Flatiron
28th Nov 2005, 09:50
Following the recent Russian Air Force Su-27 crash in Lithuania, the investiating authority announced that the Su-27 pilot, Valeriy Troyanov, will not be suspended from flying duties. "We did not punish Troyanov," said CinC Gen Vladimir Mikhaylov, "he punished himself with his flight and there is no need to punish him. Troyanov was a pilot of first class but I had to downgrade him to a pilot of second class and this is his punishment".
In Mikhaylov's opinion, Troyanov was "badly prepared for the flight and he allowed himself to lose his bearings. Thereafter he behaved illiterately. Had he realized immediately that he did not know where he was flying and switched on the distress signal, he would have been immediately recognized by all radio-technical means," the commander-in-chief stressed. "Then he would have been told on time which course to take and how to reach an airfield."
Touching on the guilt of the organizers of the flight, Mikhaylov noted that "commanders who prepared Troyanov for the flight did not teach him certain details for performing this flight. In terms of the organizational aspect, they made mistakes, for which they have been punished".
This is a fascinating insight into the current state of Russian Air Force training and standards. Two possible conclusions can be deduced from the incident:
- The Su-27 did not have a serviceable radio or transponder, and Mikhaylov or his staff are covering up for logistic deficiencies.
- A ‘first class pilot’ of a top-of-the-range fast jet got lost and then didn’t know how squawk Emergency.
In Mikhaylov's opinion, Troyanov was "badly prepared for the flight and he allowed himself to lose his bearings. Thereafter he behaved illiterately. Had he realized immediately that he did not know where he was flying and switched on the distress signal, he would have been immediately recognized by all radio-technical means," the commander-in-chief stressed. "Then he would have been told on time which course to take and how to reach an airfield."
Touching on the guilt of the organizers of the flight, Mikhaylov noted that "commanders who prepared Troyanov for the flight did not teach him certain details for performing this flight. In terms of the organizational aspect, they made mistakes, for which they have been punished".
This is a fascinating insight into the current state of Russian Air Force training and standards. Two possible conclusions can be deduced from the incident:
- The Su-27 did not have a serviceable radio or transponder, and Mikhaylov or his staff are covering up for logistic deficiencies.
- A ‘first class pilot’ of a top-of-the-range fast jet got lost and then didn’t know how squawk Emergency.