Russian test pilot and Hero of Russia Anatoly Kvochtur passed away yesterday at the age of 72. This was reported by the former commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Vice Chairman of the Defense Committee of the Federation Council, Viktor Bondarev, who stated that "last night, Monday, we lost the legend of Soviet and Russian aviation, the Hero of Russia, and the honored test pilot, Colonel Anatoly Kvochtur." He noted that "Kvochtur tested more than 90 types of aircraft and set around 11 records in 2005 aboard the Su-27 fighter, with a total flight time of 4,800 hours, including 3,000 hours for test flights."
Among his achievements:
- Successful takeoff and landing on the deck of the Russian aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" at night (1990) with a MiG-29 fighter.
- A round-trip flight from Moscow to Australia aboard a Su-27 fighter (1995).
- Long-range flight with aerial refueling over the North Pole in a Su-27 to a distance of 15,000 kilometers (1999).
- At the "Le Bourget" French Air Show, Kvochtur ejected from a MiG-29 fighter just two seconds before it crashed.
- In 1988, he demonstrated the aerobatic maneuver called "The Bell" for the first time at the British "Farnborough" Air Show, in which the aircraft's nose rises to a 90-degree angle and remains in that position for two minutes.
- He was awarded the title of Hero of Russia in 1992 for his bravery during the testing of new aircraft models.
- He participated in testing jet aircraft until 2017, despite being 65 years old.
Anatoly Kvochtur was born on April 16, 1952, in the Vinnytsia region of Ukraine and graduated from the Yeysk Air Force School. He participated in the testing of the Su-17, MiG-29, and MiG-31 warplanes.
