Soviet Air Fleet Day

In the life of Soviet Union, air shows were a highly regarded type of parade, almost always of military nature. They happened on various occasions and anniversaries, in many locations across the country. A notable air show was the Tushino Air Show held annually in August.

The most frequent date of air shows was the Soviet Air Fleet Day (Russian: День Воздушного Флота). It was also known as the Soviet Air Forces Day (Russian: День Военно-воздушных Сил), or Soviet Aviation Day. It was established in 1933 and was most usually held on the third Sunday of August, weather permitting. The initial exhibition on August 18, 1933, was a result of Yakov Alksnis initiative, and was held in Khodynka Aerodrome (Moscow) (the Central Moscow Aerodrome), but since the next year the show became located on Tushino airfield near Moscow, where it remained for entire decades. In 1937, the parade was attended by nearly a million people, observing the masses of aircraft spelling in the sky "LENIN", "STALIN" and "SSSR". The celebrations repeated until the fall of Soviet Union, and continue in Russia (location is now Zhukovskiy airport, see MAKS airshow).

The 1st of May was dedicated to multitude of parades throughout the Soviet Union. They often included large-scale flypasts.

The Soviet Air Fleet Day became primarily associated with Soviet Air Forces (VVS), so a separate day has been established for Soviet Air Defense Forces (PVO) a second arm of Soviet military that employed numerous fighter squadrons. It was called Soviet Air Defense Forces Day (Russian: День войск противовоздушной обороны СССР), occurred on the second Sunday of April, and was celebrated with air parades of lesser scale.

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