They were Stalin's falcons. Soviet newspapers published their portraits on the front pages. Radio journalists reported live on unparalleled, incredible achievements that other countries could not boast of. Their names, along with the names of the highest leaders of the state, were known to both children and adults. Fast, bold, fearless. People for whom, it seemed, there were no barriers - the first Soviet pilots stormed new speed and altitude records. Among them was the pilot Anisimov, a native of a small Russian village, who took his place among the best aces of the young Soviet aviation.
From the Novgorod outback
Village Vzezdy in the Novgorod region and today is not distinguished by anything remarkable. And at the end of the century before last, it was a very small village, of which many can be found in the expanses of Russia. Here, in 1897, the future Soviet test pilot Anisimov was born. Alexander Frolovich did not even know the exact month of his birth. Modern biographical sources cannot unequivocally determine whether he was born in July or November. That's why they write - was born on November 28(according to other sources, July 28). There is no information about the pilot's parents - apparently he did not like to remember his childhood.
It seems that from a young age, the guy was interested in technology. By the age of 15 he graduated from a four-year school in Novgorod. The driver and the mechanic were the first working professions. With such a speci alty, he could have become an indispensable person in his native Vzzdyah. And he remained in Novgorod - until 1914 he worked as a driver.
An interesting fact: having become a famous pilot, Anisimov for several years in a row led a formation of five red fighters that flew over Red Square during parades.
World War I
In 1914, exactly on one of the possible dates of the birth of Alexander Frolovich (July 28), the First World War broke out. After 3 days, the Russian Empire entered into a fierce European battle - on July 31, mobilization was announced and the Novgorod driver changed his driver's jacket to a soldier's uniform. The aviation units of the Russian army were the most numerous among the allies, but they were sorely lacking qualified specialists. Soldiers who had technical speci alties were sent for training and became aircraft mechanics.
Anisimov got to study at ShMAS (school of junior aviation specialists), which was formed on the basis of the Polytechnic Institute in St. Petersburg. The courses of mechanics in an accelerated manner prepared mechanics for servicing aircraft at the front. After graduation, in February 1915, a newminder - non-commissioned officer Anisimov.
Test pilot - in tsarist Russia, a peasant guy could not even have such a dream. But the first step on the road to heaven was taken.
Voenlet
The Revolution and the Civil War that followed made it impossible to return to peaceful work. Alexander Frolovich was in the ranks of the revolutionary detachments that overthrew the Provisional Government and fought against the cadets of the Vladimir School, who staged counter-revolutionary demonstrations. Having joined the ranks of the Red Army, he continues to serve in aviation. The senior minder serves aircraft that make combat flights over the positions of the White Czechs and White Poles, conduct reconnaissance in the rear of Yudenich's army. But there was already a goal to take to the skies himself, and Anisimov is seeking direction to study at the Yegorievsk Theoretical Military Aviation School. The old monastery, in which the cadets were accommodated, small cells for two people and intense classes - the school gave only theoretical knowledge. He still had to learn to fly.
Having mastered the theoretical part of training (1922), cadet Anisimov is undergoing flight training at the Kachinskaya and Moscow Aviation Schools (1923). A year later, an aviation school in Serpukhov - here he masters the skills of aerial shooting and bombing. After training in the combat units of the Red Army Air Force, the military pilot Anisimov, already well prepared for performing any tasks, comes to the service. The difficult road to heaven has been passed.
Anisimov believed that a pilot is an artist in the sky. Therefore, he must haveown airy handwriting. Young pilots sometimes said that he was afraid of competition and therefore did not reveal the secrets of his skill.
Conquest of the sky
A rumor spread through the combat aviation units - a fighter with impeccable aerobatics has appeared in Kyiv. Alexander Frolovich really had a great flying talent. His favorite technique was piloting at low altitude - accurate calculation, verified technique, courage and excellent sense of the machine. In a short time, the young pilot was able to achieve great success and was appointed to command a link in the 3rd Kyiv squadron. An invitation to become a test pilot at the Research Institute of the Air Force (1928) was a well-deserved recognition of his skill. Although he was not an easy person - he liked to argue, he could sharply object. Many were perplexed by his favorite word "vantya". What this meant no one knew. Under various circumstances - from surprise to contempt.
During this period, pilot Anisimov becomes a tester of new fighter models. Pavel Sukhoi, under the leadership of Sergei Tupolev, created the I-4, the first all-metal light fighter. I-5, which was designed by N. Polikarpov and D. Grigorovich, later became the main model of the aircraft in fighter aviation. Anisimov gave these machines a ticket to heaven. Alexander Frolovich on I-4 participated in another grandiose project of Soviet aircraft designers - "Link", which involved expanding the range of light fighters - delivering them tolong distances, suspended under the wings of a large aircraft. In 1931, Anisimov was appointed to command a detachment of testers at the Air Force Research Institute.
In line with the best
Many prominent Soviet pilots were Anisimov's colleagues in test work at the Air Force Research Institute. M. M. Gromov, A. B. Yumashev, I. F. Kozlov, A. I. Zalevsky. Warm friendly relations connected him with a talented pilot and tester - Valery Chkalov, whom he met back in the Yegorievsk aviation school. They often flew in pairs - Chkalov and Anisimov. Alexander Frolovich treated Valery with great respect, who was 7 years younger than him. Best friends on earth - in the sky they became bitter rivals. Their impromptu air battles, which the entire airfield watched with bated breath, often ended in official pen alties. But when testing new machines, the pilots considered it their duty to test their flight qualities in any, the most difficult, conditions.
Another classmate from the aviation school - P. I. Grokhovsky. He became a designer, whose inventions had to be tested by Alexander Frolovich. Grokhovsky was seriously engaged in paratrooper systems. It was he who came up with a method of landing cargo with the help of a stall. The test pilot who piloted the aircraft during the experiment was A. F. Anisimov.
Interesting
For violation of flight regulations and air hooliganism, Anisimov and Chkalov were frequent "guests" at the airfield guardhouse. Often they were brought directly from the cell to the airfield forin order to show foreign delegations the combat capabilities of the latest Soviet fighters. And then both pilots created in the sky all those risky elements, because of which they were sent to the guardhouse.
Aborted flight
The death of Alexander Anisimov was the result of an aviation accident. On October 11, 1933, a film crew arrived at the airfield in order to film Anisimov's flight in an I-5 fighter. The demonstration flight took place at a low altitude and was full of elements of aerobatics. Before landing, the pilot dived several times directly onto the camera, bringing the plane out of a dive just above the ground. Then he did the immelmann and this happened several times. At the next execution of the figure, the plane seemed to freeze at the top of the immelmann with the wheels turned upside down. Losing speed, he began to sag down. And so he fell to the ground - right on the cab, with the wheels looking at the sky. The conclusion of the aviation commission is that the accident occurred due to a broken rudder control pedal in flight. On this day, a talented tester and virtuoso aerobatics pilot Anisimov died. The biography of his aviation achievements ended as suddenly as a broken pedal mount, which cost the pilot his life.
Instead of afterword
Oddly enough, there is another version of the death of an outstanding aviator. The polar pilot M. Kaminsky recalled that before landing, Anisimov made a “dead loop” several times, while at the bottom of his trajectory the planealmost touched the ground. At this time, the R-5 reconnaissance aircraft landed at the airfield. Its trajectory intersected with the direction of movement of the I-5, which was piloted by Anisimov. To avoid a collision, Alexander Frolovich tried to divert the fighter to the side, but the height was too low. The plane hit the ground with its wing - the pilot died.
V. P. was also a witness to this tragedy. Chkalov. At the funeral of his friend, he stood in the guard of honor and was completely depressed. There were tears in his eyes.
