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747-237 · Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 8:43 pm Post subject: Russian Air Force turns 100

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_02/Russian-Air-Force-turns-100/

Russian Air Force turns 100

On August 12 the Russian Air Force turns 100. In the summer of 1912 a special naval aviation unit was formed under the order of the Russian Ministry of War and in 1992 the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation declared August 12 The Russian Air Force Day.

The Russia Air Force started to form in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 20th century. Its formation was preceded by rapid aviation development in the country. First, a naval aviation training camp was created that later became part of the engineers’ corps structure, Chairman of the Department of Aviation and Cosmonautics History of the Russian Academy of Science, Vitaly Lebedev says.

"After the first flight of the Wright Brothers’ airplane in 1903, Russia turned its attention to aviation. With the help of the French, the first Russian pilots such as Utochkin, Efimov, and others, were trained in French schools in 1910. They were civilians who later trained Russian military aviators at the request of the army command. Then a naval aviation school was created in St. Petersburg where military pilots were trained and later a military aviation school was established in Gatchina."

In 1910 another aviation school appeared in Sevastopol that first trained marine and then land pilots. Later, during WWI specialty schools were created to provide military training for future Air Force pilots. The first aircraft manufacturing emerged in St. Petersburg and the first time Russia used airplanes in war was in 1912, Vitaly Lebedev points out.

"A special Russian pilot unit was formed that worked together with other aviators and participated in the Balkan War. That was the first Russian experience in conducting military operations in the air. The necessity of creating aerial units became obvious and right before WWI, in 1914, a scientific, industrial and educational base was established, mainly in St. Petersburg and Russia. Then, for the first time in the history of mankind, aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky created four-engine heavy military bombing aircraft The Ilya Muromets."

The first use of aviation was closely linked with intelligence and already at the beginning of WWI aviation showed that without aerial reconnaissance no military operations, defensive or offensive, could be planned. Thanks to such aircraft as The Ilya Muromets aerial bombing was also developed. During WWI Pyotr Nesterov became the first pilot in the world to ram an enemy aircraft. Nesterov thus destroyed an Austrian reconnaissance plane making the Russian aviation world famous with his heroic deed.

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sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

This is wonderful - will the Russian Air Force organise any commemorative events, display historic aircraft, even fly some historic ones?
I hope you can also report on such exciting events too - thanks a lot for keeping us updated with so many exciting pieces of news.
Cheers, Sumantra.

747-237 · Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 9:53 pm Post subject:

shivendrashukla · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:38 am Post subject:

Nice.. this is good news. IAF will turn 100 in 2032.

Aseem · Member Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 2841 Location: YYZ