Vladimir Sergeyevich Ilyushin

Vladimir Sergeyevich Ilyushin ( Russian Владимир Сергеевич Ильюшин ; born March 31, 1927 in Moscow ; † March 1, 2010 ibid) was a Soviet test pilot . He was the son of Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin .

Life

Ilyushin first worked in an aircraft factory, joined the Red Army in 1944 and became a fighter pilot. He went to the Moscow Zhukovsky Academy , which he graduated in 1951 . Then began his training as a test pilot. Between April 1953 and December 1957 he worked at the flight research institute LII and then moved to OKB Sukhoi , where he stayed until the end of his career in 1981. Between 1943 and 1981 Ilyushin flew on 145 different types of aircraft and helicopters, including initial tests with a total of 12 models from the Sukhoi family. The last type he flown in was the Sukhoi Su-27 .

Vladimir Ilyushin became internationally known when on July 14, 1959, with a specially equipped Sukhoi Su-9 (T-431), he set an absolute world record for airplanes at 28,852 m. In total, he set three world records with Sukhoi machines.

In 1960 he was named Hero of the Soviet Union . In addition, Ilyushin was awarded the Order of Lenin , the Lenin Prize (1976) and the State Prize of the Russian Federation (1996) for his achievements . Ilyushin held the military rank of major general .

Others

According to one conspiracy theory , Ilyushin is said to have been the first person to reach space a few days before Yuri Gagarin , but was seriously injured when landing in China. The poor health of Ilyushin was one reason why the flight was not made public. This incident was the main reason why the People's Republic of China, the only state allied with the Soviet Union, did not congratulate Gagarin's successful flight.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Скончался легендарный летчик-испытатель Владимир Ильюшин . RIA Novosti . March 2, 2010. Retrieved March 2, 2010.

Web links

• Biography in Russian