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Hi from Russia!

Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 3:33 pm
by Denis.gan
Hello everybody!
I am Denis from Moscow, Russia. Russian medical experts wants to see the real astronauts and it's the main problem on my way to pilots license. That's why I decided to become the sport pilot in the USA. Last January I passed the FAA knowledge test and soloed in Sling Flying Club in Torrance. Now I have 15 hours flying times, but I stopped my training because my English is not so good for ATC flight following. It seems a bit difficult for me at this moment. I will return for finishing my training and check ride next spring of course.

Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 4:07 pm
by MackAttack
Welcome to the forum! Now you are somebody who really wants to get his sport pilot license, traveling all the way from Moscow to Torrance to do it!!! We look forward to having you on the forum - there is lots of good information here. How do you like the Sling? Why did you choose that aircraft?

Also, I'm curious to know more about general aviation in Russia - I've seen a few videos on the web, but your post makes it sound like it a medical exam is required and a challenge. Does Russia participate in the EASA for aircraft certification or does Russia do its own certification?

Thanks - I'm sure a lot of people here are curious to know what it's like to fly in Russia!

Cheers!

Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 12:30 am
by Denis.gan
MackAttack wrote:Welcome to the forum! Now you are somebody who really wants to get his sport pilot license, traveling all the way from Moscow to Torrance to do it!!! We look forward to having you on the forum - there is lots of good information here. How do you like the Sling? Why did you choose that aircraft?

Also, I'm curious to know more about general aviation in Russia - I've seen a few videos on the web, but your post makes it sound like it a medical exam is required and a challenge. Does Russia participate in the EASA for aircraft certification or does Russia do its own certification?

Thanks - I'm sure a lot of people here are curious to know what it's like to fly in Russia!

Cheers!
My parents live in Orange County and I looked for the flying school around their house. Closest school I found in John Wayne airport, but their prices was a bit expensive for me. Although, I have received the answer from SLing Flying Club at once and I had the experience of flight on the Czech NG-5 SLA in Russia - it's the similar plane like Sling. I like Sling aircraft. The plane have good proportional control and good equipped glass cockpit.

Russia have own way about a lot of questions.))
We have own organization for aviation certification - Interstate Aviation Committee. And our medical requirements is very hard - it's the heritage from the soviet times, then aviation was a closed sphere. For example, almost impossible to receive the medical certificate if you wearing the glasses or lens. Also, candidates who older than 40, needs to visit a proctologist. And more strange things.

Privet aviation in Russia develop is very slow. We have not enough airfields and light aircraft registrations connect with big complications.

Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 12:18 pm
by MackAttack
Thanks - sounds like you flew a Bristell in Russia. They sell those here - fixed gear only. I am doing a demo on them next weekend! Glad you found a good spot for your training. I am not surprised to hear that aviation is one of the old Soviet hangovers. In some ways our FAA is not all that different in terms of the bureaucracy!!

Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 1:14 pm
by SportPilot
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Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 1:59 pm
by Nomore767
When I was at college a group of us did a ten day trip to Moscow. January 1972 still Soviet Union and Brezhnev was leader. It was seriously cold. A fascinating country and firkin cold. Did I mention the cold? Bitter snowy wind from Siberia the whole time and it was well into the minus F temps the whole time.

Amongst many things we got to visit an aviation museum and the guide talked about their training academy...bleak and ancient by western standards.
Just about everything was overshadowed by the Great Patriotic War (WW2) but fascinating to see the Red Air Force planes that defended Soviet Union during war and the bravery of the pilots against the Luftwaffe.

No pictures...nothing much to do...except drink vodka at hotel and mingle with KGB assigned to monitor our group (they were funny)..babushka on each floor with room keys and 'only two to room'....visited Lenin's tomb, saw Gagarin's grave marker, went into Kremlin for Bolshoi Ballet performance at Great Hall...no photos...freezing cold...Ivan the Terrible's throne...questionable food at hotel...hard brown toilet paper...nobody smiled ever...queues for everything which arrived in small consignments and sold out so people could barter...young people coming up and offering US $$ for your jeans on the spot...Soviet badges for chewing gum...

Great opportunity to visit and see for ourselves. Russia aviation is bizarre...they make the most unusual looking planes but also extremely interesting ones. I assume the aviation situation in what is now Russia has to be vastly improved over what we saw. Our 737 had to have a Russian in cockpit to translate ATC apparently.

Did I mention it was cold?

Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 5:19 pm
by SportPilot
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Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 9:28 pm
by Denis.gan
Nomore767 wrote:
Did I mention it was cold?
Since then Moscow became not so cold. Global climate change.)

Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 10:13 pm
by drseti
Welcome aboard, Denis. Never flew in Russia, but I had a wonderful week in Moscow surrounding 4 Oct 2007 (50th anniversary of the Sputnik 1 launch). Guest of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and I was shown truly wonderful hospitality by my Russian colleagues. I look forward to going back (but preferably not in October!)

If we ever meet, I look forward to sharing stories and a bottle of vodka with you.

Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 9:09 am
by MackAttack
But never within 8 hours of flying!!!

We really appreciate having sport pilots from around the world on this forum ... So thanks again for joining, Denis!

Cheers

Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 9:41 am
by HAPPYDAN
Hey, Denis. Good to hear from you. I hope you are most successful in completing your fight training. It sounds like you have overcome many obstacles already. I and my wife were most fascinated by a bit of Russian flying history. Paul Allen (formerly of Microsoft) has a personal collection of historic aircraft maintained in flying condition at the Flying Heritage Collection at Paine Field in Everett Washington. There, he has a beautifully restored Polikarpov Po-2:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... R0m1IpErc=

These planes were crop dusters, pressed into service in WWII, flown by women combat pilots (Die Nacht Hexen) to great effect against the German invaders. Many of the women pilots were highly decorated for their actions.

So good luck and keep up the good work!

Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 10:26 am
by Wm.Ince
Welcome Denis and good luck with your flight training.
SportPilotTalk.com is a great place to share information and experience.

Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 1:07 pm
by Denis.gan
drseti wrote:Welcome aboard, Denis. Never flew in Russia, but I had a wonderful week in Moscow surrounding 4 Oct 2007 (50th anniversary of the Sputnik 1 launch). Guest of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and I was shown truly wonderful hospitality by my Russian colleagues. I look forward to going back (but preferably not in October!)

If we ever meet, I look forward to sharing stories and a bottle of vodka with you.
I will be glad to be your guide in Russia. Just let me know about number of your flight. I putted the bottle into the fridge already.))

Re: Hi from Russia!

Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 1:16 pm
by Denis.gan
HAPPYDAN wrote:Hey, Denis. Good to hear from you. I hope you are most successful in completing your fight training. It sounds like you have overcome many obstacles already. I and my wife were most fascinated by a bit of Russian flying history. Paul Allen (formerly of Microsoft) has a personal collection of historic aircraft maintained in flying condition at the Flying Heritage Collection at Paine Field in Everett Washington. There, he has a beautifully restored Polikarpov Po-2:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... R0m1IpErc=

These planes were crop dusters, pressed into service in WWII, flown by women combat pilots (Die Nacht Hexen) to great effect against the German invaders. Many of the women pilots were highly decorated for their actions.

So good luck and keep up the good work!
Fortunately, americans gave the second life for a lot of soviet classic planes. In Russia their destiny are slow death...((