The End
Everything is going away, like passing seams on the concrete runway
Love and friendship, the time of complex feelings
Empty clouds on the sleepy sky .
impaling clouds we experience turbulence
the same thrill when we open the bottle, pour,
Wanting strong yearning or take off clothes from the girl
And the clouds like women's plump breasts are far behind
The expanse opened in front of me -
To fly, to fly far away from everyone,
Far away from dull human masses
But you can not do, and life will tell me stop.
You can not fly without knowing point no return .
The land will not accept unknown plane
But will hide only your entrails
In the clouds throws, throws like a chip,
Lightning close one to another
And you want to sit on the home strip
To escape from the whirlwind of adversity.
The engine running at takeoff, and fuel
How guzzles vodka.
The heavy moments goes,
The sticky it like tense sweat.
The engine has eat all fuel
The land flashed under the wings
And shudder maybe she ...
June 2004, Moscow, Sokol, The Civil Aviation Highest Medical Expert Commission. The sentence was given. "The fail for flying . Hospital. Disability, "" We'll give you even a second group of disability"," You would be glad you have what to treat"
In general, the mood is below the minimum. Even given a picture, "I and the great-grandson of Orville Wright" on the century of the first flight, decided nothing, and my lies (the first time in my life) that I have no pensions , as well as my promises to fly only one year and I would come to them in the hospital myself, as well as the other promises not given anything.
Do you know how the medical examinations are passed?
I guess you don't know.
On The Civil Aviation Highest Medical Expert Commission.in Moscow is sent when the medical experts doubt somewhere or the pilot lived to 50. Then he sent to Moscow to pinch off, or add a few diagnoses or even to write off this diagnoses. I was told the case as a pilot 55 years old fell asleep on the doctor's examination of the neurologist! What is strong nervous system he had!
In general, the fear of impending poverty and the loss of its main purpose - to fly, the pilots are willing to pay any of their available money to go to any medical procedure, swallow anything and allow doctors accomplishes any experiments on himself.
In short, I was put to the hospital where there were only pilots in the past and it was not good to be sad. Everybody had passed it and they understood my tragedy.
And wandering in the magnificent park, to support each other morally, we told all sorts of jokes, which we have had a great number. The first thing that was told by me, and have had a great success, was a "Poem about the falling trees, which I will tell you in the beginning.
I was about 14. I lazily drove my bike in SESTRORETSK. It was a wonderful day in July, which were in Peter only in July. Suddenly, the linden, standing on the lake called "Spill", fell by itself, and its fall was very much surprised me!
I have graduated from the Academy, flew more than 10 years in Arkhangelsk, returned to Leningrad and I saw under the way to the work , as the linden standing in a parking lot in the Middle Avenue crushed a little blue Moskvich -car. Moskvich of course, has changed dramatically.
"Bad luck" - I thought.
The fall of 93 was very windy. The trees fell frequently. I think that when our favorite President fell from the bridge into the river, then the reason was only the wind! Yes, I think that the strong winds were not only here in St. Petersburg.
The summer had come and linden again fall down! It fall on the fence of the garden with a cinema , and the first line of the poem , just struck me and inspired raspy voice of he famous poet.
How often falling trees?
It was an undeniable success, the beginning.
The second line came to me in the same day.
The roots are top, the branches down.
Even then I understood that the poem can be brilliant but the muse did not visit me anymore.
She did not visit me the next day, and she visited me only in July.
In short, the poem I was able to finish only in August, by the birthday of my mother. Here is the poem.
How often trees fall down?
How often trees fall down
upside the roots , the branches down.
And having fallen down to the ground
they make you think
How often trees fall down
The droppers... alternated by injections and he injections changed by the drips My wife and the baby came on my birthday, the friends came but I felt terrible.
My friend Jane did not reach the retirement only 200 flying hours. He flew away from Moscow Sheremetyevo and by little less than 30 years had been flying already all over Europe, but the disease had thrown off flight . He still works at Sheremetyevo and his work is very interesting, but the love of the sky is remained. How could I know 15 years ago how he had been hard if we were all still perfectly healthy?
And how Shura entered to the Academy? Oh, that's a story!
Donetsk's coal miner Shura hack coal for our country and he did not even think that he had could enter to the Academy of Civil Aviation. When the vacations came, he and his friends decided to carousing in Moscow, but to live in hotel apartments they saw as boring and expensive, the decision came quickly.
They should entered то the university where it not possible to entere, but give a hotel.
And for this purpose was chosen MFTI(Moscow Physics and Technology institute) After the third good mark Shura realized that it was necessary to go on a bender in Leningrad and enter to the Academy of Civil Aviation. But the train has gone and in a one year he would have to serve in the Soviet Army. The next year, the deficit of boots in the Soviet Army led to the fact that the army did not take Shura, and he went to Leningrad and carouse at the same time to enter the Academy of Civil Aviation.
He had entered. Now Shura had retired . He had flown in Tyumen on the Mi-6, and then in Moscow on IL-76.
Dima picked me up from the hospital . He thought (in joke) me his foster brother because we were born in the same hospital with a difference of one week. After graduated from the Academy Dima flew in Moscow in the famous squadron # 235 (the Government). He is "Chernobylets" as provided above Chernobyl government communications, then flew with the multi-ton apparatus of Michael Jackson around the world, and the emergence of Sir Paul McCartney in St. Petersburg, we are obliged to partially to Dmitri.
I felt so bad that my wife was not against my stop in Dima's place.
The historic phrase sounded at the same a time when they were made the last injections and droppers, and Dima was already waiting for me.
- You have such a wonderful hospital but there is no reanimation there. Can I get drunk today?
- It is possible, but not more than 50 grams ...
Of course, Dima treat me a little...
So, I officially stopped to be an airmen 02.07.04. I became a pensioner and Labor Veteran with a full pension at age 44.
I could not do nothing and decided to try my luck in the Group of navigation which I would like to work after retirement. It is the truth that the most part of the pilots usually were carried out feet the first, but I had prepared myself morally to fly for 5 years, or better 7 and to leave work by myself.
My friend Jane knew everybody of that group. There were a lot of our fellows and I rightly believed that I know a lot and my friend will help me. But I still offered to pass the exams, which I passed in the same week as I returned back from Moscow. I had to know the computer, the international flight rules well enough English (all kinds of translation and SPOKEN LANGUAGE). There were another 5 persons. The exams lasted 6 hours. I was the best.
- From where you are know English so good?
- Study, study and study again...
- We will take you, but you must bring a doctor's note.
It looks the life is getting better, so I went to the doctor.
- There are no running, no heat, no heavy lifting, you can work!
- Well, I went.
- Wait, you have to bring the permission from the chief physician.
Together we went to the head doctor
The medical director was a woman of about 60 and sitting around the table with 5-6 chins and only one photograph with the weight 3 kg. She was very tired and languid looked out the window.
- Y-yes, - she said. But, safety ... You are idiot ... (of course this was only the meaning)
I tried to explain to her that safety of flight is provided by those who are in the sky, and I would just prepare the documents and send them.
But she was strong and hard as hardens of cement or the passengers in the subway who did not want to go to the middle of an empty wagon
I could not resist
- give you the shovel?
- For what?
-То dig а hole, and then I dig the hillock.
- what?- she exclaimed in the hearts .
- Only a disability.
About the talks there were reported to the chief of the Air Navigation Group.
-Do not worry, relax, and do not think of anything. I'll find the position for you. Call me in a week.
I calmed down a little bit, I went to dacha to swim in the lakes. However, I was calm not for long time. My thoughts were in the sky, and it was more than pain, and the closer it was to the end of the week or the more I twitched. My call to the chief of the navigation Group brought me nothing. The call did not give me the results next week.
If things are not made in time, they will be made never! The iron law. It is proved by life earlier.
Vacation has finished and I had 3 days to find a new job in the air company.
My " funeral" were joyfully. Finally , the Chief and even Honored Navigator of Russia and the Chief of Air Navigation Group met on my honour . The vital decisions were taken and I even was very proud of the high estimate which was received by me. We have to win that is not thin lady who was able to destroy decisions that were exepted. Everything to decide was going Honored Navigator of Russia and only asked me not to interfere with my tongue that could ruin everything . But I knew that if things go badly, very soon they will go even worse, and if they go well , it means that you do not notice anything . But hoped it hopes drowning man clutching at straws .
My " funeral" were joyfully. Finally , the Chief and even Honored Navigator of Russia and the Chief of Air Navigation Group met on my honour . The vital decisions were taken and I even was very proud of the high estimate which was received by me. We have to win that is not thin lady who was able to destroy decisions that were exepted. Everything to decide was going Honored Navigator of Russia and only asked me not to interfere with my tongue that could ruin everything . But I knew that if things go badly, very soon they will go even worse, and if they go well , it means that you do not notice anything . But hoped as it hopes drowning man clutching at straws.
The next day, when the entire leadership begins to eat, there was a call and the Honored Navigator breaking voice , told me that he was sorry, but I the chief physician sews disability ...
And what am I? I am not a pilot and have not retired from flight crews yet .
Just retired at age of 44.
In order to play for time and to remain on the balance of the air company I have to agree to pass a medical exams for disability and walked in our clinic not very rapidly in one of the last three days.
The clinic was divided into two parts for the airmen and all the rest.
Fortunately for me, medical experts returning from vacation that day. Orest, the very doctor who discovered my illness first, saw and came to me. He humanly questioned me in detail about all of my misadventures, and realizing that if they hang a disability, would finish morally, decided to carry out further tests on my "normal." The fact that, The Civil Aviation Highest Medical Expert Commission. conducts such tests and the results were good, but Medical Expert Commission does not believe The Civil Aviation Highest Medical Expert Commission and this feelings were quite mutual and sincere
I had to get tested again. But if in Moscow the tests lasted for airman 1-1.5 hours, but in St. Petersburg to know if you are "not an idiot" lasted 2.5 hours.
On the second hour of testing, I had realized that multiplication table is forgotten and I honestly said about it to psychologist. The psychologist knowing that I'm not a healthy man, stopped tests in half an hour and asked me to draw him a map of the lakes where he could spend some time during his days off
After half an hour, I learned that I'm not an idiot, and the results of my tests, even better than the ones that were there before, when I was an air man.
Why?
- I have forgive everybody.
And I began to work in the Bureau of Air Navigation Information with
Serge which was the first person who could help me with a positive and vital outcome.
Serge served in the Soviet Army in the border troops. There, he even caught a Chinese spy and for this heroic act he had been even wanted to send Frontier College, but Serege desperately wanted to fly. So he decided to enter in Aviation Academy. He entered. In The Academy Serge was the petty officer. For us former pupil he treated as equals and he never boasted of his position of chief. So, we loved him!
After the graduation of the Academy, he flew in Khabarovsk enterprise on the IL-18, and then on the Tu-154. Then he went to Leningrad, flew over the border, but in a tavern fight somebody hit him from behind on his head. The strike was strong. Serge loses some vision on one eye and was pinched off. He was pinched off when we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the graduation from Academy.
There were 13 people on the 20th anniversary. Three of them have not fly already. And now I do not fly. Since 2001 two more were pinched off, one just retired and Sasha Dyatlov crashed in December next year on the Timor island.
We have not seen since the end of the Academy. He helped me once. I was on duty. And in night. I especially liked to stand on the bedside table in the night time, because you can sleep a little close on the couch.
Alarm Clock has set and sleep. There was nothing to protect, so I slept well. I woke up an hour before the general lift and terribly nasty voice roar 'unit get up!'
I woke up from the fact that the alarm clock is not ticking . There were neither alarm clock, no cap.
The cap pranksters gently placed on the window, the alarm clock I easily found by the characteristic ticking. But I found the absent of the phone on the table.
The phone especially on the nightstand is valuable thing. I could kick from the Academy. And maybe even put in jail. It is good that Sasha had a spare phone at home and by the dinner time it was on the night table.