - Chkalov, Piontkovsky, Suprun, Stefanovsky, Anokhin, Serov. I am also well acquainted with Gromov.

Each of them has its own distinct personality. But one thing they all have in common is a deep, special love for aviation. A sense of duty to the Motherland, a sense of responsibility for the entrusted car, the constant danger in flight left an imprint on them of some kind of extraordinary courageous modesty inherent in real heroes. These are people who are honest, noble, people of duty. And personal communication with them fully convinces of this. "

In the same story, Yakovlev shares his impressions of Valery Chkalov:

“I first met Chkalov at an aircraft plant ... At that time he did not yet have the fame that came to him later. Getting to know him, I only knew that he was a human soul, an excellent and recklessly brave pilot. All sorts of legends circulated about the courage of Valery Pavlovich even then.

At the plant, Chkalov showed the qualities necessary for a complex and responsible job - testing new aircraft. He always burned with the desire to more fully, deeper and faster comprehend, as he said, the soul of the new machine. "

Work at an aircraft factory gave Chkalov the opportunity to show his talent as an innovative pilot with even greater strength. He became a participant in the creation of such aircraft, which the world did not yet know.

Chkalov was invited as the chief pilot to the designer Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov. It would have been difficult to find a better pilot than Chkalov to test aircraft of a new, bold design.

The creative collaboration with Polikarpov played a big role in the life of Valery Pavlovich. In turn, Chkalov helped the outstanding designer during the period when he was creating his first high-speed fighters. Collaboration and constant communication enriched both of them, blossomed their creative life with new colors.

They had one thing in common - a passionate love for aviation. Until the end of his life, Polikarpov worked with unceasing fervor on new aircraft designs. He never forgave anyone indifference to aviation. When his daughter decided to change her profession and left the aviation institute, Nikolai Nikolaevich sincerely pitied her: he believed that his daughter herself had deprived herself of high creative joys.

Polikarpov was both hardworking and able-bodied. In his youth, having achieved admission to the mechanical department of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, he simultaneously entered the aviation and aeronautics courses at the shipbuilding department of the institute. He studied excellently and graduated first.

- My health withstood this frantic work in two departments of the institute, - said Polikarpov later.

After graduation, the young engineer was sent to the Russian-Baltic Machine-Building Plant. Soon Polikarpov became the head of production. It was a serious, responsible and at the same time exciting job. The first multi-engine air giants were built at the Russian-Baltic Plant. Here he had a fertile ground for the development of creative courage.

After the Great October Socialist Revolution, Polikarpov devoted himself entirely to solving major aviation problems. He had ideas for new aircraft worthy of the Soviet country. He worked with enthusiasm and was promoted to the ranks of leading designers.

The fate of his PO-2 aircraft is especially interesting. Simplicity, structural survivability, impeccable stability, the ability to quickly get out of any shape, unpretentiousness to operating conditions made this aircraft indispensable in many cases of aviation life.

In the first years after the October Revolution, Porkhovshchikov's aircraft and various foreign aircraft were used to train pilots. But then they ceased to meet the growing requirements, and the Air Force announced a competition for a training aircraft. NN Polikarpov also took part in this competition.

In January 1928, Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromov lifted Polikarpov's training vehicle "PO-2" into the air. Returning from a test flight, Gromov gave her an excellent mark. The plane was put into mass production, and since then it has lived a full life, often finding itself in a new, unexpected role.

"PO-2" - a biplane with a five-cylinder M-11 engine of 100 horsepower, air-cooled. It is made of canvas and plywood and is very cheap to manufacture. When, in the year of its birth, "PO-2" was shown at an exhibition in Berlin, of course, it never occurred to anyone that this harmless training machine would terrify fascist soldiers.

At first, the Nazis laughed at the PO-2 aircraft that appeared at the front and called them “Russ-plywood”. But they soon became convinced that these seemingly primitive aircraft, due to their ability to fly very low, become dangerous. They also had other valuable fighting qualities. These planes could take off day and night from any platform and descend anywhere. PO-2 was especially dangerous for the enemy at night. He descended on the target, gliding, with a muffled engine, completely silently. The enemy learned about his presence too late, only from the bombs dropped.

During the great battle for Stalingrad, the pilots at the controls of the PO-2 achieved masterly skill in bombing. Then, as you know, battles were fought not only on the streets and alleys, but even in houses. Often, one half of the house was occupied by the Nazis, the other by Soviet soldiers. The pilot who flew on "PO-2" sank very low, and the bombs hit exactly the intended target - the Nazi outposts. With the same precision, the pilot dropped ammunition onto the Soviet half.

By the end of the war, legends were told about the PO-2 aircraft. Many warriors still remember with gratitude this modest and very useful machine.

But for Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov, the PO-2 aircraft soon became a passed stage. In 1932, the Central Design Bureau was organized at the plant. The Central Design Bureau was tasked with creating a high-speed fighter. Three design teams worked simultaneously on the solution of this problem. One of them was led by Polikarpov.

The big idea takes a long time to hatch. For Polikarpov, "I-15" began to really exist even before the manufacture of his model. He invested all his experience as a biplane designer in the creation of this high-speed fighter. The I-15 model was tested in the Chaplygin laboratory in several versions, until the issues of stability and controllability were resolved.

The I-15 is a biplane fighter with an air-cooled engine, durable, very rigid, of a relatively small size and with a very low flight weight. Its speed reached 370 kilometers per hour. Other fighters produced by the Central Design Bureau in 1932 had a maximum speed of 300 kilometers.

Yet the designer was not entirely happy with his car. The non-retractable landing gear and additional strut drag reduced speed. But this plane was distinguished by great maneuverability. He obeyed the will of the pilot and successfully performed any aerobatics in the air; in eight seconds, he made a full circle in one plane, that is, he wrote out a classic bend.

The I-15 fell into the hands of Chkalov. Valery Pavlovich was breathtaking with joyful excitement. Such prospects! His own future also seemed great to him: moving forward, struggling with difficulties, victories. With such people, with such a team as at a factory, you can go far ...

At the first meeting, Polikarpov carefully looked at the new test pilot, deciding whether he could be entrusted with his brainchild. Even before Chkalov came to the plant, they talked about him as a talented and very brave pilot. But someone added:

- Brave to the point of recklessness.

Valery Pavlovich felt the designer's probing gaze and was worried. How will Polikarpov react to him? Would she want to work with him?

Polikarpov immediately started talking about fighters, present and future, about increasing speeds. Chkalov's eyes sparkled. This is his, his dream!

And he began to tell the designer about his searches, about new figures, about aerobatic flight over the ground itself, about the tactics of air combat. And most importantly, what, in his opinion, combat aircraft should be, so that victory is always on the side of the Soviet pilots.

Nikolai Nikolaevich listened to him with youthful animation. The first official meeting of the chief designer with the test pilot dragged on for a long time.

Late in the evening Valery Pavlovich said to his wife:

- Lyolik! Today I talked with the designer Polikarpov. He told me about his plans. Now I am sure: I will fly in such a car, which I started dreaming quite recently.

Valery Pavlovich returned to his former cheerfulness. Loud laughter and thick rich bass filled the room with festive noise.

True, he came home late and often tired. Usually he would find Igor already asleep. And then he was upset that he could not be with his son, tell him a fairy tale of his own composition.

“Okay, I'll catch up on the day off,” Chkalov reassured himself.

He devoted most of his free time to Igor. But even with him I spoke mainly about aviation - about airplanes, about pilots.

The first five-year plan was completed with flying colors. This was a significant event for aviation workers. Together with all Soviet people, they enthusiastically applauded J.V. Stalin, who, in his report on the results of the first five-year plan on January 7, 1933, declared:

“We didn't have an aviation industry. We have it now. "

K. E. Voroshilov in February of the same year, in his report at the solemn anniversary on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Red Army, said:

“... The most important thing that the five-year plan has made in our aviation is big qualitative changes ... We now have all types of modern machines (bomber, assault, (fighter and heavy bomber aviation), and in such a ratio that properly increases the power of our air fleet ".

And how long has Chkalov, a young, novice pilot, flown Fokkers and Moran-parasols and thought with resentment in his heart: when, finally, he will be able to sit at the helm of his Soviet plane, which will leave all foreign aircraft far behind! Now such machines have already appeared. There will be more and more of them. He, Valery Chkalov, takes part in the construction of the aircraft. He is testing high-speed fighters. Fighting vehicles are very much needed. The international situation is such that fighters may soon have to defend their homeland.

Indeed, in the capitalist countries there was a frenzied arms race. In Germany, power was seized by the Nazis led by Hitler.

- War is inevitable, Lyolik! - Valery Pavlovich once said to his wife.

They dined together. A hanging lamp under a large silk shade softly illuminated the white tablecloth. There was a bookcase in a shaded corner. Igor has been asleep for a long time. The room was completely quiet. The silence and comfort created by Olga Erazmovna's hands only exacerbated the restless thoughts that wandered in Chkalov's head.

- Yes, war is inevitable! He repeated. - Our life has become enviable, and some people cannot come to terms with this. They would strangle us, but we don't have enough strength. And what nastiness and meanness the capitalists are not preparing for the world: a gas war, the bombing of civilians ... I read how at the Geneva conference they spoke out against the prohibition of chemical weapons?

Olga Erasmovna silently nodded her head and looked with frightened eyes in the direction where little Igor was sleeping in his elegant bed.

Valery Pavlovich caught his wife's eyes, smiling, embraced her by the shoulders and declared with conviction:

- We will win! Otherwise it can not be.

Chkalov perceived life sharply, with great, sincere strength of feelings. How many wonderful events took place in the country. Yesterday, for example, everyone was worried about the all-Union conference on the atomic nucleus, convened in Leningrad; today there is only talk about the Arctic expedition on the Sedov icebreaker, about the flights of Soviet stratonauts ...

Whether Valery Pavlovich read aloud a newspaper article or talked about what was happening in the Soviet Union, his tone was filled with prideful joy for the great achievements of the Motherland.

G.F.Baidukov wrote about this period of Chkalov's life:

"An inquisitive mind analyzed the events of a difficult life, and every day Chkalov was enriched with a warm feeling of love for his people, faith in the future, for which it is worth working honestly until the end of his life."

... On August 18, 1933, the Day of the Air Force of the USSR was celebrated for the first time. High in the sky above the Tushino airfield, the pilots showed Muscovites and guests from other cities the art of aerobatics, the strength of Soviet wings and the power of Soviet motors. The swift flight of single-seat red-winged aircraft was particularly successful. Even such interesting machines as helicopters lost the primacy to them.

Among the four fighters was Alexander Anisimov. Valery Pavlovich, without stopping, watched his friend's plane with his eyes, caught his every movement. As an artist, scrutinizingly examining the ready-made expression of the theme that worried him on the canvas, Chkalov noticed the smallest features of the drawing drawn on the blue dome of the sky by a sparkling red-winged bird. He was worried, frowning for moments, but when the fighters, flashing with fireworks at the figures, went to land, he smiled with a wide, satisfied smile:

- Well done Anisimov!

On that day, newspapers gave aviation pride of place on their pages.

Valery Pavlovich left home early, before the arrival of the postman. He bought Pravda at a kiosk and immediately began to read it. On the front page was printed KE Voroshilov's address to the workers, engineers and technicians of the aviation industry. On the day of the inspection of the country's aviation forces, Kliment Efremovich made a demand to the aviation industry workers to increase the number and improve the quality of aircraft and engines. In his address to Chkalov, the following lines were encountered:

“A good, elegant, well-made thing - after all, this is not only a piece of a strong proletarian state. It is at the same time a certificate for a worker, technician, engineer for a certificate of professional and class maturity of a given worker, technician, engineer, collective, factory, and the entire industry as a whole. This is evidence of the normal and healthy growth of the proletarian state. "

Valery remembered his father's behests. Pavel Grigorievich also taught to do everything beautifully and soundly, "so that people rejoice."

Text: Magazine "Schrödinger's Cat" (Alexey Torgashev)

The main place of experimental aviation in Russia is the Ramenskoye airfield in the Moscow region. The Flight Research Institute named after V.I. MM. Gromova. Most of the test pilots in the country are also trained here. How and what are they working on today?

- Here's a plane, it has a maximum speed limit. And who said that it is maximum and no longer possible? That's what we said! Because we have reached such a speed when further the plane will fall apart! Or, let's say, the speed of the landing approach. Under what weather, under what bottom edge can you sit down? Recorded, for example, 100 meters. Is 90 possible? We say: you can't! But first, let's check the design constraints in practice. With the same maximum speed: before writing it into the operating manual, you need to exceed this speed and make sure that there is at least a 10% margin for pilot error. That is, 110% nothing should happen to the plane. It often happens that in the course of testing, the calculated figures change up or down.

We are talking about testing aircraft at the Flight Research Institute. MM. Gromov in Zhukovsky near Moscow. LII is a famous institution. The institute was founded in 1941, shortly before the outbreak of the war; almost all domestic aircraft and helicopters were tested here. And I am talking with the head of the Test Pilot School Alexander Krutov and two more test pilots: Krutov's son Evgeny and the deputy for flight work Vener Mukhametgareev.

With people of heroic professions you are always somewhat shy, realizing your lack of masculinity. And these three are not just pilots, but testers teaching other testers. Plus this is this: first, the boy wants to become a bus driver, then a pilot ... Most, for reasons unknown to sociology, forget their childhood dreams, but some, as we see, do not.

- How do you get to school? A person wants to see you, what does he need to do? - I ask.

- No, if a person just wants to join us, we will not take him! This person's employer must want. That is, we teach only at the request of the aviation industry enterprises. This is very bad, this is wrong, I think. Previously, it was different, - Krutov Sr. answers. - When I was studying, they chose one pilot from the air army, and 10-15 people were recruited. They chose the best of the best and taught at the expense of the state. By the way, this is done almost all over the world today. Now the competition has become smaller, the opinion of the company - the manufacturer of the equipment, plays a big role, because it pays for the training of a specialist.

Honored Test Pilot, Hero of Russia, Head of the Test Pilot School Alexander Krutov in the MiG-29LL. Photo: Artem Popovich / Schrödinger's Cat

That is, if you want to become a tester, first work as an ordinary pilot, then somehow negotiate with a design bureau or a plant. Then you need to pass exams, unlearn theory for six months, from aerodynamics to technology, and only then flying in a spin.

The head of the school is a man of solid build, he is 65 years old. And he flies actively. Now he is the commander of the crew of the flying laboratory, where our new domestic engine PD-14 for passenger aviation is tested. I look at him and remember how in the film "The Crew" they wrote off the commander performed by Georgy Zhzhenov for his health.

- I’m getting healthier. And we have no age restrictions, - says Alexander Krutov. - In civil aviation, there is, and the military simply does not fly until that age, they are demobilized.

- It is necessary to clarify, - inserts Mukhametgareev, - that in our country there are several types of aviation. Civil, military state and experimental. And everyone works according to their own rules. We belong to experimental aviation.

- And where is the load more? - I ask.

- The workloads are different, because the tasks are different. For a military pilot, the main thing is a combat mission. It is geared towards tactics, to overcome the air defense system, or rather to hit with a bomb or a rocket. Engineering training and safety comes second. I came here 36 years ago from the army: for each pilot there are defined targets on the territory of a potential enemy, and not for all targets it is calculated that a person will return. The problem was solved, and then whatever you want: catapult, kill ... fuel is not provided for the return trip, - says Krutov. - In civil aviation it is different: from morning till night you sit on the plane and carry from point A to point B; the safety of passengers comes first.

We have fewer flights, but we have to work a lot with our heads. Because a test pilot must be an engineer. Each flight is new exploration. In experimental aviation, there is also safety, but I would call it not flight safety, but a reduction in danger, our work is dangerous in principle: we fly in modes that no one has tried, with new equipment that does not know how it will behave. You just asked a question about age, about health - you can do it, right? - so all three types of aviation have their own rules. For example, now I can hear worse than any of those present here. Not deaf, of course, but worse. And I don’t know if I’ll go through the civil or military aviation for health. But it is not known whether the pilot will pass from there according to our rules.

Il-76LL before a test flight with the new PD-14 aircraft engine. Photo: Artem Popovich / Schrödinger's Cat

- Do you have emergency situations? Or are they all like that for you? - I ask a question formulated in advance. I would like to hear about the exploits.

The testers exchange glances. It seems that it is really difficult to distinguish, if you have a spin in your flight plan, then the engine is turned off, then the speed is such that the plane is falling apart.

- When was the last time? - I do not give up.

The pilots begin a discussion: “I have had it for a long time. - How long ago ?! And last year? - Why is she non-standard? "Well, there were no tests in the program!" In the end, they come to the conclusion that if it was not in the program, then this is what I am asking about:

- Here is an experimental engine compressed ...

- The engine has failed. He has the right: he is experienced.

- The engine is deliberately placed in the worst conditions. If not refused - good! And if ... Science sometimes rejoices: oh, they caught a surge! A lot of information at once.

- And what do you do in such cases?

- It is necessary to turn off-start, turn off-start. In the air. Another surge sometimes leads to the destruction of the engine ... Well, let's go fly?

Almost independent dive

We go to fly on the simulator. Actually, the pilots do not mind taking me on the plane, but for this you need to go through a medical examination - after all, a test flight is always with some surprises, unlike a passenger one. Well, a simulator is a simulator.

We move along the floors of the school building, which is a mixture of Soviet state-owned architecture with modern renovation. Dark plaques with gold letters and ancient radiators coexist with false ceilings and frosted shades. In the toilet above the tank there is a printout: “Comrades with a short LDPE and / or low pressure in the system, please do not go under the glide path! Remember to compensate for vertical speed with positive pitch! " This is a common meme among pilots - those who want to decipher in detail can find entire forum threads on the Internet with explanations and discussions on this topic ...

A hall with the S-42 "Ikarus" simulator. In the foreground is the instructor's workplace. Test Pilot School. Photo: Artem Popovich / Schrödinger's Cat

We pass the auditorium where a meteorological instructor conducts a meteorological lesson for five future testers; we go down to the basement and find ourselves in the training complex. It is nice here. Three cockpits of different planes and computer racks are the brains of simulators that simulate flight and track all its parameters. Then you can analyze any moment of the training. Test cadets write works based on the results of the lessons.

“Sit down,” Yevgeny Krutov invites, pointing to a place to your left in the Yak-18 cockpit of the 36th, modernized in the zero years of the series. The Yak-18 was created in the forties of the last century specifically for training pilots. Since then, they teach on it. - This is a good plane: reliable, forgiving a lot of mistakes. Now let's take off, you can pilot.

In front of the cockpit there is a semicircular screen, on it the Ramenskoye runway and the projection of a three-bladed propeller. We start - the engine hums, the propeller rotates, we accelerate, we break away from the strip, we fly: roll the steering wheel - to the right and to the left, towards ourselves - upwards, away from ourselves - downwards, pedals - sliding due to the keel, as in a motor boat.

A person of the augmented reality era seems to have nothing to be surprised at, but the sensations are very strong.

- Does it look like a real one? - I ask Eugene.

- Highly. Only on a real plane is the engine sound stronger, - he replies and leads us into a spin. To do this, you need to slow down and lift the nose of the plane. I also noticed this. And how to withdraw - no longer.

When the dizziness disappears, I ask:

- And you do it all the time in the air?

- No. Only when the assignment.

The central panel of the Yak-18 simulator cockpit at the Test Pilot School. Photo: Artem Popovich / Schrödinger's Cat

I got the impression that if you don't try extreme aerobatics, then the average person is quite comfortable flying. About how to drive a car. I even successfully dived and independently (well - almost independently, but I held on to the steering wheel!) Took the airplane out of its dive.

I was mercifully not allowed on dynamic simulators with huge platforms tilting the cabin along a roll.

Flying laboratory

A tail sticks out of the wall. Large tail of a large aircraft. Over the snow-covered Ramenskoye airfield, a whole "Superjet" flies, and here we see only a part of an aircraft.

“Such large planes are not entirely included in the hangar,” says a middle-aged man in a flight jacket approaching. - Further at the airfield there is an Ilyushin hangar, it has already been made for them, but we have it like this.

Upon closer examination, it turns out that the tail sticks out not from the wall, but from the hangar doors - in each of them a semicircle is cut out according to its size. And the person who explained this to us is Vladimir Popov, a leading engineer for flight tests of aircraft.

IL-76LL. The plane is so large that it does not fit entirely in the hangar. Photo: Artem Popovich / Schrödinger's Cat

- Come in, - he invites.

Everything that is not a tail is naturally found inside the hangar and in the aggregate turns out to be a flying laboratory based on the Il-76 army transport aircraft. Three engines are native to him, and once and a half more - the same PD-14, the first completely domestic engine for civil aviation, developed after a long break. Its full name is "A promising engine with a thrust of 14 tons", produced in Perm for the Russian medium-range aircraft MS-21. But such work, of course, is not being carried out for the sake of a single power plant. New principles are immediately laid down for a family of engines with different characteristics. There would be a buyer.

The engine casing is open, stepladders are pushed up to it, on which several people are standing, busily and silently digging in its entrails. By the way, they were allowed to take pictures only outside - in order to avoid leaks of know-how.

“These are representatives of Aviadvigatel JSC from the city of Perm, the manufacturer's employees,” explains Popov. - Carry out maintenance. The engine is not a serial, but an experimental one, so after each flight they make an inspection. They fix it, take pictures. Then they study and decide on the next flight.

- What is your job? - I ask.

- I run this laboratory. From design, equipment with experimental systems to flight. Running the engine on a test flight. We fly on three engines, the experimental one doesn't count.

- Do you have your own remote control?

- Well, yes. Let me show you.

The PD-14 aircraft engine installed on the Il-76 flying laboratory. Photo: Artem Popovich / Schrödinger's Cat

... Vladimir Popov is a local, from the aviation city of Zhukovsky. When I entered the 10th grade, good people organized an aerospace direction at school, in fact a lyceum, where he entered. The staff of the Moscow Aviation Institute and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology taught aviation sciences, and the school took students to the flying club, so at the age of 16 Popov already had flying practice. Here he entered the branch of the Moscow Aviation Institute, and after graduation he entered the postgraduate study of the LII in the motor direction. In the mid-2000s, he tested Kaveri engines commissioned by India and the SaM146 engine for our Superjet, now he is conducting flight tests of the PD-14 engine.

“Let's go on the plane, I'll show you the workplace,” he says.

A cargo compartment the size of a railway carriage is a man-made space with birthmarks of a transport and landing origin: some kind of special soft casing, oxygen masks, loading devices. It is not difficult to imagine here a hundred hefty paratroopers and a couple of BMDs, menacingly approaching the enemy from the air.

However, today experimental equipment occupies a central place: touch monitors, computers, which receive data from all sensors and engine monitoring cameras. In front of this beauty there are three chairs with parachute cups underneath.

“Our seats,” Popov says. - And this is BRUD - a block of engine control levers PD-14, - he points to two levers. - One to one with the one that will stand on the MC-21 in the cockpit. From here I control the experimental engine - I torture it in different modes.

The cockpit of the IL-76 flying laboratory. Photo: Artem Popovich / Schrödinger's Cat

- Does the pilot know?

- Yes, of course, this is a joint work of engineers and pilots. I warn the pilot about all actions with an experimental engine: for example, that I switch from idle to takeoff. The pilot must be prepared to operate the flying laboratory under various operating conditions of the prototype engine, maintaining the specified flight conditions, as well as in order to prevent unplanned evolution of the aircraft. The pilot must always be ready.

Boundary layer

When I was preparing this publication, I presented it as a story about people testing cars and themselves with them. Experiment on yourself as a lifestyle. Of course, the first thing I did was ask the employees of the United Aircraft Corporation, who helped me, if there was an indisputable authority among the testers. “Pavel Vlasov,” they answered me without hesitation, “is the general director of LII. He flew on everything and is generally a charismatic person. " The fact that Vlasov is a Hero of Russia, they did not even consider it necessary to mention, is not uncommon among the testers.

So, we are talking with Vlasov in his office, where the rumble of engines is also heard. Of course, the text below cannot be considered a documentary version of the conversation. This is an honest treatment. As, however, any journalistic text.

“Tell a story,” I ask. - How they became a tester, what happened later.

- Come on, - Vlasov answers. - I was born in the family of a military man. We had a picturesque military town Lebedin in the Sumy region in Ukraine: sailors, pilots and tankers at the same time. One of the main bases of the strategic missile forces at that time. In my class, 11 out of 13 boys became military men. Well, here's a dream, from childhood, to become a military pilot. I went to the aircraft modeling circle, studied - without any particular success.

Honored Test Pilot, Hero of Russia, General Director of JSC "LII im. MM. Gromov "Pavel Vlasov in the cockpit of the fighter. Photo: Artem Popovich / Schrödinger's Cat

And in those days it was good that An-2 flew between the regional centers: 15 minutes - and you were in another area, we got to the aeromodelling competitions. And the first plane in my life was An-2, above the entrance to the pilot's cabin there was a sign: “The plane is assembled from scrap metal collected by students of secondary school No. 5 in the city of Lebedin” - I just studied there. Having plucked up my nerve, I approached and asked: "Uncles, I study at this very school that handed over scrap metal to you, let me in?" And they let me into the cockpit, put me in a chair. I don’t remember anything, because I was sitting low, very deep, I was short. But he even held on to the steering wheel! And in the 77th year he entered the Kharkov Higher Military Aviation Order of the Red Star Pilot School named after twice Hero of the Soviet Union Sergei Ivanovich Gritsevets. I was not yet 17 at that time - I had to write a request to be admitted to the exams.

- Probably on the Czech L-29 or L-39 you studied? Then the whole country is on them.

- Yes, then they began to supply the L-39, and it was the first plane on which I flew on my own in the 78th year. And then ... In the first year, the cadets think how to fly out on their own, and in the third year, how to fly out on their own in a combat aircraft. Then it was the MiG-21, a serious aircraft. Probably one of the most serious in my life. Now the planes are affectionate, friendly: firms are doing their best. And then - a soldier plane, a bayonet plane.

- The twenty-first? I served them in the army in 1985. In my opinion, so quiet, calm. I didn’t fly, however.

- I flew. Well, when it turned out on a combat aircraft, I wanted to become a tester. At that time, there were a lot of books about military pilots, then there were about testers. Mark Gallay, Anatoly Markusha ... All this turned on. In 82, I graduated, remained an instructor at the school and was seriously preparing to enter the test. And in the 86th the order came to the school: "We propose to send three candidates for admission to the school of test pilots." I was lucky that I was released for exams: medicine, flights, health, theory. There were about forty of us, but only seventeen were taken, and two girls later joined, according to a separate program.

- What did you fly on exams?

- In those days there were a lot of planes, so everyone flew on their own types. I'm on my beloved 21st. The instructors posed such tasks that I had never encountered before. Roll over with minimal loss of height! As you imagine, do it! It was an interesting experience, since it was rare in the troops that they squeezed everything to the fullest from the aircraft. This is not safe for mass execution. There were no systems for limiting dangerous modes then. Everything is direct, everything is in the hands.

Studied from 87th to 89th. When it was released, I already mastered 14 types of aircraft and a helicopter. We flew to a stall, to a spin, to stopped engines. There was also such an adventure - to take off on one of the types of aircraft on your own, without an instructor. It's as if the MiG-23 took off for the first time, and I was a pilot - the mission for the first flight. When this happens, you respect yourself.

After the test school, I ended up at the MiG company. There was plenty of work to do. In Akhtubinsk, I once tested on four types of aircraft in one day - my record.

Test pilots Nikolai Diorditsa, Pavel Vlasov and Mikhail Belyaev (left to right) on the deck of the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" after test flights on the MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB fighters. year 2009. Photo: Artem Popovich / Schrödinger's Cat

- That is, you come after school, and they immediately give you a plane: go test it ?!

- No, this is not accepted in a test environment. Testing is not about riding with the breeze. The first year they cut you into operation on an already tested aircraft. For me it was a MiG-23, and I did all sorts of exotic things on it, for example, flying without a flashlight - as if it had been ripped off. The instructor was sitting behind in a closed cockpit, and I was without a cap. We gained 11 kilometers with him, accelerated to one and a half mach (one and a half the speed of sound). Overboard minus 56 degrees, but it is not cold in the cabin, the air conditioner blows hot air. And now you need to make a barrel without a flashlight. Roll over, realizing that you have nothing over your head. And stick your hand out into the binding on a swing of one and a half.

- Doesn't it break?

- There is such a thing in aerodynamics - a boundary layer, a layer of inhibited air at a streamlined surface. I stuck out my finger, more - I was afraid. This is the preparation. When you go through this program, you are connected to the tests. Easier at first, then more difficult. There are a lot of species. Take strength, for example. It is necessary to confirm that the aircraft does not break under the design overload. You need to do it carefully, because during one flight you can get to this point only once.

- Can you remember the most difficult, most dangerous flight?

- Impossible to tell! A lot, everyone is different. Even if something happens, it is not always remembered.

- And the most interesting one?

- A lot too. Deck landings, demonstration flights at exhibitions, the first ascent of an airplane into the air ... I happened to fly an airplane with a deflected thrust vector. So, when the car starts spinning against all the laws of aerodynamics, it, you know, invigorates. And adventures ... You are asking about them, aren't you? Well, for example, a demonstration aerobatics of the MiG-29 flew in Austria. And there is an airfield - a strip of only a kilometer long and twenty meters wide, behind it is a lake, a castle of some kind. Therefore, it was necessary to sit down very carefully: the usual lane - it is two and a half kilometers. And my braking parachute did not come out. We need to take off again, I have already added revs, the plane takes off, and the parachute took off and jumped out. I turned on the afterburner and annealed it. And then it was necessary to land on a short airfield without a parachute, applying starting braking, which is not provided for by any recommendations - you can demolish the wheels.

Simulator at the Test Pilot School. Photo: Artem Popovich / Schrödinger's Cat

- As soon as you come up with this - set fire to the parachute! Wasn't it possible to shoot?

- This is one of the homemade preparations. Better to use the afterburner. One hand rests on the engine control handle, the other on the control handle. To drop the parachute, you need to lift the safety cap, and so on. That is 0.7 seconds more to spend. A plane with a released parachute flies badly. My flight school friend died like that. I didn't have time to react, to throw it off.

- Which aircraft are the most difficult to fly?

- Physically - the fighter is at overload nine. The fighter is sharpened for it, but the man is not. If you have 100 kilograms, then you press on the seat with a weight of, say, 100 kilograms multiplied by nine. Each vertebra is under such stress.

- Tell me why civilian pilots are not taught to pass all these difficult situations? Stalling, flying with the engine off ...

- The whole world has taken a different path - not to train expensive pilots, but to make control so that the plane does not fall into these conditions. A standard modern aircraft cannot be driven into a tailspin. The intelligent limiting system will not allow. Another thing is that the test pilots help to set up these systems correctly. Therefore, we fly in a naked plane, unprotected. To find the border beyond which it is impossible. Accidents on protected aircraft tend to occur because they assume a position in space that the pilot has never been in and has not been taught to do.

- You can teach, perhaps?

- Yes. We have been fighting since 2008: comrades, we have some groundwork! Simulator training, and then flying on a natural plane. You can teach everything. And with the engine off, land the plane. The Airbus commander sat on the Hudson when so many birds got into both engines that they broke. But pilot training is a very expensive thing. Therefore, the crew prefers to train on situations that can actually be encountered.

- Wouldn't it be better if there was no person on the plane at all? At least in civilian life. Everything is automatic.

- It already exists. Automatic landing when the person does not touch anything. Braking is also automatic. In my childhood, the words "all-weather aviation" only appeared, and now the plane takes off and lands at zero-to-zero visibility. That is, when nothing is visible at all.

Simulator of the S-42 "Ikarus" aircraft at the Test Pilot School. Photo: Artem Popovich / Schrödinger's Cat

- Why, then, is the pilot in the cockpit?

- So that when the dispatcher says: "Turn right 15 degrees, because there is a dangerous approach", to react quickly. Translating this command into machine language is more difficult. Or longer. But they are working on it. By the way, setting up such systems is also the task of the testers.

- Yes, I understand. There will still be enough trials for your life. What you didn’t have time to do, but what would you like?

- In this sense, I am a completely happy person. I have flown all kinds of tests that exist. And I am ready to do it again with pleasure.

reference Flight Research Institute named after M.M. Gromova

LII is a scientific organization testing experimental aviation equipment: civil and military aircraft, individual systems, equipment, power plants. It also explores promising areas of aircraft construction, for example, the use of a hypersonic ramjet engine. Flying laboratories have been developed to study flights at hypersonic speeds.

The institute also worked on space projects. Gagarin trained on the simulators created in his laboratories, here they tested the life support systems of the Vostok, Voskhod and Soyuz ships, and the Buran thermal protection.

The institute has about 1000 employees directly involved in research and development.

Since its foundation, it has been based at the Ramenskoye airfield, the main runway of which is the longest in Europe - 5.5 km. The International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS) is held here every two years.

Test Pilot School

The school was founded in 1947. Pilots of civil and military aviation are trained here to test the technique. For design bureaus and aircraft factories. The program includes six months of theory and then six months of practice:

- training and consolidation of piloting skills on a new type of aircraft for the listener when flying in a circle and into the zone;

- flights in critical (non-standard) modes: continued takeoff with the engine off during takeoff, piloting with one engine off;

- starting the engine in the air, braking to a stall, taking out of a stall, spinning, landing with the engine off, etc.;

- instrument flights;

- flights to determine the characteristics of stability and controllability of the aircraft.

All instructors at the school are active test pilots.

Test flight

The test flight is controlled not only by the crew, but also by the ground control station of the flight experiment. All data from the aircraft and its systems are transferred there. After the flight, it is analyzed together with researchers, designers and engineers. The parameters of the tested systems and units recorded by numerous sensors are analyzed. At the end of each week, a general debriefing is conducted with an overview of all information received.

Flying laboratory

The laboratory is a flying vehicle equipped for research. At LII, several aircraft are used to test engines. In fact, for each new task a new flying laboratory is created: the plane must be combined with the "alien" engine. As for the PD-14, engineers spent about a year on its design and another year on the creation of all systems and the installation of the engine on the IL-76. During the flight, there are 6 crew members and 6 engineers on board, with about 20 more people serving the laboratory on the ground. Test flights take place in the air zone of the LII, the visibility zone of the ground control station.