Georgy Baydukov | |
---|---|
Born | 13 May 1907 Taryshta, Tomsk Governorate, Russian Empire |
Died | 28 December 1994 Moscow, Russia |
(aged 87)
Allegiance | Soviet Union |
Rank | Colonel general of the aviation |
Other work | writer |
Georgy Filippovich Baydukov (Russian: Гео́ргий Фили́ппович Байдуко́в; May 13 1907 [O.S. May 26] – December 28, 1994) was a Soviet aircraft test pilot, a Hero of the Soviet Union (1936) and a writer.
Georgy Baydukov had been born in Taryshta railway station in the Tomsk Governorate of the Russian Empire (now Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia) to a railway worker. He became an orphan in the age of 9 and had been homeless for some time. Baidukov had been taken to orphanage and worked at railway construction for some time.
Georgy Baydukov enlisted into the Red Army in 1926. He graduated Air Force Technical School and Kacha school for the military pilots in 1928 and served as a fighter pilot in 1928-1931.
Georgy Baydukov had been transferred to an Air Force's Testing institute and became an aircraft test pilot in 1931. He tested number of fighter planes in 1931-1934 and had been instrumental in developing instrument flight rules for the USSR's Air Force.
Georgy Baydukov became a student of Air Force Academy in 1934. During that time he became involved with number of ultralong flights conducted by the Soviet Union. He tried to reach North America flying from Russia through the North Pole in August 1935 as a member of Levanevsky's crew, flying the ANT-25. The flight had been terminated because of technical problems. Baydukov continued to participate in ANT-25's testing in 1935-1936.
Valery Chkalov, Georgiy Baydukov and A. V. Belyakov flew an improved ANT-25 through the North Pole to Udd Island, in the Sea of Okhotsk (distance 9,374 km, flight time 56 h 20 min) from July 20, 1936 to July 22, 1936. Georgiy Baydukov had been awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union for this deed July 24, 1936.