What is civil aviation. We stand on the wing. What successes has domestic civil aviation achieved? Moving from one category to another

Civil aviation pilots are specialists who are completely dedicated to life in the skies. These are fearless people who have challenged fate and passed many tests. Therefore, anyone who dreams of such a profession must realize that his life path will become just as difficult and thorny.

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

The beginning of a long journey

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

Therefore, you should prepare for the fact that you will have to study “tons” of educational material. At the same time, it is not easy to memorize all the information, but to be able to use it competently 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 large categories. This happens due to a strict licensing system that absolutely all pilots are required to pass. It is she who subsequently determines what type of winged machines a person will be able to control.

PPL or private pilot. Possession of this document grants the right to fly small aircraft not intended for freight transport. Simply put, a person can fly as much as he wants for his own pleasure, but no one will hire him.
CPL or commercial pilot. This type of license allows a person to deliver small cargo, make tourist flights and take paratroopers into the sky.
ATPL or Air Line Pilot. What can I say, this is the highest category of pilots, allowing them to fly multi-ton passenger airliners.

civil aviation

Once a person decides to take this path, he is immediately faced with a choice: apply to a flight school or confine himself to a flying school? Oddly enough, both options have their pros and cons, so let's look at them separately.

Let's start with flight schools. higher here, 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 makes it possible to train well-rounded pilots capable of performing their duties efficiently.

As for the minuses, then flight schools and academies recruit based on state orders. This results in 10 to 12 applicants vying for one place. In addition, many accomplished civil aviation pilots complain that the technical base of our educational institutions is noticeably outdated. Because of this, their graduates have to take additional courses in order to understand the features of piloting new aircraft.

But in flight school everyone can do it. What is more important here is whether a person has money for training. The quality of education here is slightly lower, although it largely depends on the school itself and what kind of teachers work there. It is worth noting that it is much easier to obtain a PPL category certificate at a flying 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:

A PPL type certificate can be obtained by candidates who have reached 16 years of age. To do this, they need to master 155 hours of theoretical material and also fly 47 hours on a Cessna 172 type aircraft. On average, training in this category takes from several months to one year, depending on the intensity of the classes and the type of educational institution.
A CPL type certificate can be obtained by candidates who have reached 18 years of age. To do this, they need to have a PPL 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, complete another 30 hours of flights on a navigation simulator and 12 hours on a multi-engine airplane.
An ATPL type certificate is a more complicated version of the CPL license. That is, you will need to learn everything as in the previous categories, only with greater depth in practice. In addition, you will have to work out flight simulations on passenger and cargo airliners.

Passing a medical examination

All civil aviation pilots undergo strict medical testing. Moreover, it is carried out both before the start of training and after its completion. Also, a medical examination will have to be completed annually even after being hired, otherwise the pilot will simply not be allowed to fly.

The difficulty is that any flaw or disease can become a reason for a negative conclusion. If we talk about commercial flights, doctors can prohibit 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 air tower controller.

Finding a suitable job

When looking for work, naturally, all civil aviation pilots in Russia are guided by what license they have. So, if you have a CPL, you should try to get a job with a small airline that provides travel services. Alternatively, you can consider vacancies for instructors in flight schools, but then you will have to complete additional courses.

Much more prospects open up for those who hold an ATPL license. In this case, there is a high probability that a large airline will offer you a job. There is just one thing - most likely you will have to enroll in special courses that will allow you to master the control of an airliner.

The trouble is that their cost is quite high. Consequently, a special agreement will have to be concluded, 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 newcomer is allowed only to the position of 2nd pilot, since the captain’s place requires experience in flying large airplanes(over 1.5 thousand hours).

Responsibilities of a civil aviation pilot

Airlines often disagree on the finer points of internal policies. However, there is something that unites them all - the rigidity of the requirements for their pilots. After all, not only the safety of the aircraft, but also the lives of its passengers depend on this.

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

Fly an airplane professionally.
Always follow safety regulations.
Receive weather reports in advance.
Check the condition of the vessel before starting the flight.
Obediently use the air traffic controller's commands and prompts.

Women civil aviation pilots in Russia

Most people are accustomed 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 women can fly an airplane. But for some reason, even today they are cautiously allowed near large airliners. And yet in Russia there are examples of women managing such giants.

Thus, Olga Kirsanova has been piloting a passenger plane weighing more than one hundred tons for several years. She is sure that anyone can get a seat in the cockpit of a winged car - the main thing is to want it with all your heart. It is true that Olga herself had to work hard to achieve her position, since the management of her airline took a very long time to decide on this appointment.

According to the supervisory authority Federal service According to transport supervision, quantitative accident rates in civil aviation in 2018, compared to 2017, worsened. The number of aviation accidents increased by 13.7%, the number of disasters increased by 66.6%, while the number of accidents decreased by 12.5%, the number of deaths increased by 12.5 times, and the number of injured remained at the same level.

The number of aviation incidents increased by 2.3%, the number of emergencies doubled, and the number of damages increased aircraft on the ground by 46.4%.

Gosavianadzor and its territorial bodies carried out 5,907 inspections for 8 months of 2018 (in 2017, 15.1% less - 5,014 in relation to subjects and objects of civil aviation, including 428 inspections within the framework of Federal Law-294 (126 planned, 302 unscheduled), 3,913 inspections of aircraft on the apron (raid inspections), 582 inspections on the route (in flight), took part in 124 inspections of other supervisory authorities, carried out 860 supervisory activities on other grounds of current legislation.

The main threats to flight safety identified in 2018 during 5 supervisory activities in the field of civil aviation are:

violation of established requirements during training and retraining of aviation personnel, including flight crews;
deliberate violation of the rules of use airspace Russia, first of all, by aircraft owners who do not have general aviation operator certificates;
lack of personal responsibility of owners, managers and officials of airlines for the state of flight safety, implementation and maintenance of the functioning of the flight safety management system.

In the field of aviation and transport security in air transport, significant problems in the functioning of airports with low flight intensity have been identified. Due to the lack of the required number of personnel and funding for the maintenance of such airports, it is not always possible to even fencing the territory of the airport and the airport runway, where flights are carried out with an intensity of 1-2 flights per week.

Location features, climatic conditions and the volume of traffic at such airports does not allow the full range of activities to be carried out, including the purchase, delivery and installation of engineering and technical safety equipment that meets legal requirements, or makes it impossible to operate them. For example, every year the spring flood destroys a significant part of the perimeter fence of airports such as Vilyuysk, Verkhnevilyuysk, and Ust-Nera. During spring/autumn storms and during ice drift, the fences of the Cape Kamenny airport from the sea are washed away. Additional problems in implementing the Requirements arise due to the short summer season, which significantly impedes the delivery of construction materials and equipment to the airport, as well as the period of possible construction.

The problem of ensuring aviation and transport security at landing sites and heliports has not been resolved. Currently the legislation Russian Federation, this issue has not been resolved in any way.

To reduce the level of risks and to exchange positive experience in addressing issues of ensuring aviation and transport security in air transport, Rostransnadzor holds quarterly public discussions of law enforcement practice.

An interesting fact is that legislation in the field of transport security creates priorities for foreign carriers on the territory of the Russian Federation. Foreign carriers are not subject to the Federal Law of 02/09/2007 No. 16-FZ “On Transport Security”; the requirements for ensuring transport security, including requirements for anti-terrorist protection of objects (territories), taking into account security levels for various categories, are not applied to them. objects transport infrastructure And Vehicle air transport, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated July 28, 2018 No. 886, which puts Russian carriers in unequal competitive conditions.

Over 8 months in 2018, 29 aviation accidents occurred with civil aircraft of the Russian Federation: 15 disasters and 14 accidents. 112 people were killed and 15 people were injured in aviation accidents.

During the same period in 2017, 25 aviation accidents occurred with civil aircraft of the Russian Federation: 9 disasters and 16 accidents. 19 people were killed and 15 people were injured in aviation accidents.

civil Aviation Russia has come a long and glorious way. Originating in the early 20s of the last century, in the process of its development it became an integral part of the world transport system. Many enterprises that are part of the Rostec State Corporation today took an active part in the development of Russian aviation.

The press service of Rostec informed this correspondent.

The birthday of Russian civil aviation is considered to be February 9, 1923. It was on this day that a civil air fleet officially appeared in our country.

And in March of the same year, the first air transport enterprise, Dobrolet, was created in the USSR and the first domestic airline was opened - Moscow- Nizhny Novgorod. The entire journey from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod, 420 km, was covered in three and a half hours.

By comparison, today it takes 50 minutes. The pilot flew the plane without any connection with the ground, navigating by rivers and railroads. Of course, the flights were carried out only in good weather and during the day.

The aircraft of the air transport company - "Dobrolet" on the first domestic airline - Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod

The party slogan of that time “ Working people, build your own air fleet!” had its effect. In just 5 years, by 1928, 400 aircraft were built using funds raised by the people. Already by the mid-30s, Russia had its own aircraft factories, research institutes, design bureaus and educational institutions where aviation specialists were trained.

The first specialized plant for the production of semi-finished products from aluminum and magnesium alloys for aircraft and aircraft engines was created in the Soviet Union, and subsequently the modern titanium giant, the VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation, grew from its facilities.

And aircraft design teams, headed by Andrei Tupolev, Nikolai Polikarpov and other outstanding domestic scientists, designed and built the first Soviet aircraft.

In the pre-war years, domestic civil aviation crews made a number of record achievements and outstanding long-distance flights, which brought world fame to both the domestic aircraft industry and our pilots.

So, in 1925 a flight was made across the Gobi Desert, in 1926 - a flight over the capitals Western Europe, and already in 1927 a distance record of that time was set - the flight Moscow - Tokyo - Moscow.

Already in 1929, Soviet pilots set a new record - pilot Shestakov flew a distance of 21,242 km from Moscow to New York on the “Country of Soviets” (ANT-4) plane.

A number of heavy multi-engine aircraft were built between 1930 and 1939. The most striking of them was the eight-engine giant ANT-20 Maxim Gorky, which carried 80 passengers, had a maximum speed of 280 km per hour and a flight range of 2000 km. At that time it was the largest aircraft in the world.

The Soviet Union successfully developed civil aviation, air transportation grew, but the Great Patriotic War began, and everything changed dramatically - civil aviation came to the aid of the military. Most of the civilian aircraft were transferred to military units, and the pilots went to the front. Something new appeared in the structure of civil aviation itself - the First Civil Air Transport Division was created air fleet.

She took an active part in the evacuation of residents from besieged Leningrad and delivered cargo to the city. Civil pilots flew more than 46 thousand sorties during the Battle of Stalingrad, flew to besieged Sevastopol, and took part in the battles for Ukraine and the Baltic states. In addition, during the war they flew many times to cities in Europe, Africa and America, providing our country with communications with the allied states.

The act of surrender of Nazi Germany on May 9, 1945 was delivered to Moscow by a Li-2 aircraft, created already during the war years by designer Lisunov on the basis of a civilian passenger plane. Air service, disrupted by the war, began to quickly recover after its end.

Airports began to be re-equipped: instead of the Li-2, Il-12 and Il-14 appeared, and by 1948, the volume of passenger and cargo traffic increased many times over. International airlines also began to develop: in just 10 years after the end of the war, the number of international connections of the USSR tripled, and in 1959 the first international Airport country - the famous Sheremetyevo.

IL-18 on a pedestal

At the end of the 40s, the first jet planes and already in 1956 the world saw the Soviet Tu-104, which greatly surprised everyone. Similar American, English and French aircraft appeared several years later.

Russian jets were a great success, but there were also problems - jet engines required a lot of fuel. Our designers worked quickly and in 1957 aircraft with turbojet engines appeared, which made it possible to significantly save fuel.

The first such aircraft was the Il-18, and it immediately began to be used for long-distance flights, and not only on North Pole, but also to Antarctica. The Il-18 was Aeroflot's main passenger aircraft for a long time; its production continued until 1969.

Il-18 in flight

For longer-distance transportation of large cargoes, for intercontinental flights with a large number of passengers, aircraft with even greater carrying capacity were required. Therefore, A.N. Tupolev opted for a turboprop engine. The Tu-114 passenger aircraft, created in 1957, became such an ultra-long-range aircraft.

At that time, the Tu-114 was the largest aircraft in the world. In the usual version, with a take-off weight of 175 tons and a flight range of 7000 km, it could carry 170 passengers, and when operating on shorter lines, up to 220 people.

The aircraft was equipped with an NK-12M engine, developed by the Samara enterprise Kuznetsov. To this day, it is considered the most powerful turboprop engine in the world.

Tu-114 plane flew to the USA for the first time

The Tu-114 was the flagship of Aeroflot until 1967; it set 32 world records. Even Nikita Khrushchev crossed for the first time Atlantic Ocean to arrive on a visit to the United States on this plane.

The leader of the country needed to impress the Americans with something, and with the help of the intercontinental Tu-114, which was created in deep secrecy, Khrushchev succeeded. Then there was the Tu-144 - the first and one of two supersonic airliners in the world, which also surprised the world.

Airplane Tu-144

But the most popular domestically produced aircraft, the longest-lived aircraft, was the Tu-154. From the moment when test pilot Yu.V. Sukhov first took the Tu-154 into the air on October 9, 1968, this machine opened an entire era in the history of domestic aviation. And only in the late 1980s - early 1990s, to replace the Tu-154 on airlines, the Tupolev Design Bureau developed the Tu-204 medium-range passenger aircraft.

The Tu-204 was supposed to become as widespread as its predecessor, the Tu-154. However, with the collapse of the USSR, funding for the aviation industry fell sharply, and the Tu-204 was supplanted by used Western-made aircraft.

Since the beginning of the 2000s, a number of changes have been made to the design of the Tu-204/214. Airplanes began to be equipped with improved passenger seats and amenities. The avionics were also updated. The new aircraft are equipped with PS-90A engines produced by the Perm Motor Plant, part of the UEC. These same engines are also used on modern Il-96 aircraft.

At the beginning of 2014, aircraft of the Tu-204/214 family form the basis of the aircraft fleet of the government aviation squad - 13 Tu-204 and Tu-214 aircraft of various modifications are operated in the Rossiya SLO.

The deep modernization of the Tu-204 - the Tu-204SM aircraft - may well become a real competitor to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. The maximum take-off weight was increased, the avionics were updated, which made it possible to reduce the crew to two people. Most of the new systems and units were produced at the enterprises of the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern (KRET), part of Rostec.

Today, the state continues to actively develop the civil aviation industry. In particular, in order to regain centralized control over the industry, aviation assets were merged into the UAC (United Aircraft Corporation), prohibitive duties were introduced on the import of foreign aircraft, and funds were invested in the creation of the first civil aircraft since the times of the USSR - Sukhoi SuperJet-100.

NPO Saturn, part of Rostec, together with the French aerospace corporation Snecma, is taking part in the development and production of engines for the new airliner.

Sukhoi SuperJet-100 aircraft

The second development of the domestic aviation industry is approaching - this is a medium-range aircraft of the future generation MS-21. At the Irkut Corporation aviation plant, they began installing the first stations on the automatic assembly line for this aircraft.

Many Rostec enterprises are working on a project to create promising aircraft: KRET enterprises create avionics; Aviadvigatel, a subsidiary of UEC, has developed the PD-14 engine for the aircraft.

The engine is produced by the Perm Motor Plant and the Rybinsk enterprise Saturn. The enterprise of the RT-Chemcomposite holding has organized the production of large-sized stringer panels of the keel caissons for the MC-21.

Medium-range aircraft of the future generation MS-21

The formation of domestic civil aviation is a clear embodiment of the achievements of science, technology and engineering. A huge credit for this goes to our famous aircraft designers. Tupolev, Polikarpov, Ilyushin, Antonov, Mikulin are names that are known throughout the world.

The airplanes they designed and built ushered in a new era of airpower. Today Russia is reviving the traditions of domestic aviation.

Not so long ago, the passenger turnover of air transport in our country exceeded that of railway transport. We have already talked about how the first trains appeared, now “Dilettant”Together with Rostec they will remember the history of civil aviation.

First passenger

Flyer 1 by the Wright Brothers

The Wright brothers lifted the Flyer 1, designed by themselves, into the air for 59 seconds. Then, in 1903, they managed to fly 260 meters. In 1908, five years later, the brothers took their first passenger on board the plane and also their good friend— Charlie Furnos. That same year, Thomas Selfridge died, becoming the first person to die in a plane crash. Despite this, the US Administration entered into a contract with the brothers for the supply of one aircraft, which cost the treasury $25,000. However, the government played it safe by adding a clause to the contract stating that the plane “must fly a distance of 160 kilometers without falling to the ground.”

The Wright brothers lifted Flyer 1 into the air for 59 seconds.

First charter flight

LinerOlympicbecame the destination of the first charter flight

It turned out to be completely unusual. One of the respected passengers of the Olympic liner forgot his glasses and remembered about it only when the ship had already left New York harbor. The Wanamaker carrier company loved its customers so much that they specifically hired British aviator Tom Sopwith. Tom grabbed his glasses, took off in his plane, caught up with the airliner and threw his glasses onto the deck.

First airline

The plane of the St. Petersburg Tampa Airboat

In 1914, 10 years after the Wright brothers' flight, the first airline appeared whose planes flew on a schedule. The first flight schedule included two cities: St. Petersburg and Tampa. In fact, of course, a flight from Russia to America was not possible at that time. Saint Petersburg, or St. Petersburg, is a city in the state of Florida, on west coast. To the east is the city of Tampa. Therefore, the first customers of the first St. Petersburg Tampa Airboat Line could only afford a short half-hour flight from one part of the peninsula to another.

In 1914, a company appeared whose planes flew on schedule

Millionth passenger and flight on autopilot

The first airline to carry more than a million passengers

Already in 1934, the oldest existing airline, DeutscheLufthansa, opened in 1926, reached the symbolic mark of one million passengers transported already in 1934. Two years after its formation, the first device was created in Great Britain that could fly an airplane for some time without the help of a pilot.

The oldest airline currently in existence is DeutscheLufthansa.

First flight attendant

Elin Church - nurse and first flight attendant

American nurse Ellyn Church in 1930 decided once and for all to connect her life with aviation. But since she was not destined to become a pilot, she began serving passengers on board. There were 11 of these on her first voyage.

United Airlines liked the idea so much that within two months they began hiring flight attendants for all of their flights. At that time, by the way, they had quite a lot of work - a hot lunch on board the plane usually included a fruit cocktail, fried chicken, cookies and hot coffee.

Meanwhile in Russia

During the flight, passengers of the Ilya Muromets could walk along the promenade deck

It’s hard to believe, but it was in our country that the world’s first passenger aircraft was designed. While flights were still an experimental matter, engineers of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works under the leadership of Igor Sikorsky already in 1913 designed the Ilya Muromets biplane. The following year, a demonstration flight was carried out: there were 16 people and one dog on board, and the chief engineer of the device, Sikorsky, took the helm. In various modifications, Sikorsky's plane took several world records for flight length, altitude and flight time.

It was in Russia that the world's first passenger aircraft was designed

In general, “Ilya Muromets” is a big breakthrough for aviation. Sikorsky proposed several innovations that are still used in the aircraft industry. For example, he was the first to separate the salon and cockpit, and for the first time a toilet and sleeping rooms appeared on the Ilya Muromets. The salon was heated by gas heating and illuminated by electricity. No one could even imagine such comfort on board at that time.

Situation today

Model of the MS-21 airliner

Russian engineers continue to innovate in the aircraft industry today. One of the most ambitious projects is the Mainline Aircraft of the 21st Century, or simply MC-21. The first flights of the device are planned for 2016, serial production - for 2017. The uniqueness of the MS-21 is that it should become the first “electric aircraft” in Russia. Most of the drilling devices will be converted to electric mechanisms, while auxiliary energy sources will be used in the MS-21, which will ensure the operation of the engines if they stop in the air. To electrify the aircraft, Rostec enterprises have already produced a number of equipment that are undergoing testing.

MI-38 will be built at the Kazan Helicopter Plant

Not only airplanes, but also helicopters have become widespread in civil aviation. Since they are not designed for mass Passenger Transportation, they are used in a variety of fields. For example, the Ansat light helicopter of the Russian Helicopters holding is used in air ambulances: the medical version of this aircraft delivers patients to medical institutions and also allows the victim to be resuscitated directly on board. And the MI-38, which began to be produced in 2015, can generally be transformed from a civilian helicopter into a military one.

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

February 9, 1923 - 93 years since the birth of civil aviation in our country.
How it was? There were harsh years of industrialization. Over 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 origins of civil aviation in infographics:

And who is ready to find out the details, then read on

Wings of the Land of Soviets

First civil airfield The USSR was on Khodynka field

From here there were already regular flights Moscow - Smolensk - Kovno (Kaunas) - Koenigsberg - Berlin. By 1922, this line operated 100 flights and carried 338 passengers. The planes carried mail, government employees and private citizens.

February 9, 1923
The Council of Labor and Defense of the USSR adopted a resolution adopted a resolution "On the organization of the Civil Aviation Council" 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 Russian Civil Air Fleet

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

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

The 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 to organize air mail, passenger and cargo lines, solve 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.The territorial activities of this organization covered Russia and Central Asia.

Anyone could buy shares of Dobrolet and use their own ruble to support the domestic aircraft industry.

June 10, 1923. - more than 500,000 rubles in gold were collected for the purchase of aircraft for Dobrolet - 14 aircraft were ordered from the Moscow representative office of the Junkers company " Junkers F-13 " Dobrolet did not have its own aviation specialists at that time, so it allocated pilots, mechanics and navigators Workers' and Peasants' Red Air Fleet (RKKVF - that’s what they were called in 1923 Air Force RSFSR).

One of the first Dobrolet aircraft on Khodynskoye Field

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

The poster released for the opening of the airline read:
“Measures have been taken so that in the event of a forced descent on the route, passengers can follow the first departing train in one direction or another (FREE).”

The departure from Moscow took place at 11.00 from Khodynsky Field and approximately four hours later the first regular Prombank aircraft, covered 408 miles at an altitude of 200 meters, landed in Nizhny Novgorod. The flight was carried out by Dobrolet pilot Yakov Moiseev; The managing director of Dobrolet became passengers on the first flight. Alexander Krasnoshchekoe (a very odious person at that time), member of the board of Dobrolet Ignatius Dzevaltovsky and the head of the airline Anikin.

Before the first flight

« Junkers" flew at speed140 km/h and overcame 500 kmthe route is approximately4 hoursflight time, but the total air travel time was longer: the plane’s engines were unreliable, so to check them, landings were made every half hour to an hour of flight. To troubleshoot problems, the crew included a mechanic. To avoid getting lost, we flew only during the day and only along railway, telephonehe and the telegraph which he used for communication on the line.

October 19, 1923 The Council of Labor and Defense of the USSR approved an indicative plan for the development of air lines. It was planned to lay and develop the routes Moscow - Petrograd - Western Border, Nizhny Novgorod - Kazan, Kazan - Saratov, Baku - Kazakh - Tiflis, Tashkent - Alma-Ata, Tashkent - Aulie-Ata, Bukhara - Termez - Dushanbe. To pilots and prospectors of future airways I had to cross countless kilometers of roads, mountains and deserts on horseback. By 1929, Dobrolet was operating nine all-Union lines total length 12146 km. Research was carried out for the Moscow - Vladivostok line, preparations were being made for the opening of the Khabarovsk - Nikolaevsk - Sakhalin, Arkhangelsk - Kotlas - Syktyvkar line.

One after another, new air routes are opening, connecting the cities of the Soviet Union with each other and with cities around the world. Among them, a special place is occupied by aircraft flights through highest mountains Hindu Kush. The Soviet Union provided assistance to Afghanistan in creating national aviation

Regular flights to the Arctic and other parts of the country were of great 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 notified about this...”

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

Simultaneously with such instructions, the management 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 the oldest operating international airline"Aeroflot" - 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 begin the development of a broad program of aerification of the country. The patriotic movement played an important role in its decision "Working people, build your own air fleet".

From 1923 to 1928, about 400 aircraft were built using funds raised by workers. 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- line open 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 opened Moscow-Kazan-Sverdlovsk-Kurgan-Omsk-Nov Osibirsk, which by September 18 was extended through Krasnoyarsk to Irkutsk

Map of Dobrolet routes to 1930

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

Layout of the 9-seat three-engine ANT-9 and photo of the interior

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

November 6, 1931 year, the first in the USSR was opened on the territory of Khodynka passenger terminal- one of the largest in the world. In a building with an area of 4 thousand square meters. m. located ticket offices, customs, waiting room, post office and service area. The planes were brought in for landing directly at the airport terminal. In 1936-1937, the airfield was reconstructed, a concrete runway was built, and in 1938 a metro line with the Airport station of the same name was connected to the airport.

This airfield, already located within the city, was the base for Civil Air Fleet aircraft 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 Civil Air Fleet) was formed, and March 25 the official name of Soviet civil aviation was established Aeroflot. Uniforms and insignia were introduced for its employees, and 12 categories of personnel appeared - civilian analogues of military ranks. 15 years after its founding, Aeroflot became largest airline world and remained so until 1991.

1935- unified air ticket forms have appeared, the same for both domestic and external airlines. They existed in this form until the mid-40s.

Ticket Gelendzhik - Tuapse

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 passenger cabins It was forbidden to transport cargo, carpets were laid there, seats were covered with covers, and buffets were equipped.

September 13, 1936- the first airport in the modern Moscow air hub "Bykovo" Aeroflot begins departure and reception of regular passenger and cargo flights. At that time there were no artificial surfaces and the airfield was only partially suitable for aircraft operation during rains and spring thaw.
A short asphalt concrete strip appeared in 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. IN different time The following were based in Bykovo: Li-2, Il-12, Il-14, An-24, L-410, Yak-40 and Yak-42. The last two cars completed the first passenger flights from this airport.

June 19, 1937 The Directorate 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 transport between the Soviet Union and foreign states. In 39-41 the Directorate was headed by a legend Soviet aviation famous pilot Valentina Grizodubova. In this post, she proved herself to be a talented organizer, opening the first regular flights to Europe.

The very first route was Moscow-Velikiye Luki - Stockholm

May 5, 1939 V " Aeroflot has 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 position of flight attendant in the staffing table, so the girl was assigned as a storekeeper, but the word “flight attendant” was not yet called a barmaid. Before departure, she had to buy groceries at the airport restaurant, pack them along with the dishes in a suitcase and load them on board the plane. In addition, before departure, the flight attendant cleaned the plane - changed the curtains on the windows and headrests on the seats, wiped off dust, etc. And during the flight, she prepared sandwiches and brewed tea - she also received boiling water in thermoses at the airport.
The first flight, served by Elsa Eduardovna, was carried out along the route Moscow-Ashgabat.
Travel time, with two stops, was 13 hours. The newest aircraft PS-84, based on the Douglas DC-3, had just begun to fly on this line, later it became known as Li-2

January 1, 1940- Airplane Li-2 the route comes out Moscow-Kazan-Sverdlovsk-Kurgan-Omsk-Nov Osibirsk-Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk and became the main aircraft of Aeroflot until 1947

If we talk about the entire industry as a whole, the number of aviation specialists from 1930 to 1939 increased from 173 to 3,488 people.

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

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

At the Air Parade

January 8, 1940- Aeroflot opens daily services on the route Moscow-Minsk-Bialystok-Kaliningrad-Gdans-Berlin.
The route was operated jointly with the German Deutsche Lufthansa. The flight was a connecting one: Soviet planes flew to Königsberg, where passengers spent the night, and German planes flew to Berlin. Douglas DC-3s operated on the line; the travel time was 24 hours, including connections and overnight stays.

The Great Patriotic War was ahead...

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

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