In March, after sitting in the training squadron I asked teacher of meteorology , what is the probability of lightning, if you still get into this thundercloud.
- Small, ten percent - teacher reassured me.
We flew from Kishinev to Minsk 2. I smile there, parrot sitting on the meteorological which is always shouts when the crew had come : "Ten thousand six hundred ten thousand six hundred ...?" And then tired of their questions begin "Is Kesha good Is Kesha good good, Yes? "
The alternative was Kaliningrad, Vilnius was closer, but there strong wind and slippery run way .
We had already approached to the run way. The distance was 18 and we had down landing gears and flaps 20 . It was already 3 kilometers before entering to the glider part and the flaps 38 were down.
At this point, AT controller informs us that the visibility on the runway becomes 200 meters and asked us to inform of remaining fuel and our alternative . We inform ATC that we remained the same. The Controller told us that in Vilnius wind reduced and this means that we can expect better weather in Minsk and able circling the whole 20-30 minutes ! So, we did . We were circling 600 meters . It was possible even electrification. It's like experiments in physics with a comb.
- Look, look - I said Nikolai Andreyevich.
- I am looking. Everywhere is cloudiness . We should climb the altitude. - I answer.
But we did not climb and continued to fly at 600. We were extended base leg waiting the improving weather conditions. We prolonged before 30 kilometers. We were approaching to 18. Weather became better. The visibility had become a 600 (and we need 800). As soon as we glad blinding flash of cotton and even shot pierced the usual roaring of turbines.
But everything worked normal and we turned the second turn. The visibility was 800 and we released the chassis and perform the base (third). We extended base leg and on the 15-16 km, we down the flaps fully and come to the final approach and the Captain selected mode of the engines and in the very moment sound of shot and flash The same feeling you would have, if you suddenly came into our head to lie on your back under the gun with open eyes on the Peter and Paul Fortress at 12:00.(Peter's tradition to shot at 12.00 o'clock every day)
We landed normally. There were no consequences for the aircraft, everything worked fine, even brushes on the end of the wings which were withstand one million volts were not burned ...
Sasha was taken to retrain in Ulyanovsk on the Tu-154 in May. Kohya took his place. Kolya flew on the Il-14.and begged Yuri B, the mechanics, with whom he had flown before. Our Mikhailovich was taken from the crew. I was upset. But it was nothing to do. Kolya flew poorly as beginner and was very upset about this. With Yura we agreed well, but I lacked Mikhailovich, with his eternally bubbling energy.
Testing my English I got acquaintance with Scott from the United States, which later joined us ties of sincere friendship.
The summer began and quiet life had ended As always alone. Luda with Olya flew to the south in Ulyanovsk, and I had to do everything myself at home, and I did not have the time to draw and I so loved to do it!
The professions of the pilot and the artist close to each other, because in many branch require the same qualities: a sense of space, observant eye and a delicate sense of color to the circumstances of the analytical work and romanticism.
The thunderstorm again. Before the storms of 150 kilometers, but Nick had already started to worry.
- Do you observe the thunderstorms?
- Yes I see.
- How do you think to avoid?
- We will come closer and will decide. - I replied.
The fact is that the locator has only at the navigator and only navigator on the Tu-134 decides what to do. If the navigator was able to show himself with the best side, the commander, of course, will always believe the navigator. When before thunderstorms 150 kilometers,or to fly 11-12 minutes the navigator is just starting to figure out what kind of the storm, they are relative to the track, how to move, etc.
Every minute Kolya bothered me with questions. On the IL-14, they flew not higher than 3,000 meters, and avoided they down or right, or left.
This information was reported by him an irritated tone, and Nikolai Andreevich promised to Kolya throw him in the trunk, if he did not stop to border navigator. It had worked. Kolya had calm down. We have successfully avoided the thunderstorm and Kolya never terrorized me more .
One time we flew at night from Kazan to Volgograd.(Stalingrad) Along the Volga almost always are severe thunderstorms.
The night, the stars around, thunderstorms were not visually evident. And suddenly powerful fireball, as if included in the disco sound lights these cumulus clouds are already visible and visible to the entire earth and broad Volga with its leisurely turns ... it lasts about 1-2 seconds, but it is very beautiful.
At last we in Volgograd, learned the weather and decided to take off, refueled, we waited for passengers, and I sat and read. Suddenly, a gust of wind began to shudder even the plane and almost immediately went rain . I even thought that we do not fly and I will read a little, but the passengers boarded and we requested to start up.
While there was no pressurization, the water leak down on my desk, and the rain drumming on the plating. While we were taxing the rain increased and the wipers commander and co-pilot ran at a furious pace. Taxied to the run way and I turned locator to assess the situation. I saw a continuous illumination,
50-60 miles, without any loopholes.
Nikolai Andreyevich, I do not see any holes, if to take off, we will on the bottom 50-70 kilometers.
And at this moment the gate and went not very confident landed Yak-40.
- Do you see she landed!
- So he had no exit way And why we have to find troubles ourselves ?
From takeoff before I could see the first hole took about 8 minutes. 8 minutes buffeting, walls of water and adrenaline We flew, as the AN-2 - where we would sparkle and we flew there, and then, finding a hole in the thunderstorm, we rushed up
Тhe summer had ended and the thunderstorms too. The vacations at last began. We said goodbye. Nikolai Andreyevich, after post-flight, before the vacations presented personally for me a bottle of cognac with the words "Thank you."
Only now I'm able to appreciate this gesture of his.
I'm almost at Sheremetyevo. My documents were there and perestroyka was in full progress. The Moscow's "people" decided who could live there. And to live there because of the oversaturation of the city could only artists, great art and scientists as well as pilots. So my last document was a report ending with the words "I agree to buy housing in any area of the city of Moscow and Zelenograd" (while my apartment was sold in Arkhangelsk to cooperative).
My friend Jane sometimes was not at home for weeks, because of the remoteness of his living place from Sheremetyevo Airport. So, the city of Zelenograd located on the west close to the airport and it was very attractive for me.
And in "Arguments and Facts" appeared an article written by a resident of the mountains and edited by someone.
"I went down the mountain and bought one stall, then a second. Now I have a shop .. "
The year had passed, and I still waited that I would taken to Sheremetyevo.It is known that personnel decide everything.
Nikolai Andreyevich seriously ill in winter and my commander becomes Volkov Alexander, who had started to fly as commander the same time as Nikolai Andreyevich .Our mechanic was Mikhailovich, about whom I had said before, and our co-pilot was Sergey Ponomarev
As well as everybody Serge flew on An-2, and only after that, started on the Tu-134 Serge began in Perm, from where he was born.
And his moral qualities were as my friend Jane. So, I really respect and still keep friendly relations with him.
Serge and Mikhalych had not fly. The Russian pilots were not needed because the salary of Russians was not enough even for bread , not for flights.
Alexander Volkov was terse and calm. He had never leaned out, but he was always on the spot and if necessary he could recalled that he was the commander . He always treated with respect to all members of the crew and we flew beautifully always!
I remember I was very surprised when on my recommendation to release landing gear and flaps, he commanded much later than you can imagine that no doubt spoke of his highest class and extraordinary sensitivity to the aircraft.
Above of all, he was, like everybody in our crew, for a reasonable and not excessive refueling when all its surpluses simply eats engine which is pushing extra tons.
When I counted the flight and of course we had already known the weather, Alexander spoke in the smoking room. Mikhalych came up to me with the famous question, "How much?" I answered for example, 9 tons, Than Mikhalych fueled 9.1 tons .
If Sergei asked me, "How much will fill?" And I said, for example, 9 tons, Sergei said to Mihalych to fuel 9.1. A Mikhalych always add "his" 100 kilograms of kerosene. That was his personally kerosene for 2-3 minutes!
Of course, if we flew to the North or there were thunderstorms on the route Sasha gave the command to fuel to fit my calculation.
We flew to the New Land in December . Here, incidentally, the fuel was not enough never.
And in general, as we said (in a joke, of course) the North submits bold and greedy!
I climb up to my cabin (OFFICE, as I had called), and in my knee suddenly something like crackle! I had already spark from my eyes and this crackle was so loud that I thought that my head broke some valuable instrument.
Well, I moved my foot, looked moving, and we flew. In the New Land through a blizzard and a headwind, I even came to the store and bought a deficit. Arrived home. And at home I
leg ached that I would no any words to say. In the evening, the next day, I had to fly in the Sverdlovsk and Novosibirsk to enclose such a pig was not in my rules.
Therefore, my neighbor nurse ointment smeared my foot and the leg was swollen and took what I could not even walk, so a neighbor drove me by car. I had to cheat the doctor and we were in the air.
In Sverdlovsk and then in Novosibirsk Sasha told me do not go out of the cockpit and do not scare people and on the way back Serge already called me Skorokhod (fairy tale where a little boy having special magic boots could have a great speed) aUnder way to the dining room I was intercepted by the doctors and sent to the medical center.In medical center. I was made X-rays. It appeared meniscus and the doctors wanted to put me in the hospital , but on the nose was the New Year then I was waited in Sheremetyevo and I still did not know how it would look for our medicine . It was agreed that had been injury and doctors in Sverdlovsk let me fly away. In that day we did not get home . In Arkhangelsk, was a snowstorm
with a complete absence , presence of any visibility. Sitting in Murmansk. Sasha and Sergei wasted no time and learn that with meniscus not write off , but it will need to do the surgery. Finally , the weather is improved and we flew home.
We had to fly again in Arhangelsk, but Sasha ordered me to go to the doctor.
Our surgeon promised me that he would not write me off, but without the surgery will not allow to fly. And I immediately went in the hospital.
- Are you New Russian? - The medical director asked me when I immediately requested operation.
Overall, I was made surgery the next day. The leg wrapped in a cast and I realized that I would not get better at the remaining 4 days before the New Year.It would not be enough. I was promised not to take gypsum a week, and generally in two, because in the knee was another kind of nonsense.
To eat in Arkhangelsk was nothing but in the hospital we gave Bush legs.
Of course, there were no legs mr Bush, the President of the U.S. but chicken's legs with his wise direction.
In the ward was a TV and a prominent specialist in circumcision ribbons and opening various presentations, as well as mayor of St. Petersburg opened the telethon help the city. We with Luda gave a half of money in organized by him fund.
But my tireless activity was not limited by this. In two days after the operation, I had been the champion of the hospital on the run on the crutches, and later I was faster than anyone could ride in a wheelchair!
Luda stole me from the hospital on the New Year. But she returned me the next day.
Finally, I was removed the plaster. The leg certainly was not bent , but it should be so. A couple of days I was discharged from the hospital and trying not to use crutches , limped home. If a stiff leg put back on the chair , the part that has to bend and at least another 2 times going up and down on the 9th floor , the 10-degree bend per day you are guaranteed . And if we go with the pool and swim breaststroke as you can , then all 12-13 ! I even did exercises to physiotherapy on the special courses. Less than two months later, I came to our surgeon. I was able to sit and stand 20 times. But he saw my swollen leg and I was forbidden to fly and I had suffered for a month. I flew just exactly 3 months after surgery. It was very , by the way, quickly. Usually it goes six months!