Civil Aviation. Wings of Russia

Civil aviation pilots are specialists who have devoted themselves entirely to life in the skies. These are fearless people who have challenged fate and gone through many trials. Therefore, everyone who dreams of such a profession should be aware that his life path will become just as difficult and thorny.

And if such a fate does not scare, then let's talk about civil aviation in Russia. Where should you go to study? How long will it take, and how then to look for a job?

The start of a long journey

First of all, you should be aware of the fact that it will take quite a long time to study as a civil aviation pilot. Indeed, unlike a car, flying an aircraft requires extensive knowledge: from its structure to the features of flying in bad weather.

Therefore, it is worth preparing for the fact that you will have to study "tons" of educational material. At the same time, it is not just to memorize all the information, but to be able to correctly use it during flights. Especially if in the future you have plans to get a job in a commercial structure.

Flight licenses

Today, all civil aviation pilots are divided into three broad categories. This happens because of the strict licensing system that absolutely all pilots must pass. It is she who subsequently determines what kind of winged machines a person can control.

1. PPL or private pilot. Possession of this document grants the right to fly small aircraft not intended for cargo transportation. Simply put, a person can fly as much as he likes for his pleasure, but at the same time no one will take him to work.
2. CPL or commercial pilot. This type of license allows a person to deliver small loads, make tourist overflights and lift paratroopers into the sky.
3. ATPL or line pilot. What can I say, this is the highest category of pilots, allowing you to fly multi-ton passenger airliners.

civil aviation

As soon as a person decides to embark on this path, he immediately faces a choice: apply to a flight school or limit himself to an aviation school? Oddly enough, both options have their pros and cons, so let's look at them separately.

Let's start with flight schools. here it is higher, since much more time is allocated for pilot training. In addition, students are taught not only piloting, but also other disciplines - physics, advanced mathematics and law. This allows you to educate comprehensively developed pilots who are able to perform their duties with high quality.

As for the minuses, flight schools and academies conduct recruitment based on the state order. This leads to the fact that from 10 to 12 applicants apply for one place. In addition, many successful civil aviation pilots say that technical base our educational institutions are noticeably outdated. Because of this, their graduates have to take additional courses in order to understand the peculiarities of piloting new aircraft.

But everyone can enter the flight school. Here, more important is whether a person has money for education. The quality of education here is slightly lower, although it largely depends on the school itself and what kind of teachers work there. At the same time, it is worth noting that it is much easier to get a PPL category certificate at an aviation school, since here you can take extracurricular classes.

Moving from one category to another

Both male and female civil aviation pilots in Russia pass the same standards to obtain a license. They are different for each document type, so let's look at them:

1. A PPL type certificate can be obtained by candidates who have reached the age of 16. To do this, they need to learn 155 hours of theoretical material, as well as fly 47 hours on a Cessna 172 aircraft. On average, training in this category takes from several months to one year, depending on the intensity of classes and the type of educational institution.
2. Candidates over the age of 18 can receive a CPL type certificate. To do this, they need to have a PPL type license or complete this training course from scratch. In addition, they will have to study more than 600 hours of theory, as well as fly 152 hours in a single-engine aircraft. And at the end of the training, close another 30 hours of flights on a navigation simulator and 12 hours on a multi-engine airplane.
3. The ATPL type certificate is a more sophisticated version of the CPL license. That is, you will need to learn everything that is in the previous categories, only with a greater depth in practice. In addition, you will have to work out flight simulations on passenger and cargo airliners.

Passage of the medical commission

All civil aviation pilots undergo strict medical checks. At the same time, it is carried out both before the start of training and after its completion. Also, a medical commission will have to be passed annually after getting a job, otherwise the pilot will simply not be allowed to fly.

The difficulty lies in the fact that any flaw or illness can become a reason for a negative conclusion. If we talk about commercial flights, then doctors can ban flights even because a person does not have a couple of teeth. This is due to the fact that such a defect distorts speech, and this, in turn, makes it difficult to communicate with the tower controller.

Finding a suitable job

In search of work, of course, all civil aviation pilots in Russia start from what kind of license they have. So, if you have a CPL, you should try to get a job with a small airline that provides travel services. As an option, you can consider the vacancies of instructors in flight schools, but then you will have to complete additional courses.

Much more prospects open up for those who own the ATPL license. In this case, it is likely that a large airline will offer you a job. But there is only one thing - most likely you will have to enroll in special courses that allow you to master the management of an airliner.

The trouble is that their cost is quite high. Consequently, it will be necessary to conclude a special agreement, according to which the pilot will deduct part of his salary in order to pay off the debt to the airline. In addition, initially a novice is allowed only to the position of a 2nd pilot, since the captain's position requires experience in flying large aircraft (over 1.5 thousand hours).

Responsibilities of a Civil Aviation Pilot

Airlines often disagree on the finer points of domestic politics. However, there is something that unites them all - the rigidity of the requirements in relation to their pilots. After all, not only the safety of the aircraft, but also the life of its passengers depends on it.

Therefore, all pilots are required to comply with the following five points:

1. Fly professionally.
2. Always follow the safety regulations.
3. Find out in advance the reports of meteorological services.
4. Check the condition of the vessel before the start of the flight.
5. Obediently use the commands and tips of the air traffic controller.

Women Civil Aviation Pilots in Russia

Most people are used to the fact that the pilot is a man. Therefore, for them, a female civil aviation pilot is something out of the ordinary. However, the reality is that both men and the fairer sex can fly the plane. That's just for some reason, even today they are approached by large airliners with caution. And yet in Russia there are examples of women managing such giants.

So, Olga Kirsanova has been piloting a passenger plane weighing more than a hundred tons for several years. She is sure that everyone can get a seat in the cockpit of a winged car - the main thing is to want it with all your heart. What is true, Olga herself had to sweat a lot to achieve her position, since the leadership of her airline could not decide on this appointment for a very long time.

With a high degree of probability, we can talk about a miracle: the Russian government drew attention to the fatal dependence of the country on foreign aircraft manufacturers and, finally, decided to return the skies of Russia to Russian civil aviation. These plans (some of which are already being implemented) are what I want to talk about today.

Does Russia need civil aviation?

If needed, then why? The whole world flies on Boeing and Airbus, and feels great. Can't we "like the whole civilized world"? Suddenly it turned out that we can no longer. The free market and democratic market relations, suddenly (for some advocates of theoretical market relations), turned out to be a beautiful fairy tale for highly intelligent citizens who, with their naivety, amaze even elementary school students who are still in kindergarten taught that “to be honest” is when they want to change your candy for a grimy muzzle.

However, it is naive to talk about the naivety of Russian liberal officials, pardon the pun. Everything has already been stolen before you, everything has been sawn down and the main beneficiaries have been appointed. Back in the nineties. And everything would be wonderful if there were no sanctions. And these democratic sanctions can easily and even naturally leave Russia's civil aviation without aircraft. Who would have thought?

And then, again suddenly, it turned out that the country's budget was simply suffering enormous losses. We are talking about hundreds of billions of dollars a year, which go to foreign aircraft manufacturers in the form of a variety of payments. And there is also a whole bunch of various financial benefits that our government has accepted for import manufacturers and commercial companies that supply aircraft and equipment to Russia. The situation is simply wonderful and requires, in my opinion, close attention from the Prosecutor General. So that the country knows its heroes not only by face, but also by the camp number.

By the way, do you know who ends up paying for this aerial theft? That's right, who flies is the one who pays. Therefore, one can not even dream of reducing prices for air tickets without their own civil aviation. You have to pay for an imported liner in dollars, for spare parts and components, for operating fluids, etc. etc., in dollars. The ruble fell and the plane flew away without you. Or pay for all the ups and downs of the showdown of the world's financial speculators.

However, Boeing companies and Airbus pay and those who do not fly on their planes. The budget annually loses billions of dollars (due to statutory benefits and offshore schemes), and these are pensions, public sector salaries, benefits for socially vulnerable citizens, hospitals, kindergartens, etc. Ultimately, to one degree or another, all Russians today pay for “foreign” aircraft in our skies.

And now, it's time to talk about new jobs. About, literally, hundreds of thousands of highly skilled jobs. In design bureaus, at factories, at airfields. Sounds like a fairy tale. However, let's see. I am a distrustful person, but now I have reason to believe that my civil Aviation Russia will have. Because otherwise we won't have any aviation.

We need to start with what we already have. Even from the Soviet past. If the aircraft industry is not restored, then there will be no new aircraft. The USSR, literally from scratch, in twenty years has become one of the leaders in the world aircraft industry. You can talk about slave labor and bloody sacrifices, about the terrible Stalin and the exorbitant price. Let's assume that's just the way it was. It turns out that our ancestors, at the cost of huge sacrifices, blood and sweat, created an entire industry out of nothing, without which the country simply would not have survived. And we, strange descendants, naively believed in the slogan “Man to man is a liberal” and all their works were dispelled to the wind.

And now let's talk about Russia's plans for the next 10-15 years for civil aviation.

Russian civil aviation

What aircraft are planned to be put into serial production? Over the next 10-15 years, it is planned to significantly increase the fleet in all areas of aviation: short, medium and long haul.

The niche of short-haul aviation should be occupied by:

• SSJ100;
• Tu-334;
• IL-114;
• IL-112.

The current delivery plan for the Il-114-300 aircraft includes 100 aircraft. Serial production will begin in 2022. Today, the Irkut plant can produce 12 aircraft per year. Only the production of this machine will save public funds in the amount of about five billion dollars.

From 2019 it will go into the Il-112 series. Over seven years, it is planned to build about 300 aircraft: 150 aircraft will be purchased by the Ministry of Defense (as a military transport aircraft), and the second half will go to civil aviation.

Medium range aircraft:

• MS-21;
• Tu-204;
• Tu-214.

The developers assure that the MS-21 is superior to foreign analogues in terms of comfort, costs 20% less, and the operating costs for the MS-21 are 12-15% lower than those of competitors. By 2022, it is planned to produce up to 70 of these aircraft per year. Irkut is ready to produce at least 120 vehicles per year by 2025.

Long haul aircraft:

• IL-96-400M.

It was decided to resume production at the Voronezh plant of the Il-96 aircraft. Modernized. With the subsequent development in this segment of new machines for the domestic and then the external market. For the IL-96-400M, a new engine (more economical), a new comfortable cabin is already ready. In 2019, the first aircraft will be assembled, and mass production will begin in 2020.

In the crisis “under sanctions” 2016, domestic airlines carried more than 88 million passengers. However, the planes are no longer enough. There is a real demand for civil aviation services. And it will only grow. If only for the reason that in the coming years it is planned to restore airfields abandoned after the collapse of the USSR on the territory of modern Russia. There are also plans for the development of small aircraft.

As you understand, this is not only a matter of money. This is one of the important aspects of ensuring the sovereignty and, if you like, the integrity and independence of the country. Russia's own civil aviation is not a whim. This is a vital necessity.

CIVIL AVIATION, the branch of transport that carries out air transportation. Civil aviation provides transportation of passengers, mail and cargo; used to protect agricultural plants from pests, for aerial photography of the area, exploration of minerals, protection forest areas(including extinguishing fires), for medical and sanitary purposes, etc. Civil aviation has a fleet of aircraft (airplanes and helicopters), a network overhead lines, airports, airfields with a system of technical facilities, radio and weather stations, factories and repair and technical bases, research and educational institutions.

Civil aviation arose in Europe and America after the 1st World War. In France and Germany, as a mode of transport, it began to develop from 1920-21. In Russia in November 1921, on the basis of the Decree "On Air Traffic" (dated 17.1.1921), a mixed Russian-German Society of Air Communications ("Deruluft", "Deruluft") was formed. Regular flights on the first international postal and passenger line Moscow - Koenigsberg opened on May 1, 1922 (in 1926 the line was extended to Berlin). In the USSR, civil aviation (Aeroflot) began its development in 1923 (the All-Russian Society for Voluntary air fleet"Goodwill"). The peak of transportation in the country dates back to the end of the 1980s, when Aeroflot annually transported more than 120 million passengers, about 3 million tons of cargo, over 400 thousand tons of mail. The share of air transport accounted for up to 20% of the total passenger traffic, and on long-distance routes (4 thousand km or more) - over 80%.

The main indicators of civil aviation aircraft engaged in air transportation (AP): passenger capacity, takeoff weight, flight speed, etc. By purpose, they distinguish passenger planes local air lines (MVL) and trunk. In Russia, depending on the takeoff weight, aircraft are divided into light - category AP-23 and the rest - AP-25. MVL are represented by light aircraft (An-2, L-410, An-28, etc.), as a rule, included in the AP-23 category; are characterized by the ability to take off from unpaved runways (up to 550 m long) and a flight range of up to 1000 km (for Russian Federation the network of such airports is more than 50%). The aviation complex of long-haul aircraft includes short-haul, medium- and long-haul aircraft (Navy, SMS and DMS, respectively). Naval Forces (for example, Yak-40, An-24, Tu-134, Il-114) connect regional centers located in the European part of the Russian Federation and located at a distance of 500-1500 km from each other. SMS (Yak-42, Tu-154, Tu-104, Tu-214, A-320, A-310, V-731, V-757, etc.), with a flight range of up to 5000 km, fly between remote regional centers Russian Federation, and also carry out intracontinental flights. The DMS includes Tu-114, Il-62, Il-96, V-747, A-340 and others with a flight range of over 5000 km (for example, Moscow - Khabarovsk). In accordance with the requirements for flight safety as independent class allocate intercontinental aircraft (modifications of DMS) capable of performing non-stop flights up to 18,000 km (for example, London - Sydney) based in high-class airports in the world.

Agricultural, medical, training and other aircraft belong to general aviation (GA). Most of the MVL aircraft after completion (modification) can be used in GA. Transport aircraft of civil aviation (created, as a rule, on the basis of military transport aviation) according to their carrying capacity are divided into light - up to 10 tons (An-26, An-32), medium - up to 50 tons (Il-76, An-70) and heavy - over 50 tons (An-124, An-225). Sometimes modifications of mainline aircraft are used as transport aircraft (for example, Tu-214, Il-96). Other types of aircraft, which are less common in aviation (airships, helicopters, ekranoplanes, gyroplanes, etc.), are classified similarly.

The basis for the development of civil aviation is the need for continuous cost reduction air transportation. The greater the number of passengers placed on the plane, the more economical it is. In civil aviation, airlines operate aircraft that can accommodate 350-550 passengers: B-747, B-747-200 (Boeing); Il-86, Il-96; L-1011 (Lockheed); DC-10 (firm " McDonnell Douglas"). Their appearance opened the era of wide-body jet passenger aircraft. It can be argued that the main trend in civil aircraft construction will be an increase in passenger capacity, as well as a transition to supersonic passenger aircraft (SPS). The first generation of such aircraft has already been created (the Soviet Tu-144 aircraft, the Anglo-French Concorde aircraft). The operation of these aircraft did not give the expected results in reducing the cost of transportation due to low fuel efficiency, and also because of the unresolved problem of reducing the noise level during supersonic flight. Research aimed at solving these and other problems is being carried out by the leading aviation powers. We should expect the appearance of the second generation SPS with a flight speed corresponding to the cruising number M = 2.2-2.5 (M - Mach number); with increased by 40-50% (compared to the first generation SPS) aerodynamic quality; with a 15-20% reduced dead weight of the aircraft and increased fuel efficiency by 1.5-2 times. It is promising to develop a variable cycle gas turbine ramjet engine, which is 20% or more economical than existing engines that provide supersonic flight. This will make it possible to create a second-generation SPS (velocities correspond to M = 4.5) with an intercontinental flight range.

The main criterion for the effectiveness of civil aviation in the 21st century is flight safety. The development of civil aircraft construction is aimed at reducing the takeoff weight of aircraft, increasing the aerodynamic quality, as well as reducing the specific fuel consumption.

Lit .: Eger S. M., Matveenko A. M., Shatalov I. A. Fundamentals of aviation technology. 3rd ed. M., 2003.

Chapter IV. DOMESTIC CIVIL AVIATION

After the completion of the October Revolution of 1917, the Russian air fleet numbered about 1000 aircraft, 35 thousand personnel, the vast majority of which were at the disposal of the military department. There were no planes specifically for transportation. In the countries of the West and in the USA there were then a larger number of military, civil, and transport aircraft than in Soviet Russia. By 1918, England already had more than 22,000 aircraft and about 30,000 pilots. France had about 68,000 aircraft. Revolutionary transformations in Russia also embraced its air fleet. A new aviation control apparatus began to take shape.

The Soviet government created at the end of October 1917. The Bureau of Commissars of Aviation and Aeronautics at Smolny, which began the formation of new, red air squadrons in Petrograd. December 20, 1917 The bureau was transformed into the All-Russian Collegium for Air Fleet Management of the Republic (Uvoflot). Implementing the policy of the government, the collegium issued an order that demanded that aviation be fully preserved for the working people. It was one of the first official documents on the prospect of using aviation in the interests of socialist construction.

In April 1918 at the All-Russian Collegium for Air Fleet Control of the Republic, which was headed by military pilot K.V. Akashev, a department for the use of aviation in the national economy was created. The department was entrusted with the organization of aerial photography of lands and forests, as well as the creation of an air mail and passenger line between Moscow and Kharkov. (May 1, 1918 this line was opened by the pilot M.D. Lerhe)

In May 1918 Uvoflot was transformed into the Main Directorate of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Air Fleet (Glavvozdukhflot), headed by the Soviet. Later, collegiality in Glavvozdukhflot was replaced by a one-man chief, and K.V. was appointed his first head. Akasheva.

The Soviet government took steps to establish a domestic aviation industry for the production of its aircraft and engines. In 1919 the Commission for Heavy Aviation (COMTA) was created, which began its activities with the design of a twin-engine transport aircraft to replace the outdated Muroms and organized the construction of the first domestic aircraft engine.

In March 1919, the III Air Congress of the Russian Republic took place, which paid attention to the use of aviation for peaceful purposes. In the journal Vestnik Vozdukhovoy Fleet, published since 1918, a special department of civil aviation was created to promote the experience of using aircraft in the national economy. Prominent civil aviation organizers I.A. Valentey, V.M. Vishnev, A.I. Lapchinsky, I.S. Peretersky and others.

In the end civil war aircraft as a means of transport began to be used more widely for the transport of passengers and mail. During this period, special attention was paid to the education of aviation personnel, although gross mistakes were made that did not allow many talented aviators to be saved for Russia. Famous designer I.I. Sikorsky, ace pilot D.N. Prokofiev-Seversky, aircraft pilots V.V. Slyusarenko, A.A. Agafonov, gifted researcher and organizer S.A. Ulyanin, pilot number two N.E. Popov, Colonel E.V. Rudnev and others were forced to emigrate abroad.

The main source of personnel for aviation was the former aviation school of the Moscow Aeronautics Society, renamed the Moscow Aviation School with branches in Yegorievsk and Zaraysk. The head of this school was appointed student N.E. Zhukovsky, an outstanding pilot B.K. Welling. In a difficult time for the country, its cadets mastered flying skills on old, worn-out Farmans, Vdazens, and Morans. Flights were often disrupted due to lack of fuel. Enthusiast instructors of the Moscow Aviation School Yu.A. Bratolyubov, V.B. Agafonov, I.K. Polyakov, A.I. Zhukov, I.M. Vinogradov and others sought to prepare a worthy young replacement of pilots for military and civil aviation. Pilots N.I., who later became famous, came out of the walls of this school. Shebanov, M.M. Gromov, M.P. Dauge and many others.

In connection with the development of aviation flights for peaceful purposes, it became necessary to prepare airfields more suitable for aircraft. In September 1920, the Council of People's Commissars decided to allocate 30 thousand rubles for such construction in Saratov, Rzhev and Kirsanov. Experiments were again being conducted on the use of aerial vehicles for civilian purposes for photographing from the air in the interests of various departments. The very first aerial photographs of Moscow revealed the complete discrepancy between its old plans and reality. In Petrograd, all the ships sunk on the Neva were discovered.

A significant event in the history of the formation of domestic civil aviation was the adoption on January 17, 1921 of the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the Republic "On Air Movement". The reason for this was the violation in June 1920 of our border by an Estonian aircraft. Laws and rules on the protection of the air borders of the RSFSR did not yet exist, and since Estonia rejected the proposal of the Soviet government to conclude an Air Convention, he decided to develop his own rules on the prohibition of flights of the borders of the Soviet Republic by foreign aircraft. Thus the decree was born.

This document became the first state legislative act regulating the movement of aircraft over the territory of the RSFSR and its waters. The decree established that only persons who had passed the test for the title of pilot were allowed to fly aircraft. The procedure and conditions for the use of aviation, its guidance systems, both in the air and on the ground, were determined. The decree provided for a clear procedure for flights of foreign aircraft over the territory of the Russian state. Takeoff and landing of foreign ships was allowed only at airfields that had customs. Cases of violations of these rules were subject to consideration only in the Soviet judicial authorities. The decree extended to all kinds of ships serving to move in airspace, including automatic (unmanned) aircraft. Later, the provisions of this decree formed the basis of the Air Code of the USSR, approved in 1932.

The importance of these documents was that they contributed to the organizational formation of civil aviation and its multi-purpose use in the national economy.

In November 1921 a mixed "Russian-German Society of Air Communications" - "Deruluft" was formed. Regular flights on the first international postal-passenger line Moscow-Kenigsberg were opened on May 1, 1922. pilot I.F. Voedilo.

At the beginning of December 1922 The Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic decided to create an Inspectorate of the Civil Air Fleet (CAF) under the Main Directorate of the Air Fleet. The functions of the Inspectorate of the Civil Air Fleet included: developing measures for the use of civil aviation in the national economy, determining the pace of its development, exercising supervision and general technical control over the air lines being opened. The first Chief Inspector of the Civil Air Fleet was Professor Ivan Sergeevich Peretersky, who taught at aviation educational institutions. He is credited with developing the problem of the civil use of the air fleet, the basic principles for the development of domestic civil aviation.

February 9, 1923 The Council of Labor and Defense (STO) adopted a resolution on the organization of the Council for Civil Aviation under the Main Directorate of the Air Fleet. The resolution legislated the creation of a new branch of the national economy - civil aviation. The Inspectorate of the Civil Air Fleet was entrusted with the functions of the executive and technical body of the Council, which directed all the activities of the GA in the USSR. February 9, 1923 became the official date of birth of domestic civil aviation.

March 17, 1923 The first air transport enterprise of the RSFSR, Dobrolet, was created. In the same year, similar companies appeared in Transcaucasia - "Zakavia" and in Ukraine - "Ukrvozdukhput". In December 1929 on their basis, a single society "Dobrolet USSR" was formed.

"Dobrolet" played a big role in the training of the first pilots and technicians for civil aviation. For the training of flight personnel, courses were organized to retrain military pilots and technicians to civilians. According to the special program approved by Glavvozdukhflot, the pilots were required to study air law, air line service, meteorology, engine science and the material part of the Junkers aircraft. Upon completion of the courses, aviators received pilot certificates and were allowed to fly on civil aviation lines that were being prepared for opening. A 1st class pilot license gave the right to fly with passengers and cargo, and a 2nd class license to fly without passengers.

At that time, many military pilots participating in the Civil War became civil aviation pilots. Among them, A.D. Alekseev, I.F. Voedilo, I.V. Doronin, M.T. Slepnev, A.I. Tomashevsky, A.K. Tumansky, and others. "Dobrolet" was equipped with the first in the USSR regular air line Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod which opened on July 15, 1923. The first flight was performed by the pilot Yakov Nikolaevich Moiseev.

A large public organization "Russian Society of Friends of the Air Fleet" (ODVF), which arose in March 1923, played a huge political and mobilizing role in the development of domestic aviation. Members of the society campaigned for the creation of the Red Air Fleet, preliminary aviation training of young volunteers - future aviators and defenders of the Fatherland. The collected money was used to purchase and build aircraft for military and civil aviation units.

On August 2, 1923, everywhere, the holiday of the USSR Air Fleet was held for the first time. On this day, aircraft flew over the Khodynka field in Moscow.

In the circular of the Presidium of the ODVF, then sent to all organizations of the country, it was said that "this day, August 2, is now becoming the day of the annual holiday not only of the military air fleet, but also of the civil air fleet, as an organ that unites in its person all the great the task of creating, through the volunteer efforts of workers and peasants, of all citizens of the USSR, a mighty Red Air Fleet.

In 1923, more than 3 million gold rubles of voluntary contributions were received for the development of aviation. This was equal to the first large subsidy of the Soviet government allocated for the development of the air fleet of the republic in 1921.

Since November 1923, the ODVF began to publish the monthly magazine "Airplane". In March 1925, the ODVF merged with the defense society Dobrokhim into a single Society of Friends of Aviation Chemical Defense and Industry of the USSR (Aviakhim), and on January 23, 1927, as a result of the merger of Aviakhim and the USSR Defense Assistance Society (OSO), a new mass organization, Osoaviakhim, emerged, which played an important role in the development of Soviet military and civil aviation, the training of personnel for it.

In 1923, when civil aviation was organizationally created, three air lines began to operate regularly in the USSR:

Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod (society "Dobrolet");

Moscow-Tiflis (firm "Junkers");

Moscow-Keninsberg (society "Deruluft").

October 19, 1923 The STO approved a tentative plan for the development of air lines for 1924-1926, which became the first experience of state planning of airlines and provided for the opening of new air routes with a length of over 6 thousand km. in industrial regions, as well as in Siberia, on Far East, in Transcaucasia and Middle

Asia. The development of air routes by Soviet aviators took place in difficult conditions: there were no means of navigation and communication, and meteorological support for flights. Despite these difficulties, the importance of aviation as vehicle increased from year to year. The flights were carried out on passenger metal six-seater Junkers-type aircraft. By the end of the first year of its existence, the Civil Air Fleet had 45 aircraft and 30 pilots, of which 14 were citizens of the USSR, and 16 were foreigners. The Civil Air Fleet performed 863 flights on the lines, transported 2453 passengers, more than 45 tons of cargo and soil, flying 461 thousand km.

Pilots and aircraft technicians were trained in military aviation schools: Moscow, Leningrad, Kachinskaya, Borisoglebskaya, Serpukhov, Orenburg, Volskaya. Engineers for civil aviation were trained by the Faculty of Air Communications of the Leningrad Institute of Communications. Among its graduates was V.B. Shavrov, who later became a well-known designer and scientist.

In 1924 was designed for civil aviation by TsAGI engineers V.L. Alexandrov. V.V. Kalinin and A.M. Cheremukhin, the first Soviet four-seat passenger wooden aircraft AK-1. It had a Salmson engine of 170hp, (speed 145km/h, flight ceiling 2200m). Under the leadership of A.N. Tupolev, the ANT-2 was built, the first in the USSR all-metal two-seat passenger aircraft made of chain aluminum. Domestic aircraft AK-1, U-2, K-5, ANT-4 entered the domestic airlines. Successfully operated since 1925. five-seat passenger aircraft PM-1 on the routes Moscow-Leningrad, Moscow-Berlin and was not inferior to foreign aircraft "Dornier", "Junkers" and "Fokker". For the Civil Air Fleet, 10 such machines were built. In 1926 Soviet flights to the Mongolian People's Republic began. In 1927 Lines Leningrad-Berlin, Tashkent-Kabul were opened.

In October 1928 our civil aviation was first presented at international exhibition in Berlin, where 26 states participated. The USSR exhibited ANT-3, K-4 and U-2. The K-4 aircraft (designed by K.A. Kalinin) was produced in passenger, ambulance aerial photography versions. Kalinin's planes turned out to be more economical than other civil aircraft of that time, both ours and foreign ones, and were widely used in the civil aviation of the USSR.

The foreign press spoke approvingly of the Soviet machines exhibited at the Berlin exhibition.

In the second half of 1928, mass production of the first-born of the domestic heavy aircraft industry ANT-4 (TB-1) began. This twin-engine all-metal monoplane surpassed in its data all foreign aircraft of this type. He entered civil aviation under the name "Country of the Soviets". Takeoff weight it was more than 7 tons, speed - up to 207 km / h. All subsequent Soviet bombers and American "flying fortresses" became essentially a development of the TB-1 type.

For 1923-1928. The Civil Air Fleet transported over 28 thousand passengers and about 700 tons of cargo. In the 1920s, flights were made with the aim of developing new air routes, checking the quality of domestic aircraft and engines. They were attended by B.K. Welling, M.M. Gromov, A.N. Ekatov, A.I. Tomashevsky, S.A. Shestakov and other pilots.

GVF by the end of 1928. carried out not only transportation, but also found its application in agriculture, aerial photography, forestry, meteorology, scientific research, animal hunting, geological exploration, development of the vast expanses of the Soviet Union. The absence in the country of its own developed aviation industry forced the civil fleet in the years of its formation to use imported foreign materiel, engines and spare parts. Since 1925, a number of designs of domestic, aerial photographic ambulance aircraft of the K-1, K-3, ANT-3, ANT-4, U-2 and other types have been created in the USSR, which began to enter service in the Civil Air Fleet, although their mass production is still was not organised.

In order to improve the civil air fleet management system, the STO of the USSR on July 29, 1927 adopted the "Regulations on Civil Aviation", canceling the position of the STO of the RSFSR of February 9, 1923. The status of the Civil Aviation Council was raised, which from that time was subordinate to the People's Commissariat for Military and maritime affairs and was removed from subordination to Glavvozdukhflot. The Council was entrusted with the supervision of civil aviation in the USSR and the management of its development; issuance of permits for the opening of new air lines and consideration of financial and operational reports of air communication companies.

Along with organizational changes, the mode of work of personnel was improved. The Civil Air Fleet Inspectorate established the pilot's flight time limit on overhead lines - 75 hours per month with a flight duration of not more than 8 hours per day and with rest after that 16 hours; with daily rest - after two days of work. In some cases, at the request of the flight crew, a flight time of up to 90 hours was allowed.

For 1923-1928. the material and technical foundations of the domestic civil air fleet were laid. Starting with the organization on a public and commercial basis of the first airlines, which were of an artisanal nature, having neither experience nor sufficient funds, the Civil Air Fleet by the end of 1928. already had permanently operating airlines and a generally positive financial balance. Civil Air Fleet has become a new promising mode of transport. During this period, the organizational formation of civil aviation took place.

Original taken from denisgershman in CIVIL AVIATION OF RUSSIA: WINGS OF THE COUNTRY OF SOVIETS

February 9, 1923 - 93 years since the birth of the Civil Aviation of our country.
How it was? There were harsh years of industrialization. In the two decades of its existence, the industry has made an extraordinary leap in development.

For those who are in a hurry Short story the birth of civil aviation in infographics:

For those who are ready to learn more, read on.

Wings of the country of the Soviets

First civil airfield USSR was on Khodynka field

Regular flights Moscow - Smolensk - Kovno (Kaunas) - Koenigsberg - Berlin have already been made from here. By 1922, 100 flights were made on this line and 338 passengers were transported. Aircraft transported mail, civil servants and private individuals.

February 9, 1923
The Council of Labor and Defense of the USSR adopted a resolution adopted a resolution "On the organization of the Council for Civil Aviation" and "On the assignment of technical supervision of air lines to the Main Directorate of the Air Fleet." This date is considered Happy birthday to the civil air fleet of Russia

March 17, 1923 created Russian Joint Stock Company Voluntary Air Fleet — "Dobrolet", the predecessor of Aeroflot.

(Note by denisgrshman: In addition to Dobrolet, two more airlines, Zakavia (Baku) and Ukrvozdukhput (Kharkov), were created in the USSR, but since they now belong to other states, I will focus on history "Dobrolet")

Society was createdto promote the development of the country's air fleet. The authorized capital amounted to 2 million rubles. gold. The main goal was the organization of air mail, passenger and cargo lines, the solution of problems of the national economy related to aviation (for example, aerial photography of the area), as well as the development of the Soviet aviation industry.Geographically, the activities of this organization covered Russia and Central Asia.

Anyone who wished could buy Dobrolet shares and support the domestic aircraft industry with their own ruble.

June 10, 1923. - more than 500,000 rubles in gold were collected for the purchase of aircraft for Dobrolet - 14 aircraft were ordered at the Moscow office of the Junkers company Junkers F-13 ". Dobrolyot did not have its own aviation specialists then, so I allocated pilots, mechanics and navigators Workers' and Peasants' Red Air Fleet (RKKVF - this was the name of the Air Force of the RSFSR in 1923).

One of the first Dobrolet aircraft at Khodynka field

July 15, 1923"Dobrolyot" received the first batch of four aircraft, named "VSNKh" (All-Union Council of the National Economy), "ODVF" (Society of Friends of the Air Fleet), "Prombank" and "Chervonets". ABOUT The first domestic scheduled passenger airline was opened "Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod" 420 kilometers long.
The appearance of the passenger fleet led to the emergence of several more structures.

The poster issued for the opening of the airline read:
"Measures have been taken so that in the event of a forced descent along the way, passengers can follow the first outgoing train in one direction or another (FREE)."

Departure from Moscow took place at 11.00 from Khodynskoye Pole and about four hours later the first Prombank scheduled flight overcame 408 miles at an altitude of 200 meters, landed in Nizhny Novgorod. The flight was performed by the pilot of Dobrolyot Yakov Moiseev; the passengers of the first flight were the managing director of "Dobrolyot" Alexander Krasnoshchekoe (a very odious person at that time), member of the board of Dobrolyot Ignatius Dzevaltovsky and the head of the airline, Anikin.

Before the first flight

« Junkers "flyed at a speed140 km/h and overcame 500 kmtrack for about4 hoursflight time, but the total air travel time was longer: the aircraft's engines were unreliable, so landings were made every half an hour to an hour of flight to check them. To troubleshoot, the crew included a mechanic. In order not to get lost, they flew only during the day and only along railway, phonehe and whose telegraph were used for communication on the line.

October 19, 1923 The Council of Labor and Defense of the USSR approved a tentative plan for the development of overhead lines. It was envisaged to lay and master the routes Moscow - Petrograd - Western border, Nizhny Novgorod - Kazan, Kazan - Saratov, Baku - Kazakh - Tiflis, Tashkent - Alma-Ata, Tashkent - Aulie-Ata, Bukhara - Termez - Dushanbe. Pilots and prospectors of future air routes had to overcome countless kilometers of roads, mountains and deserts on horseback. By 1929, Dobrolet operated nine all-Union lines with a total length of 12,146 km. Surveys were carried out for the line Moscow - Vladivostok, the opening of the line Khabarovsk - Nikolaevsk - Sakhalin, Arkhangelsk - Kotlas - Syktyvkar was being prepared.

One by one, new air routes are being opened, linking the cities of the Soviet Union with each other and with the cities of the world. Among them, a special place is occupied by aircraft flights through highest mountains Hindu Kush. The Soviet Union assisted Afghanistan in the creation of national aviation

Regular flights to the Arctic and other parts of the country were of great national economic and international importance.

The next point is interesting.
The airline management of those years did not particularly care about the nervous system of passengers. The instructions to passengers, for example, said:

"... After takeoff, it is necessary to monitor the wheels and, if the wheel remains on the ground or comes off in the air, the pilot must be informed about this ..."

"... It is strictly forbidden to touch the cables running along the ceiling of the luggage compartment with your hands, as well as go into luggage compartment behind the toilet (threatening disaster!) ".

Simultaneously with such instructions, the leadership of societies (as well as in other countries) seriously considered the issue of providing each passenger with a parachute.

August 3, 1926- the first international airline was opened Verkhneudinsk (now Ulan-Ude) - Ulaanbaatar.
On August 10, 1926, it was extended to Moscow, and since then it has been Aeroflot's oldest operating international airline - continuously has been in operation for 85 years!

In the 1930s, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a special resolution on civil aviation. The task was set: to start mastering a broad program of aerification of the country. An important role in its solution was played by the patriotic movement "Working people, build your air fleet".

From 1923 to 1928, about 400 aircraft were built from the funds raised by the working people. Here are examples of posters from that time:

(note from denisgershman: If you want to see more posters, this is a great selection. )

April 30, 1928- open line Moscow-Baku-Tehran. IN Peaceful time- it was one of international routes Soviet airline, and during the Great Patriotic War, the air route was the "road of life", which was used by diplomats and military specialists (until 1946 inclusive)

August 1, 1928- new line launched Moscow-Kazan-Sverdlovsk-Kurgan-Omsk-Nov sibirsk, which by September 18 was extended through Krasnoyarsk to Irkutsk

Dobrolet route map to 1930

In 1930, the operation of the first Soviet passenger aircraft began in the civil air fleet. ANT-9 And K-5

The layout of the 9-seater three-engine ANT-9 and interior photos

8-seat passenger aircraft K-5 - the main aircraft of Aeroflot until 1940

November 6, 1931 year on the territory of "Khodynka" opened the first in the USSR passenger terminal- one of the largest in the world. In a 4,000 sq. m. there are ticket offices, customs, a waiting room, a post office and a service area. The planes were served for landing directly to the terminal. In 1936-1937, the airfield was reconstructed, a concrete runway was built, and in 1938 a metro line was brought to the airport with the Aeroport station of the same name.

This airfield, which was already located within the city, was the base for aircraft of the Civil Air Fleet until the mid-40s, when all flights were transferred to Bykovo and Vnukovo airports.

February 25, 1932 The Main Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet (GU GVF) was formed, and March 25 the official name of the Soviet civil aviation was established Aeroflot. For its employees, uniforms and insignia are introduced, 12 categories of personnel have appeared - civilian analogues of military ranks. Fifteen years after its founding, Aeroflot became largest airline world and remained so until 1991.

1935- Unified air ticket forms appeared, the same for both domestic and foreign airlines. In this form, they lasted until the mid-40s.



Gelendzhik - Tuapse ticket

June 9, 1936- a decree was issued by the head of the Main Directorate of the Russian Federation on improving the quality of service on board Aeroflot aircraft: from now on, it was forbidden to carry cargo in passenger cabins, carpets were laid there, seats were covered with covers, buffets were equipped.

September 13, 1936- the first airport in the modern Moscow air hub "Bykovo" begins the departure and reception of regular passenger and cargo flights of Aeroflot. Then there were no artificial surfaces and the airfield was of limited use for the operation of aircraft during rains and spring thaws.
A short asphalt concrete strip appeared at Bykovo only in 1960. From here planes flew to Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan, Vologda, Voronezh, Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod), Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Izhevsk, Kazan, Kursk, Makhachkala, Mineral water, Rostov-on-Don, Saratov, Simferopol, Kharkov, Stalingrad (now Volgograd), Syktyvkar, Ukhta, Ufa and Chelyabinsk. And also to the Baltic cities. At different times, Li-2, Il-12, Il-14, An-24, L-410, Yak-40 and Yak-42 were based in Bykovo. The last two cars performed the first passenger flights from this airport.

June 19, 1937 the Department of International Air Lines of the Civil Air Fleet was formed, one of the main tasks of which is the organization of international commercial air transportation between the Soviet Union and foreign states. In the years 39-41, the Directorate was headed by the legend of Soviet aviation, the famous pilot Valentina Grizodubova. In this position, she proved herself to be a talented organizer by opening the first regular flights to Europe.

The very first route was Moscow-Velikie Luki - Stockholm

May 5, 1939 in " Aeroflot" got its first flight attendant - a 20-year-old Muscovite Elsa Gorodetskaya
At that time, flight attendants were miniature - no heavier than 52 kg, no higher than 162 cm. There was no flight attendant position in the staff list, so the girl was issued a storekeeper, but the word "flight attendant" was not called a barmaid then. Before the flight, she had to buy groceries at the airport restaurant, pack them together with dishes in a suitcase and load them on board the aircraft. In addition, before departure, the stewardess cleaned the plane - changed the curtains on the windows and headrests on the seats, wiped the dust, etc. And in flight, she prepared sandwiches and brewed tea - she also received boiling water in thermoses at the airport.
The first flight served by Elza Eduardovna was carried out along the route Moscow-Ashgabat.
Travel time, with two landings, was 13 hours. At that time, the latest PS-84 aircraft, based on Douglas DC-3, had just begun to fly on this line, later it became known as Li-2

January 1, 1940- Airplane Li-2 goes route Moscow-Kazan-Sverdlovsk-Kurgan-Omsk-Nov sibirsk-Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk and becomes the main aircraft of Aeroflot until 1947

If we talk about the entire industry as a whole, then the number of aviation specialists from 1930 to 1939 increased from 173 to 3488 people.

Aircraft designed by Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev, Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin, Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov constituted an era in the world aircraft industry. Already in 1933, 87.5% of the country's air fleet was made up of domestic aircraft. And since 1935, the country has operated aircraft only of domestic production.

Aircraft ANT-14 "Pravda" - version of ANT-9 increased to 36 passengers

At the Air Parade

January 8, 1940- Aeroflot launches daily flights on the route Moscow-Minsk-Bialystok-Kaliningrad-Gdans to-Berlin.
The route was operated jointly with the German "Deutsche Lufthansa". The flight was a connecting flight: Soviet planes flew to Königsberg, where passengers spent the night, and German planes flew to Berlin. The Douglas DC-3 cruised on the line, the travel time was 24 hours, taking into account connections and overnight stays.

Ahead was the Great Patriotic War ....

This period deserves a separate story in one of the following posts.

Materials used in preparation

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