 On 24 February 2005, nearby the town of Zhukovsky in the Moscow region where new generations of aircraft are being tested and where President Putin has announced the plan to revive the aviation industry in Russia, two brave sportswomen established the new world record in flight endurance on a hot-air airship. Natalia Volodicheva ( Moscow ) and Yekaterina Kochetkova (Korolyov) have already set the world speed record on a hot-air airship of the BX-4 subclass (according to Federation Aeronautique Internationale, World Air Sports Federation ) on 7 February. The record-holders expect that in the near future they will be able to make a new attempt of a record of this type of airships - a distance record. Thus, Russia increases its presence in the FAI and fortifies positions of Russian aeronautics. Today the FAI record register contains names of four Russians: Nikolay Galkin (the flight endurance record on a hot-air airship of the BX-4 subclass; February 2004), Natalia Volodicheva and Yekaterina Kochetkova (the flight endurance record on a hot-air airship of the BX-4 subclass among women; February 2005), and Leonid Putintsev (the speed record on a gas airship of the BA-02 subclass; February 2005).
The record flight lasted from 12:34 (the time of take-off) till 15:55 (the time of landing): thus, the absolute flight endurance record on a BX-4 subclass hot-air airship among women is 3 hours 22 minutes, which was recorded by the official observer - the sports commissioner of the Russian Air Sports Federation Yuri Vetrov - by means of measuring instrumentation. "After the registration procedure as a national record," he said, "all documents will be sent to the FAI headquarters in Switzerland to register the new world record."
The AV-1 hot-air airship of the BX-4 subclass is notable for its being the first Russian hot-air airship built in cooperation with the well-known European manufacturer of lighter-than-air vehicles Kubicek Balloons for which, in particular, Moscow authorities opened the sky over the Russian capital during its 850th Anniversary.
The flight was performed at an altitude of 50 metres. The record-holder Nikolay Galkin governed the flight and coordinated the operation of ground services.
This outstanding flight was organized by the Augur Aeronautical Centre, the Federation of Aeronautics of Russia, and the Russian Aeronautic Society. The press service of the Russian Aeronautic Society states that in the near future Russian sportsmen are planning to make a number of attempts to establish world records in aeronautics |
