Alley of Heroes of Polar Expeditions. Alley of Heroes of Polar Expeditions Pilot Oleg Lyalin war years

L Yalin Boris Vasilievich – flight commander of the Mi-8 helicopters of the aviation enterprise of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Born on February 28, 1943 in the village of Bibikovo, Uzlovsky district, Tula region, in a peasant family. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1970. Graduated from ten classes high school. In 1966 he graduated from the Kremenchug Civil Aviation Flight School. He worked in one of the divisions of the Civil Air Fleet Administration.

In mid-February 1985, the research vessel "" arrived in the area of ​​the Russkaya station, located in the Pacific sector of Antarctica. He had to change the composition of the winterers, deliver fuel and food. Suddenly a storm began. The wind speed reached 50 meters per second. The ship was blocked by heavy ice floes, and it was forced to drift at a speed of 6–8 kilometers per day. The ice thickness in this area reached 3–4 meters. The distance from the ship to the ice edge is about 800 kilometers. " " found himself firmly captive in the Ross Sea.

At a command from Moscow, part of the crew and researchers were removed from the helicopters and transported to other ships. 53 people remained on the "" led by the captain.

To rescue the ship from a drifting trap, at the request of the USSR State Hydrometeorological Committee, the Ministry of the Navy allocated the icebreaker "Vladivostok" of the Far Eastern Shipping Company, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation - deck-based helicopters under the command of B.V. Lyalina. Their arrival at the Ross Sea required considerable time.

They began loading the Vladivostok icebreaker at an accelerated pace with additional fuel, food, sets of warm clothing (in case of a long winter, or even landing people on the ice), a triple supply of towing ropes, and spare parts for towing winches. Neither ““, nor “Vladivostok”, nor the ministries could have predicted how the situation would develop. The Ross Sea was little explored and concealed a lot of mysteries.

And this ship " " was deprived of mobility. The rudder and propeller are jammed with ice. Visibility is limited to the twilight of the south polar night. The air temperature is minus 20–25 degrees. The ship drifted in the center of the stable multi-year ice.

The captain mobilized everything to provide life support to the “prisoner.” He monitored massive ice movements and hummocks that were dangerously close. Three times a day he got in touch with the “Molodezhnaya” station, which was literally “torn apart” by the editorial offices of newspapers, radio, and television in many countries around the world, demanding information: “How is it” “?” Due to magnetic storms, the crew itself lost audibility of Moscow and Leningrad.

By the end of June, "" had experienced its hundredth day of drifting. Hummocks rose near the ship. Their height reached the upper deck. We had to reduce the consumption of electricity, steam, and fresh water. They refused to heat a number of office spaces and ballast tanks. A sanitary day (washing, shower, bath, etc.) was now held only twice a month. The measures taken made it possible to save up to 2.5 tons of fuel daily. The captain set a strict task: to hold out until the Vladivostok approaches.

Leaving the port of Vladivostok on June 10, 1985, the icebreaker Vladivostok, squeezing all the power out of its vehicles, rushed to the southern latitudes. In New Zealand, the head of a special expedition to provide assistance, appointed by the Council of Ministers of the USSR, boarded it. The famous polar explorer was given responsibility for coordinating the actions of all technical means and personnel in rescuing "" from ice captivity.

On the 36th day, not without risk and enormous difficulties, the Vladivostok (not designed for the strong storm conditions of the open ocean: its element is still ice) overcame the “roaring” 40s and “furious” 50s latitudes. Often both sides of it were completely submerged under water. However, the deck cargo placed in the shelters was preserved. The icebreaker established radiotelephone communication with " " and "Pavel Korchagin" (the latter was securing the "prisoner" at the edge of the ice). After exchanging information about the situation, we wished each other a quick meeting.

Soon icebergs began to appear. The watch on the navigation bridge has been strengthened. On July 18, 1985 we met with “Pavel Korchagin”. We took the helicopter from him and wished him a happy return to Arkhangelsk. At full speed, "Vladivostok" went to ram the young ice. There were 600 miles left until " ".

The news of the arrival of "Vladivostok" delighted the crew of "". Despite the desperate storms and the hopeless round-the-clock night, they prepared for the meeting with tenfold energy: they went through the main engines, checked the propeller installation, and freed the propeller and rudder from ice. In order to prevent the latter from freezing again, the main engines “drove” around the clock. The saved fuel reserves made it possible to do this.

On July 26, 1985, "Vladivostok" was already tacking around "", chipping away at the ice. Inclement weather did not favor the crews' actions. Terrible southwesterly winds were blowing. The air temperature is 34 degrees. Antarctica threatened to grab, shackle tightly, and tie both icebreakers to itself.

Hero of the Soviet Union, Honored Pilot Russian Federation Boris Lyalin is a high-class professional, as they say, a pilot from God. He is known and respected not only in our country, his name is well known in many countries around the world. With his flying skill and courage, he increased the glory of our national hero-pilots. He mastered many air routes in the skies of our Motherland, Bulgaria, Poland, Mozambique, Congo, India and other countries. He also conquered the airspace of the sixth continent - Antarctica: he drifted with a Soviet-American expedition on an ice floe in the Weddell Sea, took a scientific polar expedition to the mainland (when the ship "Mikhail Somov", on board of which there were scientists, was captured by ice). Lyalin has almost 14 thousand flight hours, of which 9 thousand were in harsh and difficult conditions polar nights of the Arctic and Antarctic. Boris Lyalin was at the origins of the creation of aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The Government Decree “On the creation of a state unitary aviation enterprise of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia” was issued on May 10, 1995, and the Aviation Administration of the Ministry was soon created. The formation of the State Aviation Administration, flight units, their staffing and equipment with aviation equipment began. All this (including the selection and placement of flight personnel) was personally handled by the head of the Aviation Department, Colonel R.Sh. Zakirov. Every day in his reception room people who decided to work in the aviation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and devote themselves to the cause of rescue waited for interviews. human lives. In short, the summer of 1995 turned out to be very busy for the newly created service.

One August day (the author of this article worked at that time as the head of the secretariat of R.Sh. Zakirov), a tall, stately man appeared in the reception room, the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union sparkled on the lapel of his well-tailored jacket. A wide, kind smile immediately endeared him to the visitor. “Lyalin Boris Vasilyevich,” he introduced himself. While the head of the Aviation Department was at a meeting with the minister, we managed to talk about a lot.

Boris Vasilyevich told what considerations brought him to the Ministry of Emergency Situations: “I flew a lot, I had to save people, even in Antarctica, so I am a rescue pilot in life, and here is such an opportunity. I realized that my place is in the aviation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and I must be in its ranks." It turned out that Lyalin worked in Yakutia for a long time, served reindeer herding farms, geological expeditions, gold mining enterprises, and carried out exploration of the BAM route. He mastered the air routes of the North, Siberia and the Far East, and provided the indigenous population of these regions with everything they needed.

And then I remembered that I had already heard this name - Lyalin - much before. In the summer of 1985, all means mass media talked about the scientific expedition vessel "Mikhail Somov", which found itself captive in ice off the coast of Antarctica. We all closely followed the progress of the rescue operation. “So it was you who flew on the Mikhail Somov ten years ago?”

“Yes, my team worked to save people,” Boris confirmed.

I immediately thought: if Boris Vasilyevich works in our airline, I must definitely write about it. In addition, there is a reason to remember the operation to rescue the Chelyuskinites and talk about the continuity of generations of Russian pilots.

...Ten years have passed since the memorable day of our first meeting. Today Boris Vasilyevich Lyalin is deputy director - chief of staff of the aviation enterprise of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Together with Boris Vasilyevich, we worked on the commission preparing the celebration of the 10th anniversary of EMERCOM aviation. Once watching the short film “Heavenly Rescuers”, and it began with historical footage of the operation to evacuate a polar expedition from the ship “Chelyuskin”, I asked Boris Vasilyevich to talk about the events of 1985, the ship “Mikhail Somov”, stuck in the ice of the Antarctic. But Lyalin decided (as if he knew about my idea!) to first remember the details of the operation to save the Chelyuskinites, probably, and he felt this invisible connection decades later.

The cargo-passenger ship "Chelyuskin" with the complex polar expedition O.Yu. Schmidt on board set sail in August 1933. The task of the expedition was to traverse the Northern Sea Route in one navigation and reach the Bering Strait. Pacific Ocean. In the Chukchi Sea, near the Bering Strait, "Chelyuskin" fell into the grip of drifting ice, froze in it and sank on February 13, 1934. 104 people managed to land on the ice floe, unloaded food supplies, warm clothing, tents and expedition equipment. Despite the drama of the situation, they were optimistic: they knew for sure that the Motherland would not leave them without help.

In this situation, the Soviet government took the most drastic measures to evacuate people to the mainland using aviation. Many people abroad thought it was absolutely impossible to do this!

The pilots sent to save the Chelyuskinites, overcoming severe frosts, snowstorms, and icing of cars, demonstrated not only flying skill, but also true heroism. After twenty-nine attempts, the polar pilot A.V. was the first to make his way to the camp and land on the ice floe. Lyapidevsky. He took 12 people to the mainland. After him (in extremely difficult weather conditions), S.A. one by one flew to the polar explorers’ camp. Levanevsky, B.C. Molokov, N.P. Kamanin, M.T. Slepnev, M.V. Vodopyanov and I.V. Doronin. They evacuated all the other Chelyuskinites. The rescue operation took place in extremely difficult conditions. Suffice it to say that the prisoners of the ice camp had to re-prepare landing strips 15 times, which were destroyed due to the movement of ice.

The aerial rescue operation, unprecedented in history, demonstrated the enormous capabilities of aviation. The government commission for the rescue of the Chelyuskinites reported to the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR: “Soviet aviation won. Our people on our machines showed the whole world how high the level of aviation technology and aerobatics is in our country. Exposing themselves to enormous dangers, risking their lives, they flew the planes to the intended target and have achieved success."

Seven pilots - participants in the rescue operation: A.V. Lyapidevsky, S.A. Levanevsky, B.C. Molokov, N.P. Kamanin, M.T. Slepnev, M.V. Vodopyanov, I.V. Doronin were the first to receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In total, 11,664 people were awarded this high title in the Soviet Union. The gold star of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 10756 was received by the polar explorer pilot, continuator of the work of the brave rescue pilots of the USSR Boris Vasilyevich Lyalin.

Events with the scientific expedition vessel "Mikhail Somov" developed approximately according to the same scenario as the "Chelyuskin". Diesel-electric ship arrived in the area Antarctic station"Russian", and almost immediately upon arrival, on March 9, 1985, the unloading of the ship began. Helicopter pilots from Somov delivered building structures, panels, blocks, other materials and equipment to the winterers, but due to bad weather, only a few flights were made in three days.

By mid-March the weather became even worse: by severe frosts strong winds were added, with gusts up to 50 meters per second. The ship began to make its way to the northeast, trying to pass the most dangerous zone - the Aristov Bank, where piles of ice were always observed. Mikhail Somov found himself in an ice blockade on March 26. By this time, with the help of helicopters, the ship was unloaded and the winter crew was replaced. The ship's crew made every attempt to free themselves from ice captivity, but they were unsuccessful. Hydrometeorological and ice conditions changed very quickly, making it almost impossible to predict the weather. The country's leadership decided to leave the ship adrift and organize scientific work in the Antarctic in winter with a limited expedition. Of the 130 crew and expedition members, 77 people were evacuated and sent home.

Boris Vasilievich, the withdrawal of the icebreaker "Mikhail Somov" from a 133-day ice drift ended in the summer of 1985. Your icebreaker "Vladivostok" broke the ice around the "Somov" on July 26, and on August 11 both ships reached clean water. The head of the expedition, Artur Chilingarov, the icebreaker captain Valentin Rodchenko, and you received Hero stars for this feat. When did the decree on the award come out?

Boris Lyalin: In February 1986. This news caught me on yet another polar expedition. The Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal were awarded much later. And the entire helicopter crew received state awards.

Were you awarded for a 2000-kilometer flight?

Boris Lyalin: No. You know, if you give awards for everything that was done in Antarctica in those years and is being done today, then there will not be enough awards. This is our job.

Help me figure it out: according to the film "Icebreaker", one Mi-2 helicopter and one pilot were involved in the operation to rescue "Mikhail Somov". But in reality, the Somov had two helicopters and two full-fledged crews. Plus your Mi-8 on the rescue icebreaker Vladivostok. I'm already starting to get confused...

Boris Lyalin: About the film. I watched it twice. I decided that I had missed something the first time. In the movie, on a ship, the helicopter crew consists of one person! Was it, as the script writers intended, that he serviced the helicopter and flew it himself? Therefore, it is better not to disassemble this film. It is fiction, not documentary. I decided this for myself: it’s not about aviation, it’s about an icebreaker.

In reality, the Mikhail Somov had two helicopters. But by the time we arrived, everything was frozen over; they couldn’t even clear the site. Therefore, we did not board the Somov, but on the ice, next to it. The management made a decision: only my crew is working. We flew.

I read that the icebreaker "Vladivostok" was caught in terrible storms; 180 barrels of fuel were washed off the deck, including aviation kerosene for a helicopter. The roll reached 40 degrees. During the transition it is hot, plus 30, and in Antarctica - approximately 45 to 50 degrees below zero... Isn't this all an exaggeration?

Boris Lyalin: Actually, that's exactly how it happened. It was hot during the passage from Vladivostok to New Zealand. The icebreaker was old, and of course there was no air conditioning. But we got to New Zealand more or less normally. And then... Icebreaker, it’s like an egg. Moreover, literally: the vessels of the Vladivostok type had an egg-shaped underwater part. They were built so that the ice could not be crushed, but rather “squeezed out”. But in the ocean this “egg” shakes great, especially when you go through the “roaring forties” and “furious fifties”. One night many barrels were torn off the deck. They were secured securely: with timber 150 by 150 mm. But a storm in the ocean... I saw it from the bridge: one barrel flew out of the crate, followed by another. Like in the movies, when depth charges fall from a ship. About 180 barrels were lost. They hid near one of the islands, declared an emergency, and rushed everyone to secure the cargo. Then we moved on. And then it started again... It continued for several more days. In fact, this is a humanly terrifying sight: you are standing on the bridge and a gigantic wall of water is coming towards you.

And how did the helicopter not get lost at a 40-degree bank?

Boris Lyalin: It was in the hangar, well fixed, there were very reliable fastening points.

By the way, you are a land pilot. Where and when did you retrain as a deckhand?

Boris Lyalin: If we are talking about some kind of special retraining center, then there were none. I mastered it myself. Who taught? Yes, no one taught, on their own. Before that I flew a lot in the mountains. And also, as we say, “in the north.”

In 1985, my Mi-8 was transferred by plane to a military airfield near Vladivostok. They assembled a helicopter, but they didn’t let me fly to the icebreaker. The test pilot himself flew it to Vladivostok. I performed several flights at the port, everything was fine, I was given clearance.

By the way, at Vladivostok there was a very good, large platform for a helicopter. It cannot be compared with old icebreakers, where the stern platform was not intended for a helicopter at all. There, in case of war, an artillery installation was to be installed. And that platform was also inclined. To level it horizontally, a leveling timber flooring was laid. The railings were cut. They also placed a beam under the front wheel to prevent it from rolling off. That's all, actually.

When you sit on such a platform, there is very little space: only about five meters from the mast. The tail of the helicopter remains virtually overboard, and the technicians at sea could not service it.

I spent a considerable part of my life at fighter aviation airfields. You know, your flight time - almost 14 thousand hours - is shocking. A fighter pilot can retire with 1.5-2 thousand flight hours. Army helicopter pilots fly more than fighter jets, but for 14 thousand...

Boris Lyalin: Yes, indeed, we flew a lot. When I worked in Yakutia, I flew 600 - 700 hours a year. Especially when fires started. The taiga burned very badly in 1968. At that time I was still flying the Mi-4, and there was a sanitary norm: no more than 75 hours in the air per month. But you have to fly! We are increasing the sanitary norm to 90. But everything is on fire, we need to take firefighters to the taiga. Then the head of the department, by his order, increased the norm to 120 hours. And then - that's all, no longer has the right. But there were still not enough pilots.

Did you find a way out?

Boris Lyalin: Found. They allowed to raise the standard to 140 hours. For me personally. Believe it or not, the issue was resolved at the government level. The detachment received a telegram from Moscow signed by the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Nikolai Podgorny.

Let's move from the burning Yakut taiga to the icy Antarctica. Any pilot always has an alternate airfield. There should be, anyway. What is there an alternate airfield in Antarctica?

Boris Lyalin: A site selected by the crew commander independently. From the air.

Yes, it is difficult to fly there. After all, it is not always possible to predict the weather even in more developed regions. In Antarctica, the accuracy of forecasts is like guessing on coffee grounds. But there is a feeling. When it’s snowing there, you shouldn’t go there. But, of course, you can’t foresee everything.

You were the pilot of the first Soviet-American drifting research station, Weddell?

Boris Lyalin: The station was opened in early 1992 in the western part of the Weddell Sea. The drift lasted from February 12 to June 4. The expedition consists of about 30 people. We lived in tents on an ice floe: drip stoves, a generator. The Americans had two Bell-212 helicopters. But our Mi-8 was more perfect.

The pilots quickly found common language?

Boris Lyalin: If you turn off the recorder, I'll tell you.

(After 5 minutes)

The story in my retelling. So, while the recorder was turned off, I realized that the American pilots were having difficulties with our aircraft. But Boris Lyalin easily mastered the American Bellas in flight, even without knowing English.
Boris Lyalin: (Laughs). No comments.

Were there any problems in relations with the Americans?

Boris Lyalin: Not with them. And there was only one problem, Soviet Union had already ceased to exist and a Russian flag was needed. Where can you get it on a drifting ice floe in Antarctica?

And where was the national flag found?

Boris Lyalin: Yes, in the end they just sewed it together. And it was really easy to find a common language with the Americans. What should we share with them? It was bad that we didn’t know English well then. The time was different. Now I have a grandson in the seventh grade - and he speaks English fluently. Granddaughter graduates from the Institute foreign languages named after Maurice Thorez. The youngest daughter works in the UK, her husband is a diplomat. Our diplomat.

Have you experienced any other complexes besides language ones?

Boris Lyalin: Absolutely. In terms of technology, even if it sounds strange, we were even ahead of them. I have already mentioned the old Bell helicopters. The American research icebreaker Nathaniel Palmer transported polar explorers from Weddell Station. It was completely new then, built in early 1992. I was interested, I visited it, walked around it all. Not impressed. Ours are better.

In general, polar explorers with everyone good relationship. For example, in January 1979, our Il-14, taking off in a strong headwind, crashed into a glacier dome. He flew as part of the 24th Soviet Antarctic Expedition: he transported polar explorers from Molodezhnaya station to Mirny. When it hit the ice, the cockpit was destroyed and the fuselage was cut in half. The crew commander died immediately, and the co-pilot and flight mechanic died within 24 hours. Five of our seriously wounded were transported to a hospital in New Zealand on a C-130 aircraft. And it was a US Air Force plane.

By the way, I remember one incident. I then flew as part of the UN contingent in Africa. Our aviation chief was an Italian. He was holding a briefing when the American pilots arrived. Among them I saw an old acquaintance from work in Antarctica. Both, of course, were delighted and hugged in front of everyone.

So, you should have seen the eyes of this Italian. And everyone else too.

What, when a Russian and an American hug, the whole world's jaws drop?

Boris Lyalin: Yes, that's exactly it.

You talked a little about your family. Has anyone followed in your footsteps?

Boris Lyalin: No, no one else in my family flew. And it doesn't fly. I was the only one who connected my life with aviation.