The composition of the aerobatic team Rus. Aerobatic team "Rus"

Last year, the Rus aerobatic team celebrated its 25th anniversary. I have long been invited to Vyazma, where the group's aviation training center is based, and last Saturday I finally arrived at the place. On that day, flights were planned for the city day in Smolensk, but due to bad weather, the performances had to be canceled. The title photo for the post is borrowed from Sergei Mukhamedov , who managed to fly with Russia last fall to a holiday in Veliky Novgorod.

The oldest aerobatic team in Russia has a difficult fate. The Vyazemsky Aviation Center DOSAAF was founded in 1960, and in 1987 the Rus group was created on its basis. After perestroika, a resolution of the Russian Federation was issued on the liquidation of training aviation centers, and out of 27 formations of the Soviet era, 26 were closed. The Vyazemsky center was the only one that applied to the Constitutional Court to defend its right to exist and fly:

“The life of aerobatic pilots has become a complete contrast: on the one hand, there is glitter in the sky, on the other, poverty on earth. Instead of glorifying Russia, they were forced to think about survival. Each had ten acres in a field near a military camp, which were entirely were planted with potatoes to feed the family. We had to fly on old fuel supplies. We earned wages by sightseeing flights for foreigners, storing fuel, selling decommissioned equipment. Out of 27 aviation centers, only Vyazma Rus survived. They survived thanks to a close-knit team. The center was forced to re-register in flying club, but the pilots managed to defend their right to the sky and continue their work."
Today Rus is one of the ten best aerobatic teams in the world. During the execution of some elements, the distance from wing to wing in the group is reduced to 1 meter. The squadron's hallmark was the execution of the "heart" figure pierced by an arrow plane. However, in addition to flying skills, Russia is still forced to show "aerobatics" of survival. The group has no government funding, is not supported by the military. I support our aviation with all my heart and want to wish the guys a cloudless life in every sense.

Under the cut, a small tour of the Vyazemsky aviation center, instructions for ejection and video ...

Arriving in Vyazma, the first thing we did was walk around the training center:

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Near the window is a training simulator for pilots:

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Common room, many flowers and plants:

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Office of Anatoly Marunko, Head of the Vyazemsky Aviation Training Center:

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Training classes:

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After meeting we went to the airport.

Rus will compete at the Olympics in Sochi, their task is to draw the Olympic rings. While the pilots are training the flight unit, the manager Vladimir is experimenting with coloring compositions of thick and saturated smoke, with which the group will draw the Olympic symbol in the sky:

On the ground it does not look very good, but in the sky the guys promise an excellent result:

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The reagents came from England:

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Training class at the airport:

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Anatoly Marunko himself:

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On the walls hang various schemes of flight figures. By the way, there is a section on the group's website that schematically depicts the main figures that Rusichi perform:

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At the top of the KDP is a control tower where flights are controlled:

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Curious anti-glare technology:

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"Rus" uses Czechoslovak jet aircraft L-39 "Albatross". This is a light attack aircraft, it is one of the best aircraft in its class. In addition to six working aircraft, the air center has old ones that are used as spare parts donors:

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The KDP has a balcony from which you can watch the flights:

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Map with transparent layers of shapes. Also used for flights:

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And this is an ejection simulator. Everyone who sits in the L-39 for the first time must undergo a mandatory briefing:

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In order for the simulator to work, you need to connect a special "battery" to it:

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Simulator NKTL-39, an exact copy of the cockpit. G-forces during ejection are 18G, that is, body weight multiplied by 18. The ejection process is fast, from the moment the handle is pulled out to the opening of the parachute, it takes five seconds:

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After the command to eject, the pilot pulls the handles that start the whole process. First of all, the shoulder pulls are triggered, then the seat rises by half a meter, the rocket booster is activated and the seat flies 100 meters from the aircraft. In the process, the stabilizing parachute opens so that the seat is carried away from the aircraft and does not fill up on its side. Then the main dome opens:

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It is important to press your head strongly against the chair and pull the handles without looking down:

The simulator has a special button in the headrest, which will stop the process if the head is in the wrong position. In a real plane, there is no such button, and if you do not press your head, overloads will break the ejected neck:

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By the way, the pilot will not leave the plane until the passenger ejects:

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Everything that is marked in red on the plane is emergency handles, it is strictly forbidden to pull them during the flight:

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DOSAAF stands for the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy:

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Photo from the KDP tower. There is a military airfield nearby:

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Lisa - press secretary of the aerobatic team:

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Predatory muzzle:

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Since, as I wrote at the beginning, the Vyazemsky Aviation Center does not receive support from either the state or the military, the guys have several commercial proposals:

Familiarization flights:

Flights are carried out every weekend at the Dvoevka airfield in Vyazma. During the flight, the basic elements of aerobatics are performed, some of them independently (under the strict guidance of an experienced pilot-instructor). You can, and even need to take with you a "support group" in the form of relatives and close friends. The whole process (medical examination, detailed briefing and the flight itself) takes about five hours. The flight can be issued in the form of a gift certificate. If desired, you can book a hotel.

The cost depends on the time. 30 minutes - 55,000 rubles; 60 minutes - 100,000 rubles. For those who want to feel the "wing of a comrade" there is the possibility of flying in a group.

Piloting training with the subsequent receipt of a flight (amateur pilot)

TASS-DOSIER. Thirty years ago, on August 18, 1987, at the Tushino airfield in Moscow, the first performance of the aerobatics team of the Vyazemsky Aviation Training Center (UAC) of the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy (DOSAAF) of the USSR took place.

Currently, this group is called "Rus".

History of education

In 1982, the Vyazemsky UAC DOSAAF of the USSR (Dvoevka airfield near Vyazma) switched from domestic MiG-17 fighters to Czechoslovak-made Aero L-29 Delfin training aircraft. Only individual pilots were engaged in aerobatics in the center, attempts to perform group flights were forbidden by the command as a dangerous amateur activity.

However, in 1987, by decision of the Central Committee of the DOSAAF of the USSR, the Vyazemsky UAC was entrusted with the preparation of an aerobatic team of ten aircraft to participate in an aviation and sports festival at the then existing Tushino airfield in Moscow. The group was headed by the head of the center Farid Akchurin. During the training, it turned out that the L-29, due to the design of the keel with a high stabilizer, was not suitable for work in the aerobatic team - some of the aircraft were pushed out of action by traces from the wings of neighboring machines.

It was decided to use the Aero L-39 Albatros, for which the pilots of the center retrained in March - June 1987. In May, ten "albatrosses" were transferred to the Vyazemsky UAC from the USSR Air Force, and already on June 3, 1987, during a training flight, the group was moving in formation of nine aircraft. This day is considered the date of creation of the aerobatic team "Rus", although it received this name only in the first half of the 1990s.

The first public performance of the group took place on Aviation Day on August 18, 1987 at the Tushino airfield. The group led by Akchurin completed passes in full formation in front of 800,000 spectators, climbing, changing lanes and turns; Pilot Nikolai Pogrebnyak performed with a solo program. Also, the group members showed a simulated dogfight of two pairs of aircraft.

"Rus" after the collapse of the USSR

On May 12, 1992, a government decree was issued to disband all aviation training centers, then - an order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Pavel Grachev dated July 2, 1992, according to which the funds of the former UAC DOSAAF were required to be transferred to the Armed Forces. However, the head of the Vyazemsky Center, Kazimir Tikhanovich, re-registered his institution as an flying club and refused to give property to the military, fearing for the fate of the aerobatic team (subsequently, in an interview with the media, Tikhanovich stated that 26 other Russian UACs that had come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense of the UAC were "destroyed in three years", and their property "plundered"). "Rus" continued training and performances.

In 1992-1999, a maximum of seven aircraft flew as part of the group. According to the memoirs of the team members, in some years the group consisted of only three aircraft.

In 1996 and 2000, the aircraft fleet of the group was replenished with copies of the L-39, produced in 1985-1987, they were transferred by the military department "to carry out flights in the interests of the Russian Air Force."

In 1997, as a token of gratitude for the shown group aerobatics, the specialists of the Czech company Aero Vodochody (the creator of the aircraft) developed for Rus a special design of the aircraft with a predominance of white, blue and light blue colors and painted all the aircraft of the group free of charge. In 2012, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Rus group, the appearance of the aircraft was updated - the aircraft received a new black and gold color scheme.

Current state

"Rus" is a permanent participant of aviation festivals, air shows and international aerospace shows. Over the years, the pilots of the group demonstrated their skills at air festivals in Tushino, international aerospace shows in Zhukovsky (Moscow region), at the air show "Legends of World Aviation" in Monin (Moscow region), at an air festival in honor of the 60th anniversary of the victory at Kursk arc (2003), at the air show in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Air Force (2010), at the international naval salons in St. Petersburg, at the Invasion music festival in the Tver region. and others. The group performed at various events outside the Russian Federation - in Belarus, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia.

In 2007, the group "Rus" was awarded an honorary diploma of the International Aviation Federation.

In 2017, the group performed at festive events in Tolyatti (Samara region), Novosibirsk, Zhukovsky, Volgograd.

The current line-up of the group

As of August 2017, the group includes seven pilots - leader Anatoly Marunko (head of the Vyazemsky UAC since 2011), followers Nikolai Zherebtsov, Mikhail Kolle, Vasily Kogut, Konstantin Timofeev, Nikolai Alekseev and soloist Igor Dushechkin. Most of them have the qualification of a first-class instructor pilot, the flight time on various types of aircraft is more than 1.7 thousand hours.

The group is based at the Dvoevka airfield (Smolensk region, 9 km southeast of the city of Vyazma).

Incidents and disasters

During the years of activity of the aerobatic team, three pilots from the "Rus" team died as a result of accidents.

On June 7, 1991, at the Dvoevka airfield, while performing a flight mission, it collided with the ground and destroyed the L-39, which was controlled by the head of the center, Colonel Yuri Bykov. The pilot died. It was the first disaster in the history of the training center.

On June 26, 1992, the second accident in the history of the aerobatic team occurred at the same airfield. While working on a new element of aerobatics, an L-39 from the "Rus" collided with the ground. Pilot Vladimir Arkhipov died.

On June 10, 2001, at an air show in Levashov near St. Petersburg, two L-39 groups collided in the air. Both pilots ejected, one of them - Sergei Maksimov - died. The cause of the disaster was the mistake of the pilots, who incorrectly calculated the speed of exit from the aerobatics figure.

Aerobatic team "Rus"- the oldest aviation aerobatics team in Russia. The squadron was formed in 1987 on the basis of the Vyazemsky Aviation Training Center.

The history of the group began with a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the October Revolution, in honor of which it was decided to arrange a grandiose aviation and sports festival at the airfield in Tushino. The Vyazemsky UAC was given the task of assembling and training a squadron of aerobatic pilots in a record short time. It was then that ten L-39 Albatross were transferred to the Center from the Air Force, on which they were to perform in front of the audience.

From left to right:

Vladimir Arkhipov, Valentin Selyavin, Kazimir Noreika, Farid Akchurin, Nikolay Chekashkin, Sergey Bondarenko, Alexander Pryadilshchikov, Nikolay Zhdanov, Sergey Bondarenko.

To participate in the air parade, nine of the best pilots were gathered, each of whom had extensive experience in instructor work and flights within the flight training course. But it's one thing - solo aerobatics, and completely different - flying in a team. None of the pilots had the experience of flying in close formation, not to mention the performance of the most difficult elements of group aerobatics. The task was not an easy one, because only a few months remained for preparation. Hard training began, and now, On June 3, 1987, a formation of 9 aircraft was built in the air for the first time.. This day we consider the day of creation aerobatic team "Rus".

“We didn’t have any guidelines for flying in close formation, no diagrams, or even drawings. Everything was done by ourselves, from scratch. We watched videos of the performances of Patrouille de France and Frecce Tricolori, discussed, drew on paper, estimated the possibilities of technology and developed algorithms for performing various formations. In the first training sessions, the intervals between the planes were large. Then, gradually began to reduce them.

Despite all the difficulties, the group's first performance was a resounding success; on August 18, a record number of visitors gathered at the Tushino airfield - about 800 thousand people, including all the country's top leadership. Under the guidance of the host (Head of the Center) Farid Akchurin, the aerobatic team performed passes in close formation with climb, rebuilds, and turns. Nikolai Pogrebnyak performed with a solo program. An "air battle" of two pairs of aircraft was also shown.

From the memoirs of Sergei Bondarenko (the first composition of the group):

“I remember the first flight in nine for the rest of my life. I did not get out of the cab, but flowed out like some kind of amorphous body. At least squeeze out the overalls. I was debriefing, and I didn’t even hear what they were talking about. But I remember one thing: there were no comments.

The name of the group was decided very quickly. Leaving aside all the "bird" options, we settled on such a proud name "Rus"! The pilots wanted to emphasize the original Russian roots and the international composition of the team.

From the memoirs of Nikolai Zhdanov (the first composition of the group):

“Especially for us, the sky over Moscow was freed from clouds. Pride was bursting, but responsibility crushed. When, after the dissolution, I took the plane out of a dive over Strogino, my left knee began to twitch. Such was the tension. A year later, before the next parade, General Maslov came to us and asked straight away: « Can you make a loop?" We responded languidly like this: "We must try." I especially remember the episode of entering the "loop". They made a dive, a “hill”, military turns, suddenly the voice of the host Yura Bykov was on the air: “Are we going to do a loop?” In response, silence. He again: “Well, are we going to make a loop?” Silence again. Then Sanya Pryadilshchikov could not stand it: “We will!” Gained altitude, then - the input in a straight line, diving ... The first "loop" turned out to be clean, clean. Bykov asks: “Will we do the second loop?” Here everyone is in unison: “Well, of course, what not to do there?”.

Performance in the Czech Republic, 1997:

Today, the aerobatic team "Rus" is a team of masters of synchronized aerobatics of the highest international level. The most complex elements of aerobatics are in the arsenal of Smolensk aces, and a rich program of performances invariably delights even the most demanding spectators. "Zest"Groups can be called the color accompaniment of each air show. The colored smoke generation system that each aircraft is equipped with makes it possible to present well-known aerobatic maneuvers in a new light. Pilots literallypaint the sky in the colors of the Russian tricolor, and the golden train that stretches for the soloist's plane when performing complexthe most cascade of barrels, invariably gives the audience a "sunny" mood.

The group includes: leader of the group - Anatoly Marunko, followers - Nikolai Zherebtsov, Mikhail Kolle, Nikolai Alekseev, Yuri Lukinchuk, soloists - Stanislav Dryomo in and Igor Dushechkin. All pilots of the group are qualified as first-class instructor pilots and have more than 3,500 flight hours on various types of aircraft.

Since 2011, the Vyazemsky UAC and the Rus aerobatic team have been led by pilot-instructor and team leader Anatoly Marunko. The engineering and technical staff is led by Viktor Gurchenkov and Alexander Kotov.

The pilots of the squadron "Rus" are the only pilots in our country who perform on airplanes L-39 "Albatross". These light jet attack aircraft are used in the Russian Air Force as training aircraft. The flight performance of this aircraft is modest compared to fourth-generation fighters (wingspan - 9.46 m, maximum speed - 750 km / h, maximum takeoff weight - 4700 kg) determine the style of piloting. After all, it is unique for each group. The pilots of "Rus" first of all demonstrate the national school of flying skills and flight.

Aerobatic team "Rus" takes part in many holidays of the all-Russian scale and is always a welcome guest at aviation salons. The pilots of the group repeatedly demonstrated their skills in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Denmark, Belarus, where they received high marks from the audience. And for masters of aerobatics, there is no better reward than the delight of the public and the smiles of children, fascinated looking into the sky.

Video - the history of the creation of the aerobatic team:

History reference: Vyazemsky Aviation Training Center DOSAAF was founded on June 2, 1960 for the training and retraining of flight and engineering staff of the Armed Forces. Over the entire period, about 5,000 pilots were trained to serve in the Air Force and form a reserve, first on MIG-15, MIG-17 aircraft, and then on L-29 and L-39 aircraft. Many distinguished pilots and cosmonauts were trained at the Center, including Svetlana Savitskaya.

- This is an air group that was created back in 1987. So much time has already passed, and "Rus" is invincible, despite the fact that Russian aviation is dying and airfields cease to exist. Many also foreshadowed the aerobatic team "death", but to this day it exists, and rests on the enthusiasm of the aviators.

History of the aerobatic team Rus

It all started back in 1987. A holiday dedicated to the seventieth anniversary of the October Revolution was planned, and the task was set to organize a performance at the Tushino airfield, showing the audience an unforgettable aviation show.

Nine best pilots - masters of solo flights - united in one group in order to take part in a group flight for the first time in their lives. Yes, not just a flight, but to take part in a show using various complex elements in the air, and only three months remained to prepare for the holiday. But the enthusiasm was huge, and the pilots began training. They had nothing: no diagrams, no manuals, there were only them and nine aircraft. As well as a video recording of air performances of two foreign aerobatic teams. But, all the difficulties were overcome and the show took place. It happened in June 1987. The success was enormous. This day is considered the birth of the aerobatic team, which was soon called "Rus". Since then, Russian pilots have been trained at the Vyazemsky Aviation Training Center, gaining invaluable experience from their mentors.

Today, the oldest aerobatic team "Rus" consists of a wonderful team of masters who, with their synchronized performances, amazed the whole world, performing at international shows. This is a team that performs the most difficult elements. And this is the only aerobatic team that performs complex elements of aeronautics on L-39 Albatros aircraft. In their program, "Rus" uses color accompaniment, which only enhances the emotions of the audience from what they see. Seven people in the aerobatic team "Rus" captivated the audience. Each member of the team is qualified as an instructor pilot, and each has more than three and a half thousand flight hours behind them.

Aerobatic team Rus aircraft

By the way, the aerobatic team "Rus" is a group that can give you extreme sports and unique sensations, because here you have the opportunity to fly a fighter jet together with an instructor.

You can find out about upcoming performances, news about the group on the official website, because like many others, the Rus aerobatic team has an official website, the aerobatic team also has its own VK page.

In order to be convinced of the professionalism of the Rus aerobatic team, just watch the video, and you will understand that they are masters of their craft. With such pilots, Russian aviation will not be lost.

Aerobatic team Rus video

Without them, the air group will cease to exist.

"Rus" was created in 1987 on the basis of the DOSAAF aviation center in Vyazma. From the very beginning, the Air Force command worked closely with aerobatic pilots, supporting them even in the most difficult times for the army. In 1996, and then in 2000, Vyazma handed over L-39 aircraft "to carry out flights in the interests of the Air Force." The cars are old, bought by the USSR in Czechoslovakia 30 years ago. Both of these states have long sunk into oblivion, but it turned out that our modern aviation still cannot do without their L-39 - recently the commander-in-chief is now no longer the Air Force, but the Aerospace Forces ordered to take them from Vyazma "in order to resupply" the Krasnodar pilot school with them .

Are things really so bad in the Aerospace Forces that future lieutenants have absolutely nothing to fly on? "MK" decided to find out the details of this strange story.

In 2008, under Serdyukov, aircraft from the Rus air group were already taken away. Then "MK" also intervened in this story, and common sense, in the end, triumphed. L-39 group "Rus" left.

And now six years have passed. Serdyukov has long been gone from the Ministry of Defense, but his cause lives on. For starters, a little background.

At the time of the Union, the DOSAAF Aviation Training Center (UAC) in Vyazma, where the Rus aerobatic team is based, was created to train reserve pilots. 17-year-old boys started flying here. They were given 100 flight hours each, then they, as a rule, went to flight schools, entered the Moscow Aviation Institute, while they were listed as an aviation reserve in the military registration and enlistment offices and came to Vyazma every 3-5 years to maintain their flying level. According to the plans of the General Staff, in the so-called threatened period, they were subject to conscription in the Air Force, and after a little additional training, they could sit in the cockpit of a combat aircraft, or engage in its maintenance.

Everything changed in the 90s. All the country's mobilization plans were covered up, and no one allocated money to DOSAAF for these items. They were not given to the army either: the pilots did not have enough fuel, spare parts, aircraft ... Lieutenants left the schools with a flight time of less than 100 hours, and to get the 3rd class, you have to fly 350 hours.

The youth had to be brought to mind already in units. But getting flight hours on complex combat vehicles was expensive and unsafe. The Vyazemsky Center in these difficult times offered its assistance to the Air Force in the additional training of officers.

In Vyazma there were training L-39s, transferred to the Ministry of Defense for temporary use. Not new (otherwise they would not have been given to DOSAAF), but it was possible to fly them. And most importantly, there were aces instructors in the UAC. Only here, young people were still trained to pull the plane out of a spin, although the Air Force had long imposed a restriction on this exercise - there weren’t enough specialists.

The UAC and the Air Force Command quickly agreed to work together. Moreover, military financiers calculated that "the cost of one hour of flight in Vyazma on the L-39 is 8-10% lower than in the training regiments of the Air Force." And in one of the reports addressed to the Minister of Defense, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force Zelin cited the following figures: “training of Air Force pilots in the Vyazemsky UAC at the expense of the federal budget (money allocated to support aviation DOSAAF - Auth.), Saves the budget of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in the amount of 113 .8 million rubles”.

The joint work continued until March 2008, until a directive from Minister Serdyukov appeared, requiring the withdrawal from DOSAAF (at that time - ROSTO) of all military equipment that the Ministry of Defense had ever transferred to him. This also applied to training aircraft of the Vyazma UAC.

At that time, DOSAAF military equipment was already more like scrap metal. The Ministry of Defense, in general, did not need it - there was enough of its own kind in abundance. Serdyukov's directive was needed as a means of putting pressure on the leadership of DOSAAF, which was required to change the status of the organization. The military wanted it to turn from public to public-state, becoming completely controlled by the Ministry of Defense.

In the end, the military achieved their goal, and everyone immediately forgot about Serdyukov's ill-fated directive. Now the Ministry of Defense has legal grounds to transfer state defense order funds to DOSAAF for training specialists for, and to provide equipment for these tasks.

In October 2009, even a decree was issued stating that within three years, 52.2 million rubles would be allocated from the federal budget for the training of Air Force flight personnel in the structure of DOSAAF. The funds were sent to the Ministry of Defense, and from there they were supposed to go to the contractor. And the only such executor, by personal order of the President of Russia, was to be the Vyazma UAC.

But Vyazma never saw the money. The instructions of the president were ignored by the officials of the Ministry of Defense. Strictly speaking, and who was to cook? By that time, Serdyukov had already reformed the system of military education in such a way that enrollment in flight schools ceased altogether - the problem of a small raid of cadets disappeared by itself. The order of the UAC for the training of pilots for the Air Force was withdrawn.

Vyazma began to survive as best she could. It was necessary to maintain the remaining ten L-39s in working order - all of the 1985-87 years of production, of which only six flew. The Belarusian military helped by concluding a contract with the Vyazma center for the training of pilots from the Congo, who studied at the Belarusian military academy. Thanks to this, Vyazma rose a little, the Belarusians helped with spare parts, the UAC and the Rus group got out of debt, and were even able to invest 12 million rubles in the maintenance and repair of their L-39s (although they were still registered with the Ministry of Defense).

Vyazemsky pilots say:

In 2016, we planned to invest another 14 million rubles and restore all 10 aircraft. But in September 2015, officers from the training regiment in Michurinsk came to us. They did not have any written orders with them, but they said that they had a verbal order from the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces Bondarev: to take the planes from us. It is necessary, they say, to fulfill the directive of the Minister of Defense of March 2008. The very one, Serdyukov's, which has now lost its legal force, as it was written when DOSAAF was still in the status of a public organization.

Guests from Michurinsk lived in Vyazma for two weeks and flew away. The planes were not given to them. But in November they arrived again, already with a directive from the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, which said that the L-39s were needed by the Aerospace Forces "in order to supplement" the fleet of the Krasnodar Pilot School with them. However, the L-39 in the UAC was again not given to them, since this automatically meant the liquidation of the Vyazma center and the Rus group.

But as soon as the New Year holidays ended, the DOSAAF leadership received another letter, the second in a row, from the commander-in-chief of the VKS, demanding that the L-39 be returned urgently. Officers from Michurinsk flew to Vyazma for the third time, where they are still sitting, waiting for the final decision. When they were asked: where does such perseverance come from? Why do you need our old planes? They answered: we ourselves do not understand why, but this is an order from above.

Are things really so bad in the Aerospace Forces that officers have to collect old, thirty-year-old aircraft around the world? I asked this question to one of the active military, familiar with the situation (for obvious reasons, I will not name the name). And here is what he said:

In Michurinsk, there should be 275 L-39 aircraft at the state storage base. In fact, there are almost a hundred more of them. All are gradually being repaired at the aircraft factory in. The plant can overhaul no more than 30 aircraft per year. That is, it takes 10 years to put all L-39s on the wing. But then why take the planes away from the Rus group, if the turn will reach them only after 10 years? And this despite the fact that the technical condition of many L-39s in Michurinsk is much better than that of those machines that fly in Vyazma. The L-39s of the "Rus" group have also been demilitarized - all military equipment has been completely removed from them: sights, electrical circuits for dropping missiles. These are absolutely sports aircraft. To restore them as military, you need a lot of money. In addition, Vyazemsky L-39s have a characteristic color, that is, they must be repainted in the colors of the Aerospace Forces, which is another $ 7-8 thousand for each aircraft. I don’t understand why the commander-in-chief should go to such expense?

In the same way, they are perplexed in DOSAAF. Anything is assumed. It is even rumored that General Bondarev, now the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, at one time served under General Retunsky, who headed the DOSAAF Air Force Department. Maybe the generals once did not divide something according to service, and now, according to old memory, they are measured by the size of the stars - who is cooler? If this is indeed so, then it would be time to forget the old grievances and think about the matter.

Now, after the reforms of Serdyukov, who stopped the recruitment of cadets to aviation schools, there is a catastrophic lack of pilots in combat aviation - new equipment is coming to the regiments, and there is no one to put on it. The Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces even offered to return those who, due to thoughtless cuts, were forced to leave the army and are now working on civil airlines. True, the queue of those wishing to return is not yet standing, but how useful Vyazma's experience would be in this situation!

The Vyazemsky Aviation Center trained more than 4,000 pilots for the USSR and hundreds for the Russian Air Force. And now, just like that, with one stroke of the pen to destroy it, this is certainly not in the interests of the state. Moreover, the experience of recent reforms shows that after we destroy something, half a year - a year passes, and suddenly it turns out: they hurried. Then they begin to allocate budget money again for the creation of a similar structure - a process that is extremely beneficial for officials: we cut it - the money flows, we create it again - it flows again. The main thing is to make sure that you don't miss your pockets.

The former commander of the Rus group, Colonel Kazimir Tikhanovich, who, after completing his service in the Russian army, left for his homeland in, says:

There, the military is forced to count money, and therefore all initial flight training is carried out in DOSAAF. Cadets - both helicopter pilots and pilots - in the Bobruisk club are first put on gliders. For 20 hours of flight, their professional suitability is determined - whether a person can fly at all, or he is not given it. Then future pilots are put on the Yak-52, and helicopter pilots - on the Mi-2, which are distributed among the flying clubs. And only then, in senior courses, do they trust the L-39, and then combat aircraft. So flight training is much cheaper and more efficient, although it is carried out according to the same documents and standards as in. And what about in Russia itself? Here, “zero”, unprepared guys come to the 1st year of the school. The first three years, while they are taught different sciences, they do not fly. Then they are immediately put on a training plane. Many immediately have to be written off for unsuitability for flight work. But why were they then taught at the expense of the state for 3 years? If the military used the capabilities of DOSAAF, this would not have happened. But here the DOSAAF aviation involuntarily turns into a commercial one, as it is forced to earn its own maintenance.

We can agree with this. After all, now we only remember on holidays that the initial task of DOSAAF aviation is the patriotic education of young people in the interests of the armed forces, not to mention the fact that such an aviation center as in Vyazma is a full-fledged military reserve structure with experienced combat personnel - and technical, and flying. But who is interested in this in the main command of the VKS?

The aviation department of DOSAAF said that they had already sent two letters to the commander-in-chief Bondarev with a request not to take the planes from Vyazma, thereby not destroying the famous Rus aerobatic team. The answer was silence.

Well, all right, they will take the planes away from Vyazma. Will a dozen old L-39s, of which only six are flying, solve the problem of training VKS cadets?

But we ask the military, - they say in DOSAAF, - this year you were going to recruit almost 700 cadets to the Krasnodar Institute. Got it? No. Although they just didn't do it! Even the "Russian Knights" and "Swifts" aerobatics in the sky were spinning, and on the ground, in the meantime, the guys were agitating: whoever wants to be a pilot, look how beautiful, sign up! Well, how many people were there? Few. Boys do not become pilots until they have tried to fly. We offer: we now have more than 400 Yak-52s in our flying clubs. We are ready to give them an initial raid of 1000 boys every year. This is an excellent material for training future pilots in Krasnodar. But there is only one answer from the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces: hand over the planes.

On the other hand, the military can also be understood. They have practically no aircraft for initial flight training. New Yak-130s, just because new ones often break down (as indicated by the manufacturer, and he is currently working on it). In addition, the Yak-130 is a rather expensive and difficult machine for a beginner, it is already a combat training aircraft. For the first flights, you need a simple, cheap, reliable aircraft, such as the Yak-52.

It is not for nothing that the Aerospace Forces have now ordered a new Yak-152 from the Yakovlev company - an improved version of the Yak-52. But until they make it, test it, get it ... And what to fly now? So future pilots gnaw at the granite of knowledge for the first three years on earth, as in a joke: until they learn to swim, we won’t pour water into the pool.

Only the old, proven L-39s remain. But there is a problem with spare parts. They must be ordered from the manufacturer, that is, in the Czech Republic. But how to do this if you are surrounded by sanctions from all sides? DOSAAF is still somehow spinning - restoring its cars, taking advantage of the fact that the word "public" still remains in the name of the organization. Otherwise, in the Czech Republic, Vyazma aerobatic pilots would not have been given a single squib for a catapult.

It is strange that in these difficult conditions, the Aerospace Forces and DOSAAF cannot agree in any way. At least to take advantage of each other. Is it really easier to select, divide and destroy than to agree? And then, when the "fried rooster" pecks, rely on the "good king"?

And now Colonel Tikhanovich says with hope:

I have always divided people into builders and destroyers. Serdyukov was a destroyer, but Minister Shoigu was a builder. Not only because he began his working biography with a construction complex, or built a whole new ministry -. He is essentially a builder. And, of course, we hope that if he makes decisions on the planes of the Vyazma UAC, then DOSAAF will hear the arguments and sort out the situation. Destroyers from the solution of this problem must be removed. Enough, too much and for a long time everything was destroyed in our country. And always in someone's personal interests. Now it's time to build. in the interests of the state.