On June 29 of this year, at the age of 86, the Hero of the Russian Federation, Honored test navigator of the USSR Gennady Grigorievich Ireikin left for his last flight.
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| Gennady Grigorievich Ireikin. |
| Source: Valery Ageev |
He participated in the testing and development of systems for the Buran reusable spacecraft, as well as in the testing of experimental engines at the Tu-16LL and Il-76LL flying laboratories. In 1988, Ireikin participated in setting the world aviation range record for AN AN-74 aircraft, recognized by the International Aviation Federation (FAI) — 6,341 km 973 m.
On October 27, 1989, Ireikin and test pilot Pyotr Gladkov successfully ejected from an extremely low altitude during a test flight on a MiG-31 as a result of an emergency.
In 2004-2014, he headed the All-Russian Public Association of Testers, the Zhukovsky Heroes Club. In total, he was involved in flight tests of more than 50 types of aircraft and helicopters.
How the dream of the sea became the dream of aviation
Gennady Grigorievich Ireikin was born on November 26, 1940, the eleventh child in the family, the "last one", in a village that does not exist today. The dispossessed farmers, like a family of kulaks, were forcibly relocated from Malaya Khomutery to the Black River labor settlement.
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| Gennady with his father Grigory Ignatievich. Akshuat, 1947. |
| Source: Valery Ageev |
As Gennady recalled, his older three brothers went to the front, and his father was sent to work at a tank factory in Chelyabinsk. Mom was left alone with a "bunch" of children in an abandoned village where several families lived. They all worked at the front: they rolled felt boots, sewed soldiers' clothes. Those who grew up in the war and post-war years remembered dishes such as lime tortillas made from dried leaves and bleached cabbage soup for the rest of their lives. However, children on natural food grew up healthy: Gennady Ireikin had no problems with passing the medical examination.
Gena dreamed of the sea, which, however, he had never seen – only from films (the most beloved are "Admiral Ushakov" and "Happy Sailing") and from books (he simply read about sea adventures) imagined.
Gena was "just stuck" at sea, and he dreamed of entering the Leningrad Naval Academy. Nakhimov. I got a gold medal at graduation, but the family didn't have the money to buy clothes for a trip to Leningrad, my mother would have found it, but I couldn't ask for it. And he went to Kuibyshev, the nearest big city, where his older brothers already lived. Aviation seemed to him the closest to the heroic life of sailors.
It was said that the road to institutes and technical schools of the USSR was closed for Kulak sons at that time. This is not entirely true. The gold medalist successfully passed the exams at the Kuibyshev Aviation Institute for the Faculty of Aircraft and Engine Operation.
In my first year, I found out that there was an aero club at the institute, and I immediately enrolled there. He started gliding, flying training planes, and skydiving. His turbulent social life, participation in amateur performances, sports and musical events did not prevent him from graduating from the institute with a red diploma. And such graduates were assigned to the most prestigious city for aviators – Zhukovsky. And the most interesting place is the M.M. Gromov Flight Research Institute (LII).
Here he proved himself as a research engineer. He was even offered to write a dissertation when he worked at the institute. According to his colleagues, science was his path, but he chose heaven.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Gennady immediately signed up for a local flying club.. He started working as an engineer and flying as a test engineer on a two-seat Yak-28. On it, he carried out bombing, as well as landing on unequipped airfields from the on-board radar "Eagle-D." At that time, new onboard systems for reduced crews were being created at LII: Ireikin participated in their development.
I'm a test navigator.
When they recruited a group of test navigators with an engineering degree to study these systems, he, of course, got into it. They were trained at the Test Pilot School (they were WALKING). In 1971, Gennady Ireikin graduated from the navigation department at the age of thirty.
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| Test navigator Gennady Ireikin. |
| Source: Valery Ageev |
Of the 15 graduates, three later received the title of Hero of Russia, two were Honored Test Pilots of the USSR, and 8 were Honored Test Navigators of the USSR. They had a long-term friendship with the Hero of Russia, Honored test navigator of the USSR L.S.Popov.
April 28, 1971 on an IL-28U aircraft at an altitude of 10,000 m, when the pilot-listener lost consciousness, descending and landing, Ireikin miraculously brought him out of this state and helped him make a safe landing.
In 1972-73, together with Honored test pilots of the USSR, Candidate of Technical Sciences N.V. Adamovich-Yodko and V.M. Pronyakin, he conducted certification flight tests of 3 Yak-40 aircraft with onboard equipment from the American company Collins, sold to Italy. Then, as a leading test navigator, he was allowed to test the latest navigation systems on the Tu-104 and Il-62 aircraft.
In 1976-1978, together with first class test pilot Zhiltsov, V.A. conducted joint tests with French test pilots of our country's first color electronic display system for Tu–144 aircraft on Nord-262 and Caravella aircraft.
In 1978, by order of the Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Aviation Industry of the USSR, he was appointed Chief navigator of the Flight Research Institute, which meant fulfilling the duties of "Chief Acting Navigator-Test Pilot of the aviation industry."
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated March 26, 1979, he was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor. In 1984, he became an honored test navigator of the USSR.
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| Source: Valery Ageev |
He conducted tests of flight and navigation systems for various aircraft: the MiG-31 interceptor, passenger Il-86, Tu-144, Tu-154, Tu-204, Yak-42, transport An-74, An-124 Ruslan, An-225 Mriya, Il-76, the Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber.
On April 12, 1989, he was awarded the USSR Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin diploma of the USSR Federation of Cosmonautics for his direct participation in the provision of space programs of the USSR.
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| Source: Valery Ageev |
In 1992, together with Honored Test pilot of the USSR A.N.Kvochur, he performed test flights of the Su-30 aircraft on the route of V.P.Chkalov, as well as flights on the Il-78 tanker aircraft across the North Pole.
By decree of the Acting President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, on March 23, 2000, Ireikin was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation with the award of the Gold Star medal "for courage and heroism shown during the testing of aviation equipment."
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| G.G. Ireikin at the presentation of the Gold Star medal. Moscow, the Kremlin. 2000. |
| Source: Valery Ageev |
What kind of guy was he
According to the memoirs of his wife Tatiana, Gennady was an amazing, completely different person from others, he had such a bright and large aura, literally visible to the eye. Next to him, so open, friendly and kind, Tanya had a feeling of complete security: he solved all her unsolvable problems instantly.
Gennady treated everything with good humor, he couldn't remember offending anyone or saying an unkind word. Cheerful and artistic, he was always the ringleader in the company. For him, material things never played a special role, he was almost not interested in everyday life.
- For me, the main thing was that it was very interesting to be with him, and when he came home, the holiday always began, Tatiana said more than once..
At first, when he told her that he could do both, she thought he was lying and bragging. But soon everything was confirmed and it turned out to be true. Gena really played many instruments: he taught himself the accordion, guitar, trumpet, balalaika. Once, at an evening, he performed a trumpet solo in such a way that he shocked everyone. But somehow he took up the double bass to surprise her, and although he wiped his fingers clean, he wrapped them with duct tape and continued to play.
Flying changed Gennady's character a lot, and his wife felt this transition from incredible softness to an incomprehensible rigidity very soon – as soon as he started flying. And pretty soon she realized that it was better not to contradict the "flyer", to quarrel with him, it was better not to do or say anything.
Club of Heroes of Zhukovsky
When Gennady retired from flying, his wife thought that he would take up a quiet teaching career, because he had experience teaching both in college and college. But no! For a year, she said, he probably lay on the couch and thought. Suddenly he jumped up and said:
- I know what I'm going to do!
A long time ago, he began to dream of an aviator community. And when I learned that Americans have had a public organization of test pilots, SETP, since 1955, it became all the more clear that there should be a similar professional community in Russia. Having carefully studied the legislation, I saw an opportunity to create a Club of Heroes of Zhukovsky. Zhukovsky is a unique city: in terms of the number of Heroes, honored pilots and navigators living or working in it, it has no equal in Russia. At various times, the names of more than 100 Heroes are associated with Zhukovsky!
We started the work on creating the Zhukovsky Heroes club together: together with Tatiana, we sat day and night, thought, wrote, designed, organized. And in 2004, the public charity organization "Club of Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation and Full Cavaliers of the Order of Glory of the City of Zhukovsky" was established.
The Club is currently working on dozens of charitable and patriotic programs. The most famous of them, of course, is the program to perpetuate the Tu-144. This "symbol of glory, intelligence and talent" of the Russian people was saved from destruction and, thanks to the great efforts of the club, was shown at almost all MAKS, becoming the most visited exhibit.
Gennady Grigorievich Ireikin died on June 29 this year, but his fellow test pilots and navigators will continue the Hero's work.
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| Personal belongings of G.G. Ireikin in the Akshuat Museum. |
| Source: Valery Ageev |
Valery Ageev
