Finally, I had continued to train to fly in abroad. As always something wrong. The English licence had finished. I passed the exams out of turn not to disappoint my chiefs . Instead of relaxing I passed it in one day, better to say in one hour. And they gave me 3 flights to do.
The flight in Gatwick, London. was the most fun I very worried. A lot of boards flies in Gatwick and even under certain conditions, the air traffic controller may allow landing on the same runway when it still occupied by another plane and the distance is only 1 mile! I can not understand it . Do you know what is the slipstream? It is better to know that only in theory. The slipstream is vorticity air from overflying aircraft. A poor example can be serve your motor boat , going at full speed in calm water and jump on the waves on the trail of the barge. But this track can be seen, and slipstream can only anticipate.
We landed. Boeing and Airbus were around. I was a just a little worried - I'm a piece of my country!
No time to eat! The commission has come. One Englishwoman went to the tail with Volodya R. and the other one with me to inspect the cockpit. She didn't like our equipment. It was too old. If they have such a restructuring
( Perestroika) the Scots would have been without the skirts!
The red box in the luggage department. This box for weapon of passengers. We had no weapons and passenger had to fly without any weapon. You know what kind of times had come!.
She asks me, what is it? And I told her and say "For weapons" (for pistols, rifles )
And she looks at me startled and asked: "For what?"
In English WEAPON means large weapons, such as missiles, tanks, or like this, I had to explain to her. We went to take off hour later The ruction even worse than Moscow air zone. Suddenly, scoring the ether, pilotessa of British Airways could not say any word from shaking of laughter!
June had come and I was sent on vacations. Of course, I had objected. I could not reach entry program for almost a year!
The vacation had finished and I started again . What I had to do for 3 months, I was stretched for a year. But 5 instructor staff had flew with me! It was good or them and for our navigator squadron but not for me! And navigator squadron decided to undertake it himself. Personally!
So, my days off vacation had grown up like a heads on hydra.
A long time ago I wanted to learn the profession of a pilot on the small and lightweight aircraft Yak-18 or Yak-52.
Recently, fortune turned to me, and I met a classmate director of the Aeroclub in Tosno .
Flying there, as it turned out, available for free, but there is no gasoline, and aircraft already written off. They say that the airfield was used as an alternate airfield, but the sun of a bitch Penkovskiy the secret passed to our enemies and the airfield become as flying club. If you fly to Moscow in the summer, you can see on the 85 km, on the right the lake, and next you can see the runway. The quarry is on the right, It can be seen very well too.
I'm an Aviation man and disciplined and can not fly without manual flight operation . But there was no this guide in that flying club . So I went to our country's oldest flying club, where a quarter of a century ago taught me a parachute and material part of the Yak-18.
I asked to give me a manual flight operation and they started to ask me who I am and what I am. In general, knowing that I'm going to fly in the flying club (the prices there were 120 dollars per hour compared to 90!) The instructor in that airclub asked me to go there, taking with me a wooden box and white slippers. I had no that slippers, as well as the wooden box, so I just went there with a thermos.
We were on the place in 3 hours . I met a former commander of the AN-32 on the way. He could not to take off in Kinshasa, lost the navigator and mechanic, money, pilot certificate, killed some black and spent for several years in African prisons. He escaped from the prison thanks another revolution. We, as it turned out, had common friends. As Nikolai K. said there was no overload . As I said that he was put in the prison. More than a year is not given there , but the day before of the liberation suddenly relatives of the murdered is coming, remembering the deceased, and the to defendant will be given another 1 year, and it can last until the end of the life!
Nikolai Vladimirovich was not taken on the work in the big aviation and only a sip of fresh air for him was an old An-2, with forever unserviceable carburetor. There were no money for repairing .
Valery Smorod was my instructor on the Yak-52. Valery was two time champion in aerobatics in Leningrad.
He was the pilot of the MiG-21, the thunderstorm of American Phantoms. Unless, of course, was piloted by Russian guys. Valera suffered a headache from hangover and asked me a tea in the form of brandy, and I am being a responsive could not but help him.
The first day of Valera and did not fly. He was drunk. I was rolled by some cadets, head down and not very skillfully. Whenever I reminded him that I still had to teach me and not roll, he started doing some dive and pull up, because of the overload my gut sank and the tongue was filled such severity that it seemed that I was full of plumbum. It was cool, but not solid.
My drunken classmate was legally responsible person but all financial activities conducted by Vladimir. Vladimir was a former pilot of the MiG-23, a retired major, had the nickname Moramoy. The young cadets talked well about him. The cost of their flights was a daily work for the benefit of Aeroclub. I had to little work and a little pay.
In general, the cost of my flight was about 90 bucks, and limited in 3 minutes, against my calculated 5-6. We refueled ordinary A-92(gasoline for cars) , but there was no aviation gasoline.
Finally, no one was above my soul and had no control over, because it is worth shit ordinary autumn, with low clouds 100-110 meters and drizzling rain. And no any flights.
But we went in vain?
- Shall we flight?
- Yes, we'll .
Parachute (heck, I would not jump!) lies beneath backwards in the cup (cap-is the name of the chair) and tacked me in extreme situation. It is closely and even switch on tumblers on the left side, is a great problem if I hardly move.
The flights on Yak is differ from the flights on instruments. Here is the rule: the hood-horizon.
On the first day I received shock. The compass system was out of operation and the difference in atmospheric pressure on the first cabin on the altimeter and the second cabin on the altimeter was about 10 millimeters or 110 meters!
Finally, we started up engine and became warmer. I looked at the instruments and saw that fuel pressure jumps.
What would Valera say and whether he had seen this disorder. He noticed and we switched off. (And wanted to say - Well, Valera, you had notice!)
The carburetor was removed, and Valera pierced it by wire. But it was the next day. Underway home Valera looked at me thoughtfully.
But, I do remember that we have already seen somewhere.
- We could see or at Pulkovo or Lisy Nos at the festival.
It was going heavy remembering a few days. Finally, the problem had solved. He remembered exactly the case in the night from 15 to 16 July 1975!
…I had already little chance to jump. The next day, the sportsmen were leaving the camp and went in Kohtla-Jarve. But I still went to the airfield. I went alone. The night was coming, and I decided to spend the night on the parachute tower. It was cool in the night on the tower, and I had only one option: imitate and becoming warm. I was shaking for a long time, but somehow never got warm and decided to whirl of a wheel. But set the legs bad, and on the top of the loop one leg was ready to fall out.
Fortunately, Valera, two-time champion of Leningrad in aerobatics, had a lovely habit of smoking tobacco at night and that his wonderful habit may have helped me get out of the situation reversed.
I did not know Valera yet. Then he gave me his flying fur jacket, and I fell asleep.
We laughed for a long time.
The next day the weather was the same, except in the airport and we had only my classmate-chief. We were checking the engine and taxing to line up. After takeoff, I habitually immediately removed the wheels, as it was in the civil aviation but was not here, in the little aviation (in the case of an engine failure landing in front of you) and on the joys laid lurch to the left 60 degrees. With this banking the overload is 2. That mean that your weight is increased in 2 times. This is the element of aerobatics, but the ball was in the center, and I did not feel overload. Valera even barked at me, and I do suspect that the ball was in the center because of it. Valera denied this. At 110 meters, twisting the second turn, we were in the clouds, and I fell to 90-100 meters. Generally, I kept the height + _10-20 meters . It was not difficult, because ceiling was 110-120 meters.
Circling over the field on the 3rd time, I felt quite insolent and decided to extend base leg. I was immediately punished. The rain poured windscreen and I lost the airfield
- What can Valera see if I lost it? - I asked myself.
Valerie, I do not see the runway.
- Hands let go - barked Valera, and I raised my hands up as a prisoner Germans and then he swung the Aerobatics cask.
The land swept over the head. I was scared. The height was only 70 meters.
Then in the 75th, in July, they also twisted cask on the Yak-18 on same height ... While I was in the school, the WHEEL of the trimmer was lying in my desk. This was my "first plane crash."
I had already cross (second ) turn and vowed to myself no longer to loose the runway.
Do you see the temperature of the cylinder heads?
The first time I looked and saw that the temperature was 200 degrees. 220 is limit, the motor would be wedged. IN half-opened blinds, but probably not enough. After that we did another circle, but the temperature did not decrease and the on the cross leg (after) second turn, Valera demanded release piloting and with the corresponding expressions landed the plane. The flight had finished,,,
On 20-30 minutes I collected my flying hours, and my delight was without bounds, but the vacation is over and it was time to think about work.
It is November and a little of work. The flights in abroad were very little for me. However, in December, I was given 4 times to fly but then I had not got any flights at all. March had approached, when Tu-134 were forbidden any flights in Western Europe because of the noise.
It was very strong strike for me. I did not receive the permission to fly in abroad. As the main navigator explained, "You just do not need for us."
Of course, I had to be better. Everything had to be done in time! And not only me.
"The elk is too small and not enough for everybody"
Better than the Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Rakov not to say:
"... He was really old experienced pilot. But the word "old" in the aviation has a specific meaning. "The Old" can be called thirty years old fellow, if he flies ten years. During these years pilot growing up faster like a person of twenty years old. Then he can get stronger, more experiment, but his growth was not so seen. It also happens that the experience accumulated over the years, certainly, it is not so valuable because the pilot loses its former ardor of youth, his "pepper" as they say in aviation. "
In Tambov is not a runway,that was washboard. We approached at night. So, after the landing Gene the navigator of squadron in Arkhangelsk said to me
- I could not do it!
In Tambov airport I was only one single time in my life. (But in London was 3 times) and I was 26 years old in that time.