Georgy Filippovich Baydukov (Russian: Гео́ргий Фили́ппович Байдуко́в; May 13 [O.S. May 26] 1907 – 28 December 1994) was a Soviet test pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union (1936), writer and hunter.[2]
Early years
Baydukov was born at the Taryshta railway station in the Tomsk Governorate of the Russian Empire (now Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia)[3] in family of a railway worker.[1][4][5] He became an orphan at the age of 9 and was homeless for some time. Baydukov was taken to an orphanage and worked in railway construction for some time.
In March 1926 he enlisted in the Red Army[4][5] as a volunteer.[1] In 1926 he graduated from the Leningrad Air Force School.[3]
Georgy Baydukov was transferred to the Air Force's Testing institute and became an aircraft test pilot in 1931.[4][5] He tested a number of fighter planes from 1931 to 1934 and was instrumental in developing instrument flight rules for the Soviet Air Force.
Ultra-long distance flights
Georgy Baydukov became a student at the Air Force Academy in 1934. During that time, he became involved with a number of ultra-long-distance flights conducted by the Soviet Union.
He tried to reach San Francisco flying from Moscow via the North Pole in August 1935 as a member of Levanevsky's crew, flying the ANT-25. The flight was terminated because of technical problems.[7][6] Baydukov continued to participate in the testing of the ANT-25 from 1935 to 1936.
He was a member of the Communist Party from 1936.[5][8]
In August 1941, Baydukov was sent to meet with US presidentFranklin D. Roosevelt to secure the purchase of warplanes.[7] He managed to arrange the sale of several P-39 Airacobra fighter planes to the Soviet Union.[9] He returned to the front lines in January 1942.
^ abcdefghijklmБайдуков Георгий Филиппович // Большая Советская Энциклопедия. / под ред. А. М. Прохорова. 3-е изд. том 2. М., «Советская энциклопедия», 1970
^Г. Ф. Байдуков. Истинный охотник - ценитель природы // журнал "Охота и охотничье хозяйство", № 2, 1970. стр.5
^ abcdefghijklБайдуков Георгий Филиппович // Большая Российская Энциклопедия / редколл., гл. ред. Ю. С. Осипов. том 2. М., научное издательство "Большая Российская Энциклопедия", 2005.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvБайдуков Георгий Филиппович // Герои Советского Союза: краткий биографический справочник (в 2-х тт.) / редколл., гл. ред. И. Н. Шкадов. том 1. М., Воениздат, 1987. стр.106
^ abcdeА. Горохов. Георгий Байдуков: "Хотел бы слетать через полюс" // газета "Правда", № 146 (25133) от 26 мая 1987. стр.6
^ abcdefgполковник В. Пинчук. Через полюс - в Америку // газета "Красная звезда" от 26 мая 1986. стр.4 [интервью с Г. Ф. Байдуковым]
^ abcdБайдуков Георг. Фил. (р. 1907) // Большой энциклопедический словарь (в 2-х тт.). / редколл., гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. том 1. М., "Советская энциклопедия", 1991. стр.97