Honored pilot Tester of the USSR Baskakov in the village of "Soviet Russia" - Independent People's Gazeta

Its creation marked a new era of heavy wide-body aircraft. And only after a long time after a long time, such gigids appeared as C-5A, DS-10, Boeing 747 - and this is a revolution in technology, overcoming the psychological barrier, and all this thanks to the An-22.

Our first An-22 aircraft No. 01-01 was not a serial execution, and there were tests of systems and other works related to the enclosure of the aircraft at the Early Stage.

Airplane 01-04 was intended for factory and government tests for basic programs: stability, controllability in booster and servorval (backup) control modes, strength, lt.h., hardware, sau, flute characteristics of the SAU aircraft, achieving a ship by Speed \u200b\u200band overload.

O. K. Antonov instructed this work to hold me, 34-year-old test pilot. Since the majority of our flights had to go to the offset of government tests, the second pilot was appointed from the military test pilot, Colonel Buryxin A. Ya.

We fulfilled most of the work in Tashkent in early 1967, the rest - in Kiev.

The plane, despite the revolutionary novelty of many systems, was extremely successful. Especially the aircraft management system. A single-channel booster control system of height and aileron was reserved by servor controlled control with its automatic inclusion when the pressure decreases in the booster system below the threshold value. For a military transport aircraft - this is the basis of reliability.

Earlier, K. A. Kalinin was used in the 1930s and V. M. Petlekov at its famous PE-2 (the dive machine worked through the height trimmer).

The only serious refinement, made in the testing of the aircraft - the introduction of a nonlinearity mechanism into the power steering channel, which reduced the increased sensitivity of the control especially at rear centering. A little "corrected" ailerons. Even before the first departure, I asked Oleg Konstantinovich: "Is the oscillativity of the aileron not too high with a sharp work steering wheel? - We went, let's see in place."

He first carefully examined Aileron, rising to the ladder and after the sign to work the helm. I abruptly rejected the aileron several times.

"Nothing terrible," he said after, - the air flow reversed, the Aleron's self-oscillations will not be. "

But after after all, special dampers were installed and connected to the aileron, and even later - turbulizers in cutouts under the brackets of the Hydrock of Aeronov.

In June 1967, our work was suspended: we flew into the session to prepare for the aviation parade in honor of the 50th anniversary of October. There were already two of our aircraft: "One" and "Troika". Our "Four" should have been flying in Domodedovo Third in the Kilwater Building. And we were taken two rocket complex on the caterpillar move - the total weight of 60 tons. Our task: accurately (account in seconds) deliver missile systems in Domodedovo, before the stands, without turning off the engines, unload them and also to leave the airfield exactly.

Piloting in a tangled jet Ahead of a flying aircraft is a rather complicated thing: a lot of work, especially to hold the roll. And I will not go anywhere: when you take over and when entering the landing, if there is no side wind, 45 seconds - the minimum permissible time distance between the aircraft when the handling is provided with minor reserves.

At that time, we, in the Union, there were only 3 An-22 aircraft, on the boards of which were numbers: a single, three and four. In the parade of the leading group I. E. Davydov, Yu. N. Ketov and closed the group on the Four of V.I. TERSKY.

For negative impact on our Western rivals, and that they do not relax in the buildup of their aviation power, we added zeros on the existing numbers on the boards of our aircraft, and our group appeared in front of the audience as part of the air army: after all participated in the parade of the 10th, 30 - I and the 40th cars. Consequently, in parts of the Air Force, there were at least 40 An-22 aircraft. Now it looks like a joke, but then the directors counted on something.

And now about the parade itself in Domodedovo on the day of aviation in 1967, it was the most powerful aviation parade in the history of Soviet aviation: she was on the rise in our country, and each OKB was something to show.

As the press noted, all program numbers passed with glitter. Our group of the An-22-X was also different: eyewitnesses were told that when the third plane was landed, Peter Vasilyevich (Dementiev, Minister of Aviaprom) exclaimed, referring to the generals on the podium:

"Attention, check your watch!"

We were satisfied with success no less, since I got into the tolerance of 5 seconds. This is the merit of all three navigators and especially the latter navigator, the third car, E. P. Kravchenko. Returned to the sessions of the commanders and the navigations of our group in the new professional quality: the minister ahead of time ahead of us the first class. We learned about it later.

But I had another aviation parade - failed. It was ten years earlier Domodedovsky - in 1957. In those distant 50s on the day of aviation, on August 18, an air parade was held annually in Tushino, in the final part of which pilots-athletes ADOSAF were performed. Their aircraft in the ranks were the words "Glory Stalin", later the "Slava of the CPSU", and the group of 24 Yak-18 aircraft in the Kilwater rank was performed by a cascade of the highest pilot figures. In June-August 1957, we performed a complete preparation program for the parade. I was entrusted to be as part of a pilot group of 24.

I was in the seventeenth. The group consisted of flyers of the Air Force and athletes pilots of the Central Aerokluba. V. P. Chkalova. The leading group is Major Chivkin, coach - Ya. D. Fostomenko. On the eve of the holiday, we fully fulfilled the general rehearsal over Tushino. The next day, we were not raised in the morning to build before the flight, but weekly announced the abolition of the parade. On this day, N. S. Khrushchev came to power.

And two more years earlier, about 2 months before the end of Moscow Aviation Institute, Us, future aircraft engineers and at the same time engaged in airportal sports in the Central Aeroclub. V. P. Chkalova, invited the head of the Flight Service MAP Gromov M. M. - Test Pilot No. 1 of pre-war time, Commander aerial army in Patriotic Warwho subsequently created a Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky.

The huge cabinet, the same long table under the green cloth, at the end of which the table was smaller, because of him to us (we were seventeen people) rose and approached the tagged, high growth, Colonel-General. Externally somewhat strict, he welcomed us friendly and further spoke about the problems in aviation and about the decision to attract the pilot-engineers to the test work (it was long before the introduction engineering Education In flight schools of the Air Force). He talked with us as with colleagues, respectfully, but warned that the selection of candidates would be after the flight inspection we are pilot tests on the mastered type, that is, on Yak-18.

I did not get into the first set because of the plaque, and in the second set (1957) introduced an additional flight check - on the new plane for us. It was the Yak-11 training aircraft. We were given instructions and a week to prepare. That's how I got to school Test pilots MAP.

After the Domodedovsky parade, I continued the tests of An-22. They took place without failures. The engine of the NK-12 Ma is very reliable - the raisin of aviation engine building. Created at the beginning of the 50s in the OKB. N. D. Kuznetsova, it has not yet been surpassed in power in the class of turboprop engines.

The only "disadvantage" An-22 was its high fuel refueling: our test flights were unusually long (up to 5 ... 6 hours) and quite often were saturated with regimes I and II of the degree of complexity.

You have slept, "said V. A. Komarov, having flown with us in such flights, - it should not be relieved, it is not safe, and such a duration is to harm health, and do not earn money. He was right.

Test pilots V. A. Komarovo and F. I. Burtsev I presented an-22 for the conclusion of Lii. (At one time, they were the leaders of the school pilot school). Both - Honored Test pilots, Heroes Soviet Union.

This warning was in vain. We were not particularly frustrated by youth and with pleasure did our job.

An-22 passed tests and was adopted. Claims for its flight characteristics were not during operation.

In 21 December 1976, the An-22 plane No. 05-01 crashed. The crew of V. Efremova died. It happened when the test flight is performed in order to measure the effort in the control elements. Due to the excessive deviation of the wheels of the directions of the "Antey" entered a deep slide. Trying not to lose height, the commander took the steering wheel "on himself", which led to the exit to the critical angles of attack and the coup of the aircraft.

This mode was beyond the operational, and in flight assessment of the Act of State Tests An-22, the presence of a critical angle of slip on cruising mode was noted above which travel instability occurs with dangerous manifestations.

In 1968, I was instructed to conduct aircraft tested with An-22. The characteristics of stability and controllability in the centercakes of the aircraft were examined up to the proceedable: 14% ... 43%, including and with an open load friend, after which I conducted the first discharges of landing platforms from 5 to 20 T.S.

It was interesting to visit the center of 43% sah. It is very close to the neutral center, and the aircraft actively reacted to the meager deviations of the steering wheel (literally in the lobe of the millimeter). Exact piloting under such conditions was naturally excluded.

When performing the tests of the An-22 for airborne cargo landing, no incidents were without incidents, quite dangerous: - We carry out the mode to measure tractive efforts on the strand of exhaust parachute (during landing, it pulls out the platform from the fuselage, on which the landing load is fixed). At one of the modes, this parachute is broken. Released energy stretched due to the longitudinal elasticity of Strand Pool Returns the last through an open load friend in the fuselage. Under the blow is the E. Kovalev Experimentator Engineer. I urgently be a landing at the next airfield in Svyatoshino and I ask the "ambulance" right on the strip after our landing. In Kiev clinic, doctors saved a person.

We reset the targeting parachute, the navigator clarifies the calculation and in the next occasion we drop the platform with a 20-ton cargo - the landing occurred at the calculation point. In the process of movement of cargo on the fuselage, I must estimate the dynamics of the aircraft behavior and the admissibility of piloting methods. All this is complicated in the next reset, when a 20-ton monogloss will rush through the fuselage from the extreme-front position, and the aircraft centering will be changed from 14% to 43% of the SAH.

I managed with this regime, the platform flew out of the fuselage, the basic parachutes were revealed, and the unplanned unrest began, the platform suffered towards the village adjacent to the airfield. Landing is exactly in the courtyard of extreme hut. Thank God, no one has suffered. There were no more than 20 minutes between the first and second discharges. What happened?

At one time, all low-balanced discharges from An-8 and An-12 aircraft were performed on our airfield (high-altitude discharges were performed on the landfill), and there were no such cases. It was concluded: By the time of the second reset, the airfield carried a cumulus cloud of medium-sized, it came with its microclimate and its air flows that differ from the previous one.

We perform a bitter flight. It comes to all means of fastening transported in flight of goods. This time, under each wing of our An-22, the special locks are suspended by one 500-kilogram bomb (naturally without a fugas). During evolution, an Experimentator Engineer I. F. Nobatheat Because of the load measurements on the corresponding elements of the design. Performed modes, loads are recorded by test instrument. At the calculation point above the airfield, the navigator includes bombs reset. Follow the reports of experimenters:

Left bomb left.

Right bomb on the castle.

What to do? Perform another approach - the reset did not work. We go to the zone, and avoiding the flight over settlements, In the "Reset" mode, we perform overload, slip, speed changes - the bomb does not go away. The Earth recommends entering the landing. Turn off the "Reset", we release the chassis. On the third reversal Ivan Fadeevich shouts:

The commander flew away!

Who, what "flew away"?

Commander, bomb flew away!

Here is the case. In such cases: "Get ready, commander, to a meeting with the prosecutor." So I bombed the "my own", hit the territory of the Rubezhovsky state farm, by the way, our supreme.

This case reminded me of a similar event, a witness and an indirect member of which I had to be in the fall of 1942 on our street with. The Great (Krasnodar Territory) stopped for the night a huge column (several dozen) heavy trucks loaded by airbabers. The Germans brought them towards Maikop. They shot on the streets of pistols of poultry, dinner - behaved relaxed. And suddenly in the area of \u200b\u200b10 pm, a strong explosion thundered. The Germans have drowned and forced to put out all the lights. But our pilot on 2 more bombs did not turn out. Witnesses argued that our intelligence officer released a signal rocket by pilot, denoting the goal. But against the background of numerous household lights, the pilot did not perceive the signal or she prevented something. He bombed a collective membos. We all rejoiced with all the silent that the homeland did not forget us and will soon free. Even more rejoiced the error of the pilot. The Germans were not a pity for us at all, but it is better to bomb them on the march, separately from us.

In the same 1968, our crew participated in the An-22 in the exercises of the Airborne Forces at one of the polygons in the Baltic States. Our navigator E. P. Kravchenko in difficult conditions close to combat, managed to bring the plane to the target, in the ruptures of the clouds identify it and accurately reset the whole Armada paratroopers-parachutists. They left the plane in four streams, and this Armada compact group suddenly began to "fall out" from the clouds. We followed the An-12 regiment, and only three crews managed to repeat our success.

O. K. Antonov was very pleased. He was located on the podium among the commanders of the Airborne Forces.

And in early 1969, he asked for the first Tyumen freight flights for oilmen. They were among the most difficult. And all because of the incompetence of the representative of the flight service, which made a conclusion about the suitability of the airfield, naively assuming that the length of the aircraft run after the landing corresponds to the current airfield runway. And the airfield in Nizhnevartovsk, where it was to fly, then did not have a concrete runway, and the ground, covered with the rolled snow. And the length of this strip is only 1600 m, and only the Western end of it had a terminal security lane of 200 m; On the east side to the end of the WFP adjoined the swamp. That is, nominally the length of the band was 1,400 m.

But I learned about this, placing from Tyumen to Nizhnevartovsk on passing An-12. Upon returning to Tyumen, I show a newspaper "True", where I in an interview with my own correspondent declare that the task will be fulfilled on time. "True" is the CPSU Central Committee. Then I was still non-partisan, but I knew that jokes are inappropriate here. The fact is that the leadership of Glavttyuvenneftegaz through the Sovint achieved the allocation of the An-22 aircraft to transport 16 power plants to Nizhnevartovsk, otherwise it will be necessary to wait for river navigation. And after waiting for the winter to make power plants to the place of operation in order for frozen swamps. Their transportation by air gave the opportunity to practically "win" for a whole year.

These power plants manufactured our aviation engine builders in Zaporizhia based on AI-20 engines that have spent a flight resource. The power of each is about 3000 kW, works AI-20 on passing gas. Each power plant is mounted on a trailer all-terrain.

Naturally, the corresponding amount of oil produced was planned under these capacities.

The task of air transportation to Nizhnevartovsk was complicated by the lack of aviation fuel there. To transport the power plant and return to Tyumen, in Nizhnevartovsk, it is necessary to sit down with the maximum planting mass, with a fuel reserve on the return path. And when me from the company sent out the estimated data on the distance to the snow-covered landing strip, it was fit to refuse such work and shamefully return to your Gostomel: taking into account the airport and safety coefficients at Nizhnevartovsky airfield "passed" only the landing masses without loading. I proposed and received permission from the head of the department to start flights with minimal download and build it if such an opportunity appears.

The leadership of Nizhnevartovsk Airport is not responsible for our landing - everything is right.

Agreed like this: the flight manager informs me the conditions for landing, and I transfer my decision on landing, without receiving any permission or a prohibition in response.

We transported all these 16 power plants. Already after a few suitable flights, we sat down with a complete operational landing. Safety was provided by the high accuracy of the landing place - within no more than one fuselage length from the end of the strip, and was achieved by piloting with minor (and safe) deviations from the flight instruction. Great importance To brake, the temperature of the risky snow on the strip had the temperature: the lower the temperature, the more effective the brakes.

The leadership of the Tyumen oil workers was extremely pretty transport operation. As a result: in our museum there appeared a layout-copy of the oil tower, funds were earned to repair the road to Gostomel, etc.

And the crew of oilmen presented to combat awards, without warning us about it. Later I was familiar with (on receipt) with this post to the Supreme Council of the USSR, it lies in the archive of our office.

We, the crew, were satisfied with beautifully made work, which was on the verge of possible. I did not receive awards and crew Yu. N. Ketova, who arrived two weeks later, on the An-22 - he transported goods to Nefteyugansk (also a primer).

In the process of testing An-22 I had one landing, a miracle not ending with large troubles. It was a landing at the airfield in Svyatoshino, when after removing the screws from the stops, the aircraft with an increasing pace began to shy to the right, towards the parking lot of the aircraft. Neither fully rejected the directions of the direction left, not to the end of the compressed left brake pedal, did not even cause the tendency to parry the incomprehensible failure. Save us a flight engineer M. M. Troin. I just glanced at the switch control switch, as he turned off his lightning time, and we were able to relieve breathing: the plane began to manage. For many years, a black traction footprint left left wheels on the Svyatoshinsky strip about the struggle, which lasted for 4 seconds.

Rejection reason? On the evening before, we sat in Svyatoshino, and at night, when replacing the hydraulic unit, the connection of the tubes was confused. The crew was not warned about the works carried out, and the next morning the plane was towed. When takeoff, the high efficiency of the referenced wheels of the direction does not allow to detect a similar malfunction.

The serial exploitation is two options for An-22. The test of the second option was also entrusted to me. The following constructive changes were introduced:

Served on rugs directions;

Sablevoid fines on wings;

Air launch of march engines;

Electricity on alternating current;

Increased fuel system capacity.

The wings ending did not give the expected effect to increase aerodynamic quality and were not approved. The remaining changes were adopted as increasing the reliability and transport efficiency of the aircraft. On the launch of the NK-12MA by the air starter, I want to note one point that is not provided for by the test program, but after its implementation, the aircraft reliability has increased. The launch of the marching motor from one starting unit was impossible. In principle, they did not count on this. What to do in the critical situation: after all, the car is combat? The output was found: After the first start cycle, we have turned on the re-launch without pause, and the rotor has been modified, providing a normal start with good reserves in temperature before the turbine. We called this method "Starting in the time".

The case from a similar series was on me and on the An-12. In the summer of 1962, we sat in Maykop on the DOSAAF soil aerodrome to pick up our glider. Problems began after loading the glider when starting the engines. Then the An-12 had no autonomous launch, and for this purpose, two starts mounted on passenger cars were caused from the neighboring flight school. They launched the VK-1 engines on the blinks. At the first attempt to launch our AI-20, the electromagors connected to the aircraft stirped as alive - from excessive current. But after a few seconds, the launch suddenly sneezed: both launch aggregates failed, without suppressing the overload.

Attempting to start at least one engine from onboard batteries was unsuccessful: the temperature before the turbine could not hold the cut button, the turbocharger "hung", and the launch should be stopped.

Sold for a long time - the most unpleasant perspective of inconsistency, often found in our business trips. And if you try to run AI-20 using a stop crane, how is this when you start the VK-1 on MiG-15? True, there is a step-crane mechanical. I am trying to start, often working the electric stop crane switch so as not to knock down the flame, the temperature is perfectly held at the right limits, and the engine went to the equilibrium turnover from the first attempt. Victory.

On this, my work on An-22 did not end. We met with him again in the early 80s, when I was instructed to conduct tests and work out the instructions for the flight operation of An-22 with an external suspension

It was to carry from Tashkent to Kiev on the "back" of the An-22 centroplanes and wings for An-124 and the center of the An-225. The uniqueness of transportation is large dimensions of cargo, practically eliminating land transportation, and significant masses: tens of tons. In world practice, this was done for the first time. Initially, the hem was not perceived on the an-22 fuselage, after accustomed.

They examined as always as always, controllability, strength, options for the engine failure and the possibility of continuing the flight, worked out the technology of take-off and landing. The longitudinal sustainability of the aircraft has deteriorated largely, especially with the centroplanes. The center of the An-225 was transported to the released flaps, it was not possible to fully repay vibration, and after each landing when the flight was accounted for so far. Oleg Konstantinovich considered the problem of transporting large-sized cargo on the external suspension and the tests themselves outstanding success.

Before transporting the first wing for An-124 with a flight to Tashkent, we flew out intermediate landing airfields and stated the conditions of our collaboration with their commanders. All: And ours, and other people's experts sought to help us fulfill a rather difficult task and did it from the soul, forgetting about administrative slingshots, and that comic incident occurred at the Mozdok airfield. The crew was accompanied by Nikolai Ivanovich. He was responsible for the secrecy of the carriage of the wing. Looking at the standard, on the wall of the Soviet Union's card (we were in the room of the air traffic station), he asked me:

Here, - and showed on the map of Mozdok.

Nikolai Ivanovich with a concerned voltage about something reflected and expressed his decision:

We'll have to sit with the wing at night.

We can not do this. We have the right to fly only during the day and only in simple meteo conditions. What prevents us from?

You do not see, - the State party is near, and the lap may be free to high, which we do.

Indeed, without taking into account the scale, the border seemed very close. I reassured him:

To the border at least 500 km. This scale of the card is such, and the mountains will interfere with the mountains, their height is about 5000 m. They will all break in Tashkent from the satellite. You better bother about the hotel, we are late and fly late to Tashkent.

You will live in a better hotel, I guarantee.

And Nikolai Ivanovich was right: with the first landing in Mozdok, the young technician latented fell out our An-22 with a wing on his back. He was caught on the hot, although he did it openly, not hiding - for sure to stand in the Lenin room. The film was lit with him.

At 2 o'clock Names, Nikolai Ivanovich hardly redeemed in an ordinary hotel on the outskirts of Tashkent.

The door opened a shocking old woman. She flatly refused to take us even after she was shown some very important document - slammed the door and redeemed the light. We, pilots, were not frustrated, since the fate has long been accustomed to such turns and went to Lobzak, to the factory hotel, with its indestructible sour smell of dampness and dust even in the rooms "Suite."

And when we arrive at Kiev with the first wing for An-124 on an external suspension, we received an order to sit in the sacrifice with an occasion through the city - because of the wind. Here, our secrecy finally collapsed, and in the next transportation they were not taken into account. After all, we just catch up with America.

After arrival in Tashkent, over the next wing we were settled in the "elite" hotel on a closed and protected area as respected guests. On the territory - a huge well-groomed garden and along the alley at a large distance from each other were the cottages. The serving staff of cottages and drivers lived in the same hotel as we.

Walking in the evening in the garden, we carelessly (we were not warned) went into the opened doors of the cinema hall, where there was some movie. The hall seemed empty, but looking at it, we found, two people were sitting in the center of the hall - a man and a woman. We did not have time to accommodate how two shadows flashed, and socialism with democracy enthusiassed: for one moment without any explanation, the descendants of Valery Pavlovich were on the street.

But the hotel was very good.

And the next day we visually communicated with a person who was standing at the very top of power in our country - with L. I. Brezhnev. He passed five meters from us, accompanied by the heads of Uzbekistan. The heavy gait of an old patient man, with an indifferent look at a fixed person, he headed into the open gate of the assembly shop, without glance in our direction. We have stood before the gate, prepared for displaying our An-22 with the en-124 wing installed on the fuselage. His appearance even an aviation person at the first moment shocked by an unusual pinch: It seemed that the plane flew from some fairy tale.

Leonid Ilyich did not notice our wonder-plane and went deep into the workshop along the left side of the IL-76 under construction. Working and collectors, crowded on stealth steps, also began to move, and the latter, without rearing overload, collapsed with a crunch and crunch. A few seconds reigned complete silence. After - moan, screams. Two black "Volga" squeezed into the workshop.

In one of them they dragged Ilyich to the rear seat, and they were smelled. We could not demonstrate a gesense one from the unique episodes of the creation of the An-124 transport aircraft.

The air transportation of centriplans and wings was put on a stream with the mandatory use of a leading aircraft in order to avoid getting into zones with hazardous weather phenomena (bolt, icing). Just in case, An-22 equipped with a special anti-icing system that defended the cargo transported on an external suspension. I am convinced - this is an extra reinsurance: after all, the thick profile root parts of the wing are not heated on any plane of the world. The nose part of the fuselage is not heated, and the weight of the anti-icing system in the curb of about a ton is a useless ballast on an overloaded plane, where before takeoff every kilogram. If even a hundred-other kilograms of ice rolled up in the flight, then it will not affect the carrier quality of the aircraft, and will change the center in a favorable side. And there will be no weight overload: after all, after an hour of flight after takeoff, the mass will decrease by 10 meters.; It remains a bit - to exclude the takeoff in the conditions of icing.

For the creation and implementation of the transport system to the management and designers in 1985, the State Prize of Ukraine was awarded.

Hero of the Soviet Union Elian Eduard Vaganovich

Hero of the Soviet Union (04/26/1971), Honored Test Point of the USSR (09/20/1967), Colonel.
Born on August 20, 1926 in the city of Baku (Azerbaijan). In 1938-1944 lived in Norilsk, Moscow, Sverdlovsk. In 1944 he graduated from the Sverdlovsk Special Forces Air Force.
In the army since 1944. In 1944 he graduated from Vashpol (G. Bugruzlan), in 1948 - Borisoglebskoe Waoul, until 1951 was a pilot instructor in it.
In 1953 he graduated from school pilot-pilot, in 1960 - Moscow Aviation Institute.
From June 1953 to March 1958 - on the flight test work in Leah.
Conducted a number of test works on fighter aircraft on the subject of the Institute; Participated in the tests of aviation scafflers.
In 1958-1960 - Tester pilot OKB P.Oshoy. Held tests P-1 (1958). In 1960-1982 - Tester-Tester OKB A.N.Tuolev. Completed the first flight and conducted Tu-144 tests (1968-1970), participated in Tu-22 tests and other aircraft. Since 1982 - in stock.
He lived in Moscow, later in the city of Rostov-on-Don. He died on April 6, 2009.
Awarded the orders of Lenin, the Red Banner, the Red Star, Medals. Awarded the diploma Tissandier (FAI) (1969).

In the Financial Design Bureau, Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev worked the constellation of outstanding test pilots. In the best times, dozens of pilots participated in the Tens of pilots at the best times at the Zhukovskoye Testing and Promotional Base of the OKB (ZhILIID). Everyone is a talented personality, by the shoulders of each long, rich in great work and the danger of the path in the test. But someone from the "equal" should have become a senior pilot, someone trusted the first to raise an experienced car. This is inevitably "selective" exaltation - a special test for all. One of the most famous test pilots in our country and in the world is undoubtedly the Hero of the Soviet Union Eduard Vaganovich Elhahan. Honored pilot test of the USSR, he fulfilled a lot of large-scale testing work not only in Tupolev OKB, but also in Lii, OKB P.Osukhogo, A.I. Mikoyan. His name entered the world history in that unfortunate New Year's Day on December 31, 1968, when he headed by a small crew for the first time raised the world's first supersonic passenger aircraft in the world, the legendary Tu-144. This flight has become the final stage of the innovative work of a great set of Research Institute, KB, factories, specialists of dozens of areas, hundreds of thousands of scientists, engineers, technicians, the workers - the whole country. At the top of a huge pyramid of the creators and testes of the true miracle of aviation equipment, which is unlikely to be able to repeat in the coming decades, one person was raised, the first pilot and the crew commander. The general designer, the Musdarey Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev had someone to choose. He called one name - Eduard Elhan. Neither climbing this top nor the descent from it was not simple for the pilot.
Eduard Vaganovich Elain turned 94 years old. And we have a wonderful reason to tell him good words.

Looking at this gray-haired beautiful person, full of everyday and professional wisdom, organization and responsibility, a person who survived a lot of catastrophe and losses, do not cease to be surprised by his true young, restless energy. He remembers well (and appreciates) the past, but he has been full of real and future - his family, his friends, associates, their own planes, their own country.
Life shows that an instructor experience has the most important in the formation of many outstanding testes. So it was Elyan. Borisoglebskoye military school He graduated with honors in 1948 and until 1951 he worked there as an instructor. Already then, he was noticed by the head of the School of Test pilots, General M.V. Kotelnikov. Elian wanted to get to the first set of school, but he had a little raid. This defects Eduard Elhan eliminated quickly: he, as an instructor, had to fly almost daily from an early morning with a dozen cadets of his group, and after lunch - with a dozen cadets of another group. Several instructors were then taken to Korea to teach Chinese pilots. General Kotelnikov himself made efforts so that Elhana fell into the second set, where he was, it seems, the youngest lieutenant. Among the teachers of the school of their set, in 1951, Elhans highlighted Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromova. He was then the head of the service department of the Ministry of Aviation Industry, headed the Mandate School Commission and read a psychology course there. It was remembered that in these lectures was a love ... to horses. And the psychology of the rider of an unnecessied horse was examined by a lecturer sometimes as carefully as the psychology of the test pilot.
Heance started his test work at the Flight Research Institute (Lii) and fulfilled several important work. They were associated with fighter aircraft engines and during shooting with reactive shells and from ordinary guns. He participated in the tests associated with ensuring the strength of the same aircraft with suspended tanks. Important results were obtained by them in the tests of liquid rocket engines - the EDD on the front bomber and tests aimed at identifying the causes of the catastrophe of three aircraft. He was a dubler at Amemet Khan Sultan when testing a unique supersonic aircraft P.V.TSibin NM-1. He failed to fly, she was prevented by a business trip to the polygon in Vladimirovka. But his appointment for this work speaks for itself. He was also a dubler in the testing of the experienced aircraft of OKB A.I. Mikoyan E-50 with LDD ...
After five years of work in Lii, since 1958, Eduard Vaganovich experienced fighter aircraft in OKB, in particular, he passed on state tests Airplane C-1 and experienced the machine P-1. Elyan has excellent relations with the senior pilot of the company of Sukhoi V.S. Iilushin (Vladimir Sergeevich said to me warmly).
In the summer of 1960, six months after the death of the crew Yu.T.Alaseyev on a unique experienced machine - a supersonic bombarder, Elias were invited to the OKB to continue the tests of this car. By this time, Heyan graduated from Mai. Formally, he has not yet left the firm dry, but flew already in Lii. Here, on the instructions of the head of the base M.N. Korneev, the oldest test pilots of the company A.P.Yakimov and I.M.Somommelin, with a proposal to switch to KB Tupolev, came to Him. M.N. Korneev and his deputy DS Zosim met a young pilot in front of the entrance to the central building of the base. Walking in the Leskka, after general questions about health, about the desire to work in the KB, Mikhail Nikiforovich Koreev said to Elia, what was remembered for a long time: "We have one request for you: please do not get involved in the coalition in our team. We have a ball of hostility in the relationship of young with old. There is a problem. Your task is Tu-22! "
The Tu-22 machine was unstable in some flight modes (in particular, at low speeds with flames released), and there were many defects associated with instability. Often there were fuselage destruction. Machines broke due to the loss of stability in the longitudinal movement (due to the so-called routing of pitch).
After the emergencies that occurred at Yu.T. Telacheva and V.F. Kovaleva, the "old" pilots did not rush to fly on Tu-22, they were busy on heavy subsonic cars and Tu-114. The main thing, they did not want, as they admitted themselves, "to poke the head in the mouth of the beast." The first after an emergency landing with the hardest consequences of the crew of Kovalev flew Elyhan. And it was the first flight in its fleet career on Tu-22. "I still remember," said the former head of Zhlildab M.V. Ulyanov, - as we "drove it" into the plane, not yet grayed at that time ... The chair was produced from the cabin down, the pilot sat down into it, equipped, fell And the winch, manually raised. Then the hand winch on the car was replaced by electric ... "
On the first removal of Elyan on the 22nd, Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev was present. He also participated in the collection of flight and was especially interested in the issues of longitudinal management. Someone squeaks the car on the takeoff - this did not have this. The car seemed to him a powerful, strict, but subject to the pilot.

In the first years, Tupoleva Elhans was engaged mainly by Tu-22, and he had to solve a variety of tasks. For example, in the Kaliningrad regiment (there, as in Saki, the regiment of marine aviation) on the 22nd all the time the brake parachutes were torn, and the cars were rolled out for the lane. Hehyan flew there and figured out that the reason for the incident was the excessively high speed of landing. A lot of work on the 22nd was connected at the pilot with the Kazan Plant, which he oversaw. On Tu-22, Elian performed the first flight to the maximum range - to Novosibirsk and finished more than five hours.
Once in 1963 in one of the flights of ELANA on Tu-22, the flight indicator refused in flight. And the pilot, it is not suspecting, exceeded speed limitations. The plane in the clouds got into the zone of the Aleron reverse: with the rejection of the steering wheel to the right, the aircraft started to the left. In addition, there was a reverse reaction to the gift of the leg. The height was no more than 1,500 m, but Elian managed to understand what's the matter. He did not give to develop events, removed the afternoon, increased the vertical speed, slowed down and rained the car at the airfield ... "Could be a pipe," he recalled the years later.
According to the conversion of the aircraft Tu-22, the pilot test V.P. Borisov. The crew of the era, which also included the N.I. Tolmachev and B.I. Kutakov, and B.I. Kutakov, performed a particularly important and important work on the Tu-22K rocket aircraft with combat missiles X-22. With the first launch of the rocket on the landfill in Vladimirovka, instead of an instead of the rocket, the oxidant drain mechanism was worked - nitric acid, one of the components of the fuel rocket. The plane suddenly was covered with a yellow cloud, which gradually scattered. The pilot did not lose their composure and was able to bring the car at the airfield. It was laundered from this acid all night with all that they could, but the car was saved.
Yelan, who has always distinguished naturalness and sociability, was complete mutual understanding with the sediments and the chief designer of the rocket armament system X-22 V.M.Shabanov, subsequently Colonel-General, Deputy Minister of Defense of D.F. Office for Armediation. Elian, as always, meticulously disassembled in the works of all systems of the most complex complex with how to act in the most unforeseen circumstances. According to the test program, a huge amount of work was performed. A re-on this aircraft it was necessary to do everything, starting with the study of the take-off characteristics, characteristics of stability, controllability, other features of aerodynamics, strength. "And this is natural," said Ulyanov, "because X-22 is a six-path rocket on an external suspension!" And Elhana did all this "without noise and dust." He managed to spend these tests so that no one knew about them. Quietly, methodically. It is quite possible to consider the progenitor X-22. Elhana, I think for our company - the epoch! I had to hear that he sometimes was overly cut. It's not like this: how brought up, Vaganych never allowed himself a single rude word about anyone. "
Heyan put into operation the first fleets of long aviation on Tu-22. It happened at the airfield in Zhukovsky. Then from the ministry sent three experienced pilots who had to prepare as instructors. Having released them, Elhana oversees a few regiments of Tu-22 long-distance aviation. Years later, working already at Mikoyanovs on the subject of deck aviation, Elhan has repeatedly met his wards from the military, some of them have already occupied the highest posts, right up to the ministerial ...
Together with A.D. Kalina, N.N. Kharitonov, V.P. Borisov, B.I. Carmem, E.A. Goryunov, A.S. Meleshko and other Tupolevian pilots testing of different generations, along with leading engineers According to this car and other specialists, E.V. Lyang did a lot for the establishment of the Tu-22 aircraft, which opened the road even more perfect Tu-22m, ... worked a large team, and the work went in many directions.
One of the most memorable memories was associated with Eduard Vaganovich with the tests of the modernized passenger aircraft Tu-104E. The airplane added fuel tanks in the wing and increased the range of flights to 700 km. It turned out a very promising machine. But difficulties arose with the recompression of the aileron ...
Elhanas did a lot on the tests of the passenger aircraft Tu-134 (together with A.D. Kalina, S.T.Agapov, B.I. MEREMEME). Especially actively he participated in the most complex flight programs at large corners of the attack. In one of the flights on this program, Elias with his friend Boris began a fire in the compartment of the fuselage, where experimental equipment was installed - "shells" of recorded equipment. Veremia managed to put out the fire. The task stopped. The verse was similar to the Negro, his hands were burned, the clothes suffered, but in general it all ended well - Elyhana planted the car.
Elyan with the Veremiah tied a strong male friendship. B.I. MEMEMEY told me that I was convinced by Eduard Vaganovich "The most progressive leader who took care of the perspective and very seriously relating to young people." They stood the mountain each other and were chicted both in front of them and before comrade. They knew the price of each other as pilots, as a person. Heance told: "I participated in initial stage Layout of supersonic heavy rocket tu-160. I was not going to fly on this car, and I planned to this business from the very beginning Boris Veremy. But for some time she worked there well. After all, there was a problem with the rest of the crew, with the location of the consoles. And the special complexity arose with the pilots chair. There was very little space, and I suggested to hang the back of the chair for the top points so that the chair could turn and move back. Then the pilots would have the opportunity to calmly take the chair and leave him. I wanted to consolidate the appointment of the Verema, because he was in a hurry with the view of him to the title of the hero. Alexey Andreevich Tupolev on this occasion I approached twice. The first time - unsuccessfully, stumbled for a while, repeated the approach, and he said: "Did you give a hero with the third time? And they gave after flying to the 144th! So let the Ridim fly to the 160th - then let's talk "..."
Elyan also had a lot of work on Tu-154 along with Yu.V. Sukhov, V.P. Borisov ... I actively engaged in this car, working with Bulgarian and Romanian pilots ... Once, Elhanas sat down at 154th in Novosibirsk with Without a gentle chassis and coped with the car, retaining it ...
When Tupolev, the topic of the supersonic passenger aircraft Tu-144 was issued in OKB Tupolev, no less important was the work on two other new, complex projects - a supersonic bomber with a wing of a variable geometry and passenger Tu-154. They were focused by Borisov, Sgorov and Sukhov. Works did not stop working on other tasks: Kozlov with Besso completed the tests of the supersonic interceptor Tu-28, the Tu-142 long-range anti-raid aircraft was tested ... In the first group of Tu-144 aircraft pilots, Borisov, Elhans, Kozlov, Vednikov. So they say, planned Tupolev. Soon the crew commander of the 144th will not choose not the most titled and adopted by all, but quite experienced and reliable - E.V. Lana.
Once I asked Eduard Vaganovich, why from the Great Team, maybe, and more famous pilots on the 144th chose it. He replied: "I think it happened. Upon work with Tu-22 I was close to the main designer D.S. Markov. With his participation, I do not remember how it was, I also got closer to the brigade, which began to create an aircraft Tu-144, in particular with V.I. Rebiznyuk. Alexey Andreyevich Tupolev for two or three to the first departure already told me so that I was "doing this car." It was a short conversation, he said: "If possible - take up!" When the project began to emerge, our contacts became more frequent. In fact, our pilots from Zhukovsky went reluctantly, did not love it, just say. I when I became the head of the flight service, it was not always possible to send them to the CB. Because if you go there, you can lose flight. Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev with me about the appointment in the first crew of the test never said. So far, with the famous scientists of Lii and the test pilot, N.V. Adayovich worked on the layout, no one knew who would lift the car. And I had no conversation on this topic with anyone! When such an appointment took place, I was not asked! Then it was already determined (without me!), That another candidate, Kola Zhevetov, because of his some problems, the car will not trust. When I consent to be the first, I asked Misha Kozlov, whether he agreed to be second. He agreed. He then did the 28th car, was very busy and did not have been on the layout of the 144th. With Andrey Nikolayevich, I met only when he arrived at the first departure. Before that, I sometimes communicated only with Alexey Andreevich Tupolev. In addition to Misha, consent to work on the 144th gave more Agaps. We flew on the "analogue", appreciated this car, built on the basis of the fighter. By the way, she, as it turned out, was very similar to the 144th at the subsonic speed. At the supersonic, the 144th did not have a "rich", which was on the "analogue" that did not have dampers ... "
In Sergey Timofeevich Agapov Elhana appreciated the natural talent of the pilot, the directness and honesty of a person with a wide Russian soul. Agapov was known for the sharpness of the judgments of anyone, including Eduard Vaganovich. But he spoke about him, giving himself due: "Waganych flew well. Maybe his main feature was punctuality. He was very well preparing for flights, thoroughly, carefully. He had no such talent to immediately grab everything on the fly. He just achieved his diligence and perseverance ... "
Respectively and warm, as a strong test pilot and engineer, spoke of Eduard Vaganovich, a well-known scientist Lii and the pilot-test of Nikolai Vladimirovich Adamovich. He talked about his joint work on Ergonomics 144th. Then Eljan for a long time, it seemed forever, disappeared from the Moscow life, having moved to Rostov, and not all his comrades recalled him as good. And with the era, we talked about the same joint work when Adamovich had already passed away. In mutual, completely independent estimates of each of them, there were so many personal modesty and respect for each other, which I remember this as a rare example of genuine intelligence. "We are with Adamovich," said Eduard Vaganovich, "worked on this program at the earliest stage. Adamovich - the Great was a man. Consider that the cabin is his work! We did a lot together, but the idea, ideology was His! I helped him. Our cabin was easier than the "Concord", thanks to Adamovich, thanks to the nearest Tupolevsky associate L. L. Karbera, who boldly went to our suggestions. "
Heance spent several years in the OKB, doing 144th long before they began to choose the commander to the first experienced car. He worked a lot with the designers, especially with the aircraft management specialists. On the airplane layout and stands, they adjusted the position of the buttons, togglers, the shape of the control panels, refined the parameters of various systems. Those who know this well say that Elyan can be considered not only the first pilot of the aircraft Tu-144, but also the full-blooded creator of this car!
Eduard Vaganovich always admired the 144th and its flight characteristics, but never highlighted any particular details of the first test flight of the machine. But those who met the crew after the historical flight celebrated completely indivisible satisfaction and spirituality of the crew commander. After all, it was the first, quite a good outcome of the huge work. Naturally, Elhan was very worried later that the 144th turned out to be the only machine that received a certificate of flight affair and did not go to passenger transportation. But he has drawn little from him. He is confident that if Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev was alive, everything would be different, but this is a special topic. The country has not enough economic power and general organization to make a commercially profitable political program. Creating Tu-144, we learned to solve the most complicated scientific and technological problems in aviation.
In 1975, after the 1973 catastrophe, Elhans with Goryunov showed their program of demonstration flights to the Tu-144, after which they went landing. Before the strip itself, the meters for three hundred to her, they suddenly saw a large flock of pigeons raised from the strip! It came to the end of the strip, and all the front glass of the cabin turned out to be clapped with blood and wings of birds. Sat and steering Elian could, only watching through the vents. Shuttle, Elian immediately went to the head of the flight. "It was a red-haired Frenchman, similar to the screen sieves. It was the same bastard that started me in 1971 to land, puzzled "left" with "right". I planted it in the car, and we went to inspect the place on the strip, where they saw the bulk grains and beaten white crushed pigeons with a chicken size! Obviously, someone had to do something else! Someone persistently pursued the goal so that the second time it happened was wrong: the engine would have collapsed or worse ... I at my time in Vladimirovka on Mig-19 on the takeoff flew into the flock of Vorobyov. So I did not know how I sit down! Not visible anything! All glazing is flooded with blood, feathers. Someone with the help of the Earth went and barely sat down ... "

Eduard Vaganovich, remembering the different circumstances of flight tests of the 144th, including the most dramatic, said invariably about the high professional qualities of engineers V.N. Benders and Yu.T. Seliverstov. They are both crew members, participated in Tu-144 tests, starting from the first departure. Elian petitioned before D.F. Austinov about the assignment of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In the fact that any incidents concerned from the 144th, especially disaster, especially the second, Edward Vaganovich never rented responsibility with himself, even if she was clearly indirectly. "In the fire of 144th, in a succession flight, I blame myself," Elhanas told me. - It's guilty because I did not raise a flight engineer who could recognize the danger. Benderov raised, and he got out of us. And the other did not bring up. " Edward Vaganovich meant, firstly, an emergency landing in Warsaw, when a large fuel leakage (due to the fuel breakright), the crew found. Then Elhans, as Yu.T. Seliversov told me, put the car in coolly. Secondly, Eduard Vaganovich meant the emergency landing near Yegorievsky. Then the engineers did not notice the same leakage of fuel, and when the auxiliary power plant is launched, a strongest fire has arisen. The first pilot of the pilot-test pilot of the State Siga of V.Dopov and E.V. Lyan, who gave him an improved car Tu-144D, planted it, embraced by a flame, without losing an instant to exposure and control over the situation. The car during the landing on the field is able to save it is impossible; Unfortunately, then the flights of O.A. Nikolaev and V.L.Vediktov were killed.
About the fire and emergency landing on Tu-144 Popov told me this way: "We and I told flights on Tuesday, on May 23, 1978. They soared, flown to Egoryevsk, saying nothing. And at that time on Earth, it was already seen that the flame loop stretches about the same length as the plane. The instrument readings, including the burning light "fire engine" (first one, and then the second), did not cause much trouble. This happened often, and we quickly included the corresponding fire extinguishing systems. We started to easily unfold to return, and at that time the black smoke fell into the cockpit. Later it turned out that about 10 tons of fuel came out of the tanks, and it caught fire in the compartment, where there was no fire sensors. Smoke in the cockpit all arrived. There was no dashboard. I showed left and said: "We will sit on this glade!" There was a village ahead of us, and after her, before that glada - the forest. Therefore, it was necessary to sit behind the forest, reaching the glade. I took the steering wheel, sharply reduced the vertical speed. Trees, as if gigantic drum sticks, knocked down the plane until we flew out of this forest. They gave the team engineers to move to the tail of the aircraft as the most secure place. After the "landing", I, like Elian, jumped through the window and worship! .. Silence. Blue sky, blue water, green grass, smoke black. The car burned, but did not explode. I blame down my head and think what I blame? It is necessary to run! Leaning her legs into the board and managed to tear the hose of the Spa Tandra, associated with the chair (then at the firm of a person ten could not break this hose). "
I happened to hear the record of negotiations on board. It was difficult to disassemble the voices. But it is clear that Elhana, to whom he was sitting on the left, commander's chair Popov, turned to the commander, seeing in addition to the speech informant also the flashing light bulb of the fire alarm, immediately decided to return to his own airfield. To do this, it was necessary to turn 180 °. Popov, who is encouraged by Elain, began a reversal with a deep roll left. Heance, who was on a permanent connection with the crew members and with the CDT, asked for a landing permission from the go and asked to prepare fire anems at the airfield. At the same time, he tried to learn from the engineers, on which engine the flight continues, after there were messages about the fires of three engines. Approximately two minutes after the launch of the VSU, he gave the "Close Air Conditioning" command, Obviously, he began to receive smoke to the cabin ... Messages of the crew members (about the use of fire extinguishing tools, engage off, on the disconnection of the generators, on the position of the aircraft relative to the airfield drives, The nature of the exchange of information with the CDP) indicate absolute peace on board. Even in such a situation, when the car could explode at any second, Elian did not allow himself to do without the word "please"! There was no panic on board, all (and pilots, and engineers, and the navigator, and the head of flights on the CDP), they worked coldly ... Here is a striking example of higher professionalism and courage. And yet: and right, and the left pilots after that disaster always gave tribute to each other in the critical situation ...
Among Tupolevian pilots, Eduard Vaganovich Elda V. Sadovenikov was always highlighted. They were close friends, like their families. Vladimir Stepanovich told: "With Edik, we often flew in one crew. He flew amazingly. If someone says something other is not true! Why is the attitude of many uneven? Yes, because he has a very solid, strict character. He did not tolerate breaktown - not the slightest! If even his demands were honest and fair, not everyone liked it. Therefore, many of him were disliked, especially the peers. Edica Elyan very much respected Andrei Nikolayev Tupolev. And he was versed in humans. They had a very ordinary human relationship ... "
Test pilot and writer Vitaly Baskakov said: "In Elia, there was something ingenious. When I flew, I did not understand it as I understand now. All who in our service imagine the great, could not and close to Eduard Vaganovich. He could create and support the Spirit, and the firm was at it at height. Heyan left, and everything disappeared. Everyone was immediately discharged, and the flight service did not. He was at much more high level Vision and understanding of a wide range of flight test problems than his comrades. His vision largely went beyond the flight service. Judging by his contribution to the solution of the problems of the company and aviation as a whole and in its level of competence, Elhanas is a figure in the scale of the country. Heance was above the bustle, ambitions, emotions, above personal and private. They managed common interests, the interests of a common cause.
Our team in terms of its cohesion was similar to our country in the initial years of perestroika, when the society turned out to be fully broken. Holding in your hands such a team was very difficult. Yelan was able to: he saw the situation from the level of the general designer, and could take on the decisions relating to many ... Elian was a wise, some of his statements and farewells work in me so far. The only thing I'm sorry for: to communicate with such a deep, a little bit of a little. I think he was "destroyed" only because he was so above the rest that few people could understand this height. "
Probably the word "destroyed" too strong. Elhanas, having lost mutual understanding with Tupolovets Comrade, moved to work at Mikoyan. Reached new heights there, in new business tests. And when, years later, after the separation turned out to be in a circle of Tupolevtsev, he fell into the arms of those who kept sincere respect for him. As much joyful at the meeting were the former test pilots of the Mikoyan company, head of the Lei-Testing Center Lii A.N.Kvochaur and Chief Pilot OKB A.S.Yakovlev R.P. Tascaev. Both are grateful to Elain for the help he had in the development of work on maritime themes, on the ship's aviance. About the work that I demanded deep penetration in a completely new thing to us, I remembered Eduard Vaganovich himself with great satisfaction.
... Seeing him in a stormy life, listening to his stories about the past, the stories are as deep, as smart and witty, how modest, causing themselves on several main thoughts. Before you, of course, a unique person is deep, charming, attentive. When in May 2006, Sergei Timofeevich Agapova, Elhana, was not one of the best Tupolevskaya test pilots, Elyhana, fell on his car from Rostov to Zhukovsky, so that together with a few surviving friends to spend on the last path of the common pet. Eduard Vaganovich and today lives concerns about others: relatives, loved ones, friends - just as it was always. Before you - not the epic bogatyr, rather, a person of fragile physical addition, but it is a boulder of the Spirit. Eduard Vaganovich Elhans is a pilot who entered the world aviation history, a person of exceptional merit in front of his country, in front of his people.

Gennady Amiryanz, Doctor of Technical Sciences

Storming sky

In the Financial Design Bureau, Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev worked the constellation of outstanding test pilots. In the best times, dozens of pilots participated in the Tens of pilots at the best times at the Zhukovskoye Testing and Promotional Base of the OKB (ZhILIID). Everyone is a talented personality, by the shoulders of each long, rich in great work and the danger of the path in the test. But someone from the "equal" should have become a senior pilot, someone trusted the first to raise an experienced car. This is inevitably "selective" exaltation - a special test for all. One of the most famous test pilots in our country and in the world is undoubtedly the Hero of the Soviet Union Eduard Vaganovich Elhahan. Honored pilot test of the USSR, he fulfilled a lot of large-scale testing work not only in Tupolev OKB, but also in Lii, OKB P.Osukhogo, A.I. Mikoyan. His name entered the world history in that unfortunate New Year's Day on December 31, 1968, when he headed by a small crew for the first time raised the world's first supersonic passenger aircraft in the world, the legendary Tu-144. This flight has become the final stage of the innovative work of a great set of Research Institute, KB, factories, specialists of dozens of areas, hundreds of thousands of scientists, engineers, technicians, the workers - the whole country. At the top of a huge pyramid of the creators and testes of the true miracle of aviation equipment, which is unlikely to be able to repeat in the coming decades, one person was raised, the first pilot and the crew commander. The general designer, the Musdarey Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev had someone to choose. He called one name - Eduard Elhan. Neither climbing this top nor the descent from it was not simple for the pilot.
Eduard Vaganovich Elain turned 80 years old. And we have a wonderful reason to tell him good words.

One of the most memorable memories was associated with Eduard Vaganovich with the tests of the modernized passenger aircraft Tu-104E. The airplane added fuel tanks in the wing and increased the range of flights to 700 km. It turned out a very promising machine. But difficulties arose with the recompression of the aileron ...
Elhanas did a lot on the tests of the passenger aircraft Tu-134 (together with A.D. Kalina, S.T.Agapov, B.I. MEREMEME). Especially actively he participated in the most complex flight programs at large corners of the attack. In one of the flights on this program, Elias with his friend Boris began a fire in the compartment of the fuselage, where experimental equipment was installed - "shells" of recorded equipment. Veremia managed to put out the fire. The task stopped. The verse was similar to the Negro, his hands were burned, the clothes suffered, but in general it all ended well - Elyhana planted the car.
Elyan with the Veremiah tied a strong male friendship. B.I. MEMEMEY told me that I was convinced by Eduard Vaganovich "The most progressive leader who took care of the perspective and very seriously relating to young people." They stood the mountain each other and were chicted both in front of them and before comrade. They knew the price of each other as pilots, as a person. Elhanas told: "I participated at the initial stage of the layout of the supersonic heavy rocket mines Tu-160. I was not going to fly on this car, and I planned to this business from the very beginning Boris Veremy. But for some time she worked there well. After all, there was a problem with the rest of the crew, with the location of the consoles. And the special complexity arose with the pilots chair. There was very little space, and I suggested to hang the back of the chair for the top points so that the chair could turn and move back. Then the pilots would have the opportunity to calmly take the chair and leave him. I wanted to consolidate the appointment of the Verema, because he was in a hurry with the view of him to the title of the hero. Alexey Andreevich Tupolev on this occasion I approached twice. The first time - unsuccessfully, stumbled for a while, repeated the approach, and he said: "Did you give a hero with the third time? And they gave after flying to the 144th! So let the Ridim fly to the 160th - then let's talk "..."
Yelan also had a lot of work on Tu-154 along with Yu.V. Sukhov, V.P. Borisov ... I actively engaged in this car, working with Bulgarian and Romanian pilots ... Once, Elhana sat down on the 154th in Novosibirsk with a non-disconnected chassis and coped With the car, retaining it ...
When Tupolev, the theme of the supersonic passenger aircraft Tu-144 was loyed in OKB Tu-144, no less important was the work on two other new, complex projects - a supersonic bomber with a wing of a variable geometry of Tu-22M and passenger Tu-154. They were focused by Borisov, Sgorov and Sukhov. Works did not stop working on other tasks: Kozlov with Bessonov completed the tests of the supersonic interceptor Tu-28, the city of Tu-142 was tested with Vedepnikov ... ... In the first group of Tu-144 aircraft pilots, Borisov, Elhans, Kozlov, Vednikov entered the first group. So they say, planned Tupolev. Soon the crew commander of the 144th will not choose not the most titled and adopted by all, but quite experienced and reliable - E.V. Lana.
Once I asked Eduard Vaganovich, why from the Great Team, maybe, and more famous pilots on the 144th chose it. He replied: "I think it happened. Upon work with Tu-22 I was close to the main designer D.S. Markov. With his participation, I do not remember how it was, I also got closer to the brigade, which began to create an aircraft Tu-144, in particular with V.I. Rebiznyuk. Alexey Andreyevich Tupolev for two or three to the first departure already told me so that I was "doing this car." It was a short conversation, he said: "If possible - take up!" When the project began to emerge, our contacts became more frequent. In fact, our pilots from Zhukovsky went reluctantly, did not love it, just say. I when I became the head of the flight service, it was not always possible to send them to the CB. Because if you go there, you can lose flight. Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev with me about the appointment in the first crew of the test never said. So far, with the famous scientists of Lii and the test pilot, N.V. Adayovich worked on the layout, no one knew who would lift the car. And I had no conversation on this topic with anyone! When such an appointment took place, I was not asked! Then it was already determined (without me!), That another candidate, Kola Zhevetov, because of his some problems, the car will not trust. When I consent to be the first, I asked Misha Kozlov, whether he agreed to be second. He agreed. He then did the 28th car, was very busy and did not have been on the layout of the 144th. With Andrey Nikolayevich, I met only when he arrived at the first departure. Before that, I sometimes communicated only with Alexey Andreevich Tupolev. In addition to Misha, consent to work on the 144th gave more Agaps. We flew to the "analogue", appreciated this car, built on the basis of the MiG-21 fighter. By the way, she, as it turned out, was very similar to the 144th at the subsonic speed. At the supersonic, the 144th did not have a "rich", which was on the "analogue" that did not have dampers ... "
In Sergey Timofeevich Agapov Elhana appreciated the natural talent of the pilot, the directness and honesty of a person with a wide Russian soul. Agapov was known for the sharpness of the judgments of anyone, including Eduard Vaganovich. But he spoke about him, giving himself due: "Waganych flew well. Maybe his main feature was punctuality. He was very well preparing for flights, thoroughly, carefully. He had no such talent to immediately grab everything on the fly. He just achieved his diligence and perseverance ... "

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Respectively and warm, as a strong test pilot and engineer, spoke of Eduard Vaganovich, a well-known scientist Lii and the pilot-test of Nikolai Vladimirovich Adamovich. He talked about his joint work on Ergonomics 144th. Then Eljan for a long time, it seemed forever, disappeared from the Moscow life, having moved to Rostov, and not all his comrades recalled him as good. And with the era, we talked about the same joint work when Adamovich had already passed away. In mutual, completely independent estimates of each of them, there were so many personal modesty and respect for each other, which I remember this as a rare example of genuine intelligence. "We are with Adamovich," said Eduard Vaganovich, "worked on this program at the earliest stage. Adamovich - the Great was a man. Consider that the cabin is his work! We did a lot together, but the idea, ideology was His! I helped him. Our cabin was easier than the "Concord", thanks to Adamovich, thanks to the nearest Tupolevsky associate L. L. Karbera, who boldly went to our suggestions. "
Heance spent several years in the OKB, doing 144th long before they began to choose the commander to the first experienced car. He worked a lot with the designers, especially with the aircraft management specialists. On the airplane layout and stands, they adjusted the position of the buttons, togglers, the shape of the control panels, refined the parameters of various systems. Those who know this well say that Elyan can be considered not only the first pilot of the aircraft Tu-144, but also the full-blooded creator of this car!
Eduard Vaganovich always admired the 144th and its flight characteristics, but never highlighted any particular details of the first test flight of the machine. But those who met the crew after the historical flight celebrated completely indivisible satisfaction and spirituality of the crew commander. After all, it was the first, quite a good outcome of the huge work. Naturally, Elhan was very worried later that the 144th turned out to be the only machine that received a certificate of flight affair and did not go to passenger transportation. But he has drawn little from him. He is confident that if Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev was alive, everything would be different, but this is a special topic. The country has not enough economic power and general organization to make a commercially profitable political program. Creating Tu-144, we learned to solve the most complicated scientific and technological problems in aviation.
In 1975, after the 1973 catastrophe, Elhans with Goryunov showed their program of demonstration flights to the Tu-144, after which they went landing. Before the strip itself, the meters for three hundred to her, they suddenly saw a large flock of pigeons raised from the strip! It came to the end of the strip, and all the front glass of the cabin turned out to be clapped with blood and wings of birds. Sat and steering Elian could, only watching through the vents. Shuttle, Elian immediately went to the head of the flight. "It was a red-haired Frenchman, similar to the screen sieves. It was the same bastard that started me in 1971 to land, puzzled "left" with "right". I planted it in the car, and we went to inspect the place on the strip, where they saw the bulk grains and beaten white crushed pigeons with a chicken size! Obviously, someone had to do something else! Someone persistently pursued the goal so that the second time it happened was wrong: the engine would have collapsed or worse ... I at my time in Vladimirovka on Mig-19 on the takeoff flew into the flock of Vorobyov. So I did not know how I sit down! Not visible anything! All glazing is flooded with blood, feathers. Someone with the help of the Earth went and barely sat down ... "
Eduard Vaganovich, remembering the different circumstances of flight tests of the 144th, including the most dramatic, said invariably about the high professional qualities of engineers V.N. Benders and Yu.T. Seliverstov. They are both crew members, participated in Tu-144 tests, starting from the first departure. Elian petitioned before D.F. Austinov about the assignment of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In the fact that any incidents concerned from the 144th, especially disaster, especially the second, Edward Vaganovich never rented responsibility with himself, even if she was clearly indirectly. "In the fire of 144th, in a succession flight, I blame myself," Elhanas told me. - It's guilty because I did not raise a flight engineer who could recognize the danger. Benderov raised, and he got out of us. And the other did not bring up. " Edward Vaganovich meant, firstly, an emergency landing in Warsaw, when a large fuel leakage (due to the fuel breakright), the crew found. Then Elhans, as Yu.T. Seliversov told me, put the car in coolly. Secondly, Eduard Vaganovich meant the emergency landing near Yegorievsky. Then the engineers did not notice the same leakage of fuel, and when the auxiliary power plant is launched, a strongest fire has arisen. The first pilot of the pilot-test pilot of the State Siga of V.Dopov and E.V. Lyan, who gave him an improved car Tu-144D, planted it, embraced by a flame, without losing an instant to exposure and control over the situation. The car during the landing on the field is able to save it is impossible; Unfortunately, then the flights of O.A. Nikolaev and V.L.Vediktov were killed.
About the fire and emergency landing on Tu-144 Popov told me this way: "We and I told flights on Tuesday, on May 23, 1978. They soared, flown to Egoryevsk, saying nothing. And at that time on Earth, it was already seen that the flame loop stretches about the same length as the plane. The instrument readings, including the burning light "fire engine" (first one, and then the second), did not cause much trouble. This happened often, and we quickly included the corresponding fire extinguishing systems. We started to easily unfold to return, and at that time the black smoke fell into the cockpit. Later it turned out that about 10 tons of fuel came out of the tanks, and it caught fire in the compartment, where there was no fire sensors. Smoke in the cockpit all arrived. There was no dashboard. I showed left and said: "We will sit on this glade!" There was a village ahead of us, and after her, before that glada - the forest. Therefore, it was necessary to sit behind the forest, reaching the glade. I took the steering wheel, sharply reduced the vertical speed. Trees, as if gigantic drum sticks, knocked down the plane until we flew out of this forest. They gave the team engineers to move to the tail of the aircraft as the most secure place. After the "landing", I, like Elian, jumped through the window and worship! .. Silence. Blue sky, blue water, green grass, smoke black. The car burned, but did not explode. I blame down my head and think what I blame? It is necessary to run! Leaning her legs into the board and managed to tear the hose of the Spa Tandra, associated with the chair (then at the firm of a person ten could not break this hose). "
I happened to hear the record of negotiations on board. It was difficult to disassemble the voices. But it is clear that Elhana, to whom he was sitting on the left, commander's chair Popov, turned to the commander, seeing in addition to the speech informant also the flashing light bulb of the fire alarm, immediately decided to return to his own airfield. To do this, it was necessary to unfold at 1800. Popov, compressed by Elain, began a reversal with a deep roll left. Heance, who was on a permanent connection with the crew members and with the CDT, asked for a landing permission from the go and asked to prepare fire anems at the airfield. At the same time, he tried to learn from the engineers, on which engine the flight continues, after there were messages about the fires of three engines. About two minutes after the launch of the Armed For ENU, he gave the "Close Air Conditioning" command, obviously, he began to arrive in the cabin ... Messages of the crew members (about the use of fire extinguishing facilities, engage shutdown, on the shutdown of generators, on the position of the aircraft relative to the airfield drives, the nature of the exchange Information with the CDP) indicate absolute peace on board. Even in such a situation, when the car could explode at any second, Elian did not allow himself to do without the word "please"! There was no panic on board, all (and pilots, and engineers, and the navigator, and the head of flights on the CDP), they worked coldly ... Here is a striking example of higher professionalism and courage. And yet: and right, and the left pilots after that disaster always gave tribute to each other in the critical situation ...
Among Tupolevian pilots, Eduard Vaganovich Elda V. Sadovenikov was always highlighted. They were close friends, like their families. Vladimir Stepanovich told: "With Edik, we often flew in one crew. He flew amazingly. If someone says something other is not true! Why is the attitude of many uneven? Yes, because he has a very solid, strict character. He did not tolerate breaktown - not the slightest! If even his demands were honest and fair, not everyone liked it. Therefore, many of him were disliked, especially the peers. Edica Elyan very much respected Andrei Nikolayev Tupolev. And he was versed in humans. They had a very ordinary human relationship ... "

Test pilot and writer Vitaly Baskakov said: "In Elia, there was something ingenious. When I flew, I did not understand it as I understand now. All who in our service imagine the great, could not and close to Eduard Vaganovich. He could create and support the Spirit, and the firm was at it at height. Heyan left, and everything disappeared. Everyone was immediately discharged, and the flight service did not. It was at a much higher level of vision and understanding of a wide range of flight test problems than his comrades. His vision largely went beyond the flight service. Judging by his contribution to the solution of the problems of the company and aviation as a whole and in its level of competence, Elhanas is a figure in the scale of the country. Heance was above the bustle, ambitions, emotions, above personal and private. They managed common interests, the interests of a common cause.
Our team in terms of its cohesion was similar to our country in the initial years of perestroika, when the society turned out to be fully broken. Holding in your hands such a team was very difficult. Yelan was able to: he saw the situation from the level of the general designer, and could take on the decisions relating to many ... Elian was a wise, some of his statements and farewells work in me so far. The only thing I'm sorry for: to communicate with such a deep, a little bit of a little. I think he was "destroyed" only because he was so above the rest that few people could understand this height. "
Probably the word "destroyed" too strong. Elhanas, having lost mutual understanding with Tupolovets Comrade, moved to work at Mikoyan. Reached new heights there, in new business tests. And when, years later, after the separation turned out to be in a circle of Tupolevtsev, he fell into the arms of those who kept sincere respect for him. As much joyful at the meeting were the former test pilots of the Mikoyan company, head of the Lei-Testing Center Lii A.N.Kvochaur and Chief Pilot OKB A.S.Yakovlev R.P. Tascaev. Both are grateful to Elain for the help he had in the development of work on maritime themes, on the ship's aviance. About the work that I demanded deep penetration in a completely new thing to us, I remembered Eduard Vaganovich himself with great satisfaction.
Eduard Vaganovich Elain - 80 years. Seeing him in a stormy life, listening to his stories about the past, the stories are as deep, as smart and witty, how modest, causing themselves on several main thoughts. Before you, of course, a unique person is deep, charming, attentive. When in May 2006, Sergei Timofeevich Agapova, Elhana, was not one of the best Tupolevskaya test pilots, Elyhana, fell on his car from Rostov to Zhukovsky, so that together with a few surviving friends to spend on the last path of the common pet. Eduard Vaganovich and today lives concerns about others: relatives, loved ones, friends - just as it was always. Before you - not the epic bogatyr, rather, a person of fragile physical addition, but it is a boulder of the Spirit. Eduard Vaganovich Elhans is a pilot who entered the world aviation history, a person of exceptional merit in front of his country, in front of his people.

Gennady Amiryanz,
Doctor of Technical Sciences

Height of elyan
Storming sky

In the Financial Design Bureau, Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev worked the constellation of outstanding test pilots. In the best times, dozens of pilots participated in the Tens of pilots at the best times at the Zhukovskoye Testing and Promotional Base of the OKB (ZhILIID). Everyone is a talented personality, by the shoulders of each long, rich in great work and the danger of the path in the test. But someone from the "equal" should have become a senior pilot, someone trusted the first to raise an experienced car. This is inevitably "selective" exaltation - a special test for all. One of the most famous test pilots in our country and in the world is undoubtedly the Hero of the Soviet Union Eduard Vaganovich Elhahan. Honored pilot test of the USSR, he fulfilled a lot of large-scale testing work not only in Tupolev OKB, but also in Lii, OKB P.Osukhogo, A.I. Mikoyan. His name entered the world history in that unfortunate New Year's Day on December 31, 1968, when he headed by a small crew for the first time raised the world's first supersonic passenger aircraft in the world, the legendary Tu-144. This flight has become the final stage of the innovative work of a great set of Research Institute, KB, factories, specialists of dozens of areas, hundreds of thousands of scientists, engineers, technicians, the workers - the whole country. At the top of a huge pyramid of the creators and testes of the true miracle of aviation equipment, which is unlikely to be able to repeat in the coming decades, one person was raised, the first pilot and the crew commander. The general designer, the Musdarey Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev had someone to choose. He called one name - Eduard Elhan. Neither climbing this top nor the descent from it was not simple for the pilot.
Eduard Vaganovich Elain turned 80 years old. And we have a wonderful reason to tell him good words.
Looking at this gray-haired beautiful person, full of everyday and professional wisdom, organization and responsibility, a person who survived a lot of catastrophe and losses, do not cease to be surprised by his true young, restless energy. He remembers well (and appreciates) the past, but he has been full of real and future - his family, his friends, associates, their own planes, their own country.
Life shows that an instructor experience has the most important in the formation of many outstanding testes. So it was Elyan. The Borisoglebsk military school pilots he graduated with honors in 1948 and until 1951 worked there as an instructor. Already then, he was noticed by the head of the School of Test pilots, General M.V. Kotelnikov. Elian wanted to get to the first set of school, but he had a little raid. This defects Eduard Elhan eliminated quickly: he, as an instructor, had to fly almost daily from an early morning with a dozen cadets of his group, and after lunch - with a dozen cadets of another group. Several instructors were then taken to Korea to teach Chinese pilots. General Kotelnikov himself made efforts so that Elhana fell into the second set, where he was, it seems, the youngest lieutenant. Among the teachers of the school of their set, in 1951, Elhans highlighted Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromova. He was then the head of the service department of the Ministry of Aviation Industry, headed the Mandate School Commission and read a psychology course there. It was remembered that in these lectures was a love ... to horses. And the psychology of the rider of an unnecessied horse was examined by a lecturer sometimes as carefully as the psychology of the test pilot.
Heance started his test work at the Flight Research Institute (Lii) and fulfilled several important work. They were associated with the blinking of engines of MiG-15 fighter aircraft and MiG-19 when shooting with reactive shells and from ordinary guns. He participated in the tests associated with ensuring the strength of the same aircraft with suspended tanks. Important results were obtained by them in the tests of liquid rocket engines - the EDG on the front bombard of IL-28 and in trials aimed at identifying the causes of the disaster of three An-2 aircraft. He was a dubler at Amemet Khan Sultan when testing a unique supersonic aircraft P.V.TSibin NM-1. He failed to fly, she was prevented by a business trip to the polygon in Vladimirovka. But his appointment for this work speaks for itself. He was also a dubler in the testing of the experienced aircraft of OKB A.I. Mikoyan E-50 with LDD ...
After five years of work in Lii, since 1958, Edward Vaganovich was experiencing fighter aircraft in OKB P.Shoy, in particular, he passed on state testing the C-1 aircraft and experienced the P-1 car. Elyan has excellent relations with the senior pilot of the company of Sukhoi V.S. Iilushin (Vladimir Sergeevich said to me warmly).
In the summer of 1960, six months after the death of the crew Yu.T.Alaseyev on a unique experienced machine - the Tu-22 supersonic bombarder, Eliastan was invited to Tupolev OKB to continue the tests of this car. By this time, Heyan graduated from Mai. Formally, he has not yet left the firm dry, but flew already in Lii. Here, on the instructions of the head of the base M.N. Korneev, the oldest test pilots of the company A.P.Yakimov and I.M.Somommelin, with a proposal to switch to KB Tupolev, came to Him. M.N. Korneev and his deputy DS Zosim met a young pilot in front of the entrance to the central building of the base. Walking in the Leskka, after general questions about health, about the desire to work in the KB, Mikhail Nikiforovich Koreev said to Elia, what was remembered for a long time: "We have one request for you: please do not get involved in the coalition in our team. We have a ball of hostility in the relationship of young with old. There is a problem. Your task is Tu-22! "
The Tu-22 machine was unstable in some flight modes (in particular, at low speeds with flames released), and there were many defects associated with instability. Often there were fuselage destruction. Machines broke due to the loss of stability in the longitudinal movement (due to the so-called routing of pitch).
After the emergencies that occurred in Yu.T. Telacheva and V.F. Kovaleva, the "old" pilots did not rush to fly on Tu-22, they were engaged in heavy tu-95 and Tu-114 dialing machines. The main thing, they did not want, as they admitted themselves, "to poke the head in the mouth of the beast." The first after an emergency landing with the hardest consequences of the crew of Kovalev flew Elyhan. And it was the first flight in its fleet career on Tu-22. "I still remember," said the former head of Zhlildab M.V. Ulyanov, - as we "drove it" into the plane, not yet grayed at that time ... The chair was produced from the cabin down, the pilot sat down into it, equipped, fell And the winch, manually raised. Then the hand winch on the car was replaced by electric ... "
On the first removal of Elyan on the 22nd, Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev was present. He also participated in the collection of flight and was especially interested in the issues of longitudinal management. Someone squeaks the car on the takeoff - this did not have this. The car seemed to him a powerful, strict, but subject to the pilot.
In the first years, Tupoleva Elhans was engaged mainly by Tu-22, and he had to solve a variety of tasks. For example, in the Kaliningrad regiment (there, as in Saki, the regiment of marine aviation) on the 22nd all the time the brake parachutes were torn, and the cars were rolled out for the lane. Hehyan flew there and figured out that the reason for the incident was the excessively high speed of landing. A lot of work on the 22nd was connected at the pilot with the Kazan Plant, which he oversaw. On Tu-22, Elian performed the first flight to the maximum range - to Novosibirsk and finished more than five hours.
Once in 1963 in one of the flights of ELANA on Tu-22, the flight indicator refused in flight. And the pilot, it is not suspecting, exceeded speed limitations. The plane in the clouds got into the zone of the Aleron reverse: with the rejection of the steering wheel to the right, the aircraft started to the left. In addition, there was a reverse reaction to the gift of the leg. The height was no more than 1,500 m, but Elian managed to understand what's the matter. He did not give to develop events, removed the afternoon, increased the vertical speed, slowed down and rained the car at the airfield ... "Could be a pipe," he recalled the years later.
According to the conversion of the aircraft Tu-22, the pilot test V.P. Borisov. The crew of the era, which also included the N.I. Tolmachev and B.I. Kutakov, and B.I. Kutakov, performed a particularly important and important work on the Tu-22K rocket aircraft with combat missiles X-22. With the first launch of the rocket on the landfill in Vladimirovka, instead of an instead of the rocket, the mechanism of the oxidant's drain - nitric acid, one of the components of the rocket fuel, was worked. The plane suddenly was covered with a yellow cloud, which gradually scattered. The pilot did not lose their composure and was able to bring the car at the airfield. It was laundered from this acid all night with all that they could, but the car was saved.
Yelan, who has always distinguished naturalness and sociability, was complete mutual understanding with the sediments and the chief designer of the rocket armament system X-22 V.M.Shabanov, subsequently Colonel-General, Deputy Minister of Defense of D.F. Office for Armediation. Elian, as always, meticulously disassembled in the works of all systems of the most complex complex with how to act in the most unforeseen circumstances. According to the test program, a huge amount of work was performed. A re-on this aircraft it was necessary to do everything, starting with the study of the take-off characteristics, characteristics of stability, controllability, other features of aerodynamics, strength. "And this is natural," said Ulyanov, "because X-22 is a six-path rocket on an external suspension!" And Elhana did all this "without noise and dust." He managed to spend these tests so that no one knew about them. Quietly, methodically. It is quite possible to consider the progenitor X-22. Elhana, I think for our company - the epoch! I had to hear that he sometimes was overly cut. This is not like this: as a brought up man, Vaganych never allowed himself a single rude word about anyone. "
Heyan put into operation the first fleets of long aviation on Tu-22. It happened at the airfield in Zhukovsky. Then from the ministry sent three experienced pilots who had to prepare as instructors. Having released them, Elhana oversees a few regiments of Tu-22 long-distance aviation. Years later, working already at Mikoyanovs on the subject of deck aviation, Elhan has repeatedly met his wards from the military, some of them have already occupied the highest posts, right up to the ministerial ...
Together with A.D. Kalina, N.N. Kharitonov, V.P. Borisov, B.I. Carmem, E.A. Goryunov, A.S. Meleshko and other Tupolevian pilots testing of different generations, along with leading engineers According to this car and other specialists, E.V. Lyang did a lot for the formation of the Tu-22 aircraft, which opened the road even more perfect Tu-22m, Tu-160 ... Worked a large team, and work went in many directions.

One of the most memorable memories was associated with Eduard Vaganovich with the tests of the modernized passenger aircraft Tu-104E. The airplane added fuel tanks in the wing and increased the range of flights to 700 km. It turned out a very promising machine. But difficulties arose with the recompression of the aileron ...
Elhanas did a lot on the tests of the passenger aircraft Tu-134 (together with A.D. Kalina, S.T.Agapov, B.I. MEREMEME). Especially actively he participated in the most complex flight programs at large corners of the attack. In one of the flights on this program, Elias with his friend Boris began a fire in the compartment of the fuselage, where experimental equipment was installed - "shells" of recorded equipment. Veremia managed to put out the fire. The task stopped. The verse was similar to the Negro, his hands were burned, the clothes suffered, but in general it all ended well - Elyhana planted the car.
Elyan with the Veremiah tied a strong male friendship. B.I. MEMEMEY told me that I was convinced by Eduard Vaganovich "The most progressive leader who took care of the perspective and very seriously relating to young people." They stood the mountain each other and were chicted both in front of them and before comrade. They knew the price of each other as pilots, as a person. Elhanas told: "I participated at the initial stage of the layout of the supersonic heavy rocket mines Tu-160. I was not going to fly on this car, and I planned to this business from the very beginning Boris Veremy. But for some time she worked there well. After all, there was a problem with the rest of the crew, with the location of the consoles. And the special complexity arose with the pilots chair. There was very little space, and I suggested to hang the back of the chair for the top points so that the chair could turn and move back. Then the pilots would have the opportunity to calmly take the chair and leave him. I wanted to consolidate the appointment of the Verema, because he was in a hurry with the view of him to the title of the hero. Alexey Andreevich Tupolev on this occasion I approached twice. The first time - unsuccessfully, stumbled for a while, repeated the approach, and he said: "Did you give a hero with the third time? And they gave after flying to the 144th! So let the Ridim fly to the 160th - then let's talk "..."
Elyan also had a lot of work on Tu-154 along with Yu.V.Sukhov, V.P. Borisov ... he actively engaged in this car, working with Bulgarian and Romanian pilots ... Once, Elhana sat down on the 154th in Novosibirsk with Without a gentle chassis and coped with the car, retaining it ...
When Tupolev, the theme of the supersonic passenger aircraft Tu-144 was loyed in OKB Tu-144, no less important was the work on two other new, complex projects - a supersonic bomber with a wing of a variable geometry of Tu-22M and passenger Tu-154. They were focused by Borisov, Sgorov and Sukhov. Works did not stop working on other tasks: Kozlov with Besso completed the tests of the supersonic interceptor Tu-28, the Tu-142 long-range anti-raid aircraft was tested ... In the first group of Tu-144 aircraft pilots, Borisov, Elhans, Kozlov, Vednikov. So they say, planned Tupolev. Soon the crew commander of the 144th will not choose not the most titled and adopted by all, but quite experienced and reliable - E.V. Lana.
Once I asked Eduard Vaganovich, why from the Great Team, maybe, and more famous pilots on the 144th chose it. He replied: "I think it happened. Upon work with Tu-22 I was close to the main designer D.S. Markov. With his participation, I do not remember how it was, I also got closer to the brigade, which began to create an aircraft Tu-144, in particular with V.I. Rebiznyuk. Alexey Andreyevich Tupolev for two or three to the first departure already told me so that I was "doing this car." It was a short conversation, he said: "If possible - take up!" When the project began to emerge, our contacts became more frequent. In fact, our pilots from Zhukovsky went reluctantly, did not love it, just say. I when I became the head of the flight service, it was not always possible to send them to the CB. Because if you go there, you can lose flight. Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev with me about the appointment in the first crew of the test never said. So far, with the famous scientists of Lii and the test pilot, N.V. Adayovich worked on the layout, no one knew who would lift the car. And I had no conversation on this topic with anyone! When such an appointment took place, I was not asked! Then it was already determined (without me!), That another candidate, Kola Zhevetov, because of his some problems, the car will not trust. When I consent to be the first, I asked Misha Kozlov, whether he agreed to be second. He agreed. He then did the 28th car, was very busy and did not have been on the layout of the 144th. With Andrey Nikolayevich, I met only when he arrived at the first departure. Before that, I sometimes communicated only with Alexey Andreevich Tupolev. In addition to Misha, consent to work on the 144th gave more Agaps. We flew to the "analogue", appreciated this car, built on the basis of the MiG-21 fighter. By the way, she, as it turned out, was very similar to the 144th at the subsonic speed. At the supersonic, the 144th did not have a "rich", which was on the "analogue" that did not have dampers ... "
In Sergey Timofeevich Agapov Elhana appreciated the natural talent of the pilot, the directness and honesty of a person with a wide Russian soul. Agapov was known for the sharpness of the judgments of anyone, including Eduard Vaganovich. But he spoke about him, giving himself due: "Waganych flew well. Maybe his main feature was punctuality. He was very well preparing for flights, thoroughly, carefully. He had no such talent to immediately grab everything on the fly. He just achieved his diligence and perseverance ... "

Respectively and warm, as a strong test pilot and engineer, spoke of Eduard Vaganovich, a well-known scientist Lii and the pilot-test of Nikolai Vladimirovich Adamovich. He talked about his joint work on Ergonomics 144th. Then Eljan for a long time, it seemed forever, disappeared from the Moscow life, having moved to Rostov, and not all his comrades recalled him as good. And with the era, we talked about the same joint work when Adamovich had already passed away. In mutual, completely independent estimates of each of them, there were so many personal modesty and respect for each other, which I remember this as a rare example of genuine intelligence. "We are with Adamovich," said Eduard Vaganovich, "worked on this program at the earliest stage. Adamovich - the Great was a man. Consider that the cabin is his work! We did a lot together, but the idea, ideology was His! I helped him. Our cabin was easier than the "Concord", thanks to Adamovich, thanks to the nearest Tupolevsky associate L. L. Karbera, who boldly went to our suggestions. "
Heance spent several years in the OKB, doing 144th long before they began to choose the commander to the first experienced car. He worked a lot with the designers, especially with the aircraft management specialists. On the airplane layout and stands, they adjusted the position of the buttons, togglers, the shape of the control panels, refined the parameters of various systems. Those who know this well say that Elyan can be considered not only the first pilot of the aircraft Tu-144, but also the full-blooded creator of this car!
Eduard Vaganovich always admired the 144th and its flight characteristics, but never highlighted any particular details of the first test flight of the machine. But those who met the crew after the historical flight celebrated completely indivisible satisfaction and spirituality of the crew commander. After all, it was the first, quite a good outcome of the huge work. Naturally, Elhan was very worried later that the 144th turned out to be the only machine that received a certificate of flight affair and did not go to passenger transportation. But he has drawn little from him. He is confident that if Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev was alive, everything would be different, but this is a special topic. The country has not enough economic power and general organization to make a commercially profitable political program. Creating Tu-144, we learned to solve the most complicated scientific and technological problems in aviation.
In 1975, after the 1973 catastrophe, Elhans with Goryunov showed their program of demonstration flights to the Tu-144, after which they went landing. Before the strip itself, the meters for three hundred to her, they suddenly saw a large flock of pigeons raised from the strip! It came to the end of the strip, and all the front glass of the cabin turned out to be clapped with blood and wings of birds. Sat and steering Elian could, only watching through the vents. Shuttle, Elian immediately went to the head of the flight. "It was a red-haired Frenchman, similar to the screen sieves. It was the same bastard that started me in 1971 to land, puzzled "left" with "right". I planted it in the car, and we went to inspect the place on the strip, where they saw the bulk grains and beaten white crushed pigeons with a chicken size! Obviously, someone had to do something else! Someone persistently pursued the goal so that the second time it happened was wrong: the engine would have collapsed or worse ... I at my time in Vladimirovka on Mig-19 on the takeoff flew into the flock of Vorobyov. So I did not know how I sit down! Not visible anything! All glazing is flooded with blood, feathers. Someone with the help of the Earth went and barely sat down ... "
Eduard Vaganovich, remembering the different circumstances of flight tests of the 144th, including the most dramatic, said invariably about the high professional qualities of engineers V.N. Benders and Yu.T. Seliverstov. They are both crew members, participated in Tu-144 tests, starting from the first departure. Elian petitioned before D.F. Austinov about the assignment of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In the fact that any incidents concerned from the 144th, especially disaster, especially the second, Edward Vaganovich never rented responsibility with himself, even if she was clearly indirectly. "In the fire of 144th, in a succession flight, I blame myself," Elhanas told me. - It's guilty because I did not raise a flight engineer who could recognize the danger. Benderov raised, and he got out of us. And the other did not bring up. " Edward Vaganovich meant, firstly, an emergency landing in Warsaw, when a large fuel leakage (due to the fuel breakright), the crew found. Then Elhans, as Yu.T. Seliversov told me, put the car in coolly. Secondly, Eduard Vaganovich meant the emergency landing near Yegorievsky. Then the engineers did not notice the same leakage of fuel, and when the auxiliary power plant is launched, a strongest fire has arisen. The first pilot of the pilot-test pilot of the State Siga of V.Dopov and E.V. Lyan, who gave him an improved car Tu-144D, planted it, embraced by a flame, without losing an instant to exposure and control over the situation. The car during the landing on the field is able to save it is impossible; Unfortunately, then the flights of O.A. Nikolaev and V.L.Vediktov were killed.
About the fire and emergency landing on Tu-144 Popov told me this way: "We and I told flights on Tuesday, on May 23, 1978. They soared, flown to Egoryevsk, saying nothing. And at that time on Earth, it was already seen that the flame loop stretches about the same length as the plane. The instrument readings, including the burning light "fire engine" (first one, and then the second), did not cause much trouble. This happened often, and we quickly included the corresponding fire extinguishing systems. We started to easily unfold to return, and at that time the black smoke fell into the cockpit. Later it turned out that about 10 tons of fuel came out of the tanks, and it caught fire in the compartment, where there was no fire sensors. Smoke in the cockpit all arrived. There was no dashboard. I showed left and said: "We will sit on this glade!" There was a village ahead of us, and after her, before that glada - the forest. Therefore, it was necessary to sit behind the forest, reaching the glade. I took the steering wheel, sharply reduced the vertical speed. Trees, as if gigantic drum sticks, knocked down the plane until we flew out of this forest. They gave the team engineers to move to the tail of the aircraft as the most secure place. After the "landing", I, like Elian, jumped through the window and worship! .. Silence. Blue sky, blue water, green grass, smoke black. The car burned, but did not explode. I blame down my head and think what I blame? It is necessary to run! Leaning her legs into the board and managed to tear the hose of the Spa Tandra, associated with the chair (then at the firm of a person ten could not break this hose). "
I happened to hear the record of negotiations on board. It was difficult to disassemble the voices. But it is clear that Elhana, to whom he was sitting on the left, commander's chair Popov, turned to the commander, seeing in addition to the speech informant also the flashing light bulb of the fire alarm, immediately decided to return to his own airfield. To do this, it was necessary to unfold at 1800. Popov, compressed by Elain, began a reversal with a deep roll left. Heance, who was on a permanent connection with the crew members and with the CDT, asked for a landing permission from the go and asked to prepare fire anems at the airfield. At the same time, he tried to learn from the engineers, on which engine the flight continues, after there were messages about the fires of three engines. Approximately two minutes after the launch of the VSU, he gave the "Close Air Conditioning" command, Obviously, he began to receive smoke to the cabin ... Messages of the crew members (about the use of fire extinguishing tools, engage off, on the disconnection of the generators, on the position of the aircraft relative to the airfield drives, The nature of the exchange of information with the CDP) indicate absolute peace on board. Even in such a situation, when the car could explode at any second, Elian did not allow himself to do without the word "please"! There was no panic on board, all (and pilots, and engineers, and the navigator, and the head of flights on the CDP), they worked coldly ... Here is a striking example of higher professionalism and courage. And yet: and right, and the left pilots after that disaster always gave tribute to each other in the critical situation ...
Among Tupolevian pilots, Eduard Vaganovich Elda V. Sadovenikov was always highlighted. They were close friends, like their families. Vladimir Stepanovich told: "With Edik, we often flew in one crew. He flew amazingly. If someone says something other is not true! Why is the attitude of many uneven? Yes, because he has a very solid, strict character. He did not tolerate breaktown - not the slightest! If even his demands were honest and fair, not everyone liked it. Therefore, many of him were disliked, especially the peers. Edica Elyan very much respected Andrei Nikolayev Tupolev. And he was versed in humans. They had a very ordinary human relationship ... "

Test pilot and writer Vitaly Baskakov said: "In Elia, there was something ingenious. When I flew, I did not understand it as I understand now. All who in our service imagine the great, could not and close to Eduard Vaganovich. He could create and support the Spirit, and the firm was at it at height. Heyan left, and everything disappeared. Everyone was immediately discharged, and the flight service did not. It was at a much higher level of vision and understanding of a wide range of flight test problems than his comrades. His vision largely went beyond the flight service. Judging by his contribution to the solution of the problems of the company and aviation as a whole and in its level of competence, Elhanas is a figure in the scale of the country. Heance was above the bustle, ambitions, emotions, above personal and private. They managed common interests, the interests of a common cause.
Our team in terms of its cohesion was similar to our country in the initial years of perestroika, when the society turned out to be fully broken. Holding in your hands such a team was very difficult. Yelan was able to: he saw the situation from the level of the general designer, and could take on the decisions relating to many ... Elian was a wise, some of his statements and farewells work in me so far. The only thing I'm sorry for: to communicate with such a deep, a little bit of a little. I think he was "destroyed" only because he was so above the rest that few people could understand this height. "
Probably the word "destroyed" too strong. Elhanas, having lost mutual understanding with Tupolovets Comrade, moved to work at Mikoyan. Reached new heights there, in new business tests. And when, years later, after the separation turned out to be in a circle of Tupolevtsev, he fell into the arms of those who kept sincere respect for him. As much joyful at the meeting were the former test pilots of the Mikoyan company, head of the Lei-Testing Center Lii A.N.Kvochaur and Chief Pilot OKB A.S.Yakovlev R.P. Tascaev. Both are grateful to Elain for the help he had in the development of work on maritime themes, on the ship's aviance. About the work that I demanded deep penetration in a completely new thing to us, I remembered Eduard Vaganovich himself with great satisfaction.
Eduard Vaganovich Elain - 80 years. Seeing him in a stormy life, listening to his stories about the past, the stories are as deep, as smart and witty, how modest, causing themselves on several main thoughts. Before you, of course, a unique person is deep, charming, attentive. When in May 2006, Sergei Timofeevich Agapova, Elhana, was not one of the best Tupolevskaya test pilots, Elyhana, fell on his car from Rostov to Zhukovsky, so that together with a few surviving friends to spend on the last path of the common pet. Eduard Vaganovich and today lives concerns about others: relatives, loved ones, friends - just as it was always. Before you - not the epic bogatyr, rather, a person of fragile physical addition, but it is a boulder of the Spirit. Eduard Vaganovich Elhans is a pilot who entered the world aviation history, a person of exceptional merit in front of his country, in front of his people.

Gennady Amiryanz, Doctor of Technical Sciences