Mikhail Vasilyevich Kozlov
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Yezhovo village, Kostroma Governorate, RSFSR, USSR
Goussainville, Val-d'Oise, France
Soviet UnionMikhail Kozlov | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Михаил Васильевич Козлов |
| Born | 5 November 1928 Yezhovo village, Kostroma Governorate, RSFSR, USSR |
| Died | 3 June 1973 (aged 44) Goussainville, Val-d'Oise, France |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Service |  Soviet Air Force |
| Years of service | 1946–1973 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR |
Mikhail Vasilyevich Kozlov (Russian: Михаил Васильевич Козлов; 5 November 1928 – 3 June 1973) was a Soviet test pilot who received the title Hero of the Soviet Union and Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR for his work. As the co-pilot on the maiden flight of the Tu-144, he was one of very few pilots to fly the Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic airliner, and was given the honor of flying it at the 1973 Paris Airshow. He died when the Tu-144 crashed during its display. The cause of the crash remains disputed.
Kozlov was born on 5 November 1928 to a Russian family in Yezhevo village. He entered the military in 1946 and the following year graduated from the Tambov Military Aviation School of Pilots. After graduating from the Kirovabad Military Aviation School of Pilots in 1951, he worked as a flight instructor and in 1953 became a member of the Communist Party. In 1955 he entered test pilot school, graduating in 1957.[1][2]
Test pilot work
After graduating from test pilot school, Kozlov began working for the Tupolev Design Bureau. He tested a variety of aircraft, including flying as the pilot-in-command on the maiden flight of the Tu-128 in 1961; he also flew a variety of tests on the Tupolev Tu-16, Tupolev Tu-22, Tupolev Tu-22M, Tupolev Tu-95, Tupolev Tu-104, Tupolev Tu-110, Tupolev Tu-110B, Tupolev Tu-114, Tupolev Tu-124, Tupolev Tu-134, and Tupolev Tu-154. He is most known for his role in the testing of the Tu-144 supersonic airliner, serving as co-pilot for Eduard Yelyan on its maiden flight on 31 December 1968. He had graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute in 1966 and spent a lot of time in the Tu-144 simulator before flying the aircraft. For his work as a test pilot he received several high honors, including the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 22 July 1966 and Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR on 22 August 1972.[3][4]