Oleksandr Halunenko
Oleksandr Halunenko | |
|---|---|
Олександр Васильович Галуненко | |
| Born | 1 March 1946 Troyitske, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Citizenship | Ukraine |
| Education | Leningrad Institute of Aviation Instrumentation (1974) |
| Alma mater | Chernihiv Military Aviation Higher School of Pilots (1968) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Employer | Antonov |
| Known for | testing Antonov An-124 Ruslan and Antonov An-225 Mriya aircraft and aviation records of FAI |
| Spouse | Olga Halunenko |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Hero of Ukraine (1999) |
| Education | Military aviation – Chernihiv Military Aviation Higher School of Pilots (1968) Test pilot – Fedotov Test Pilot School (1975) |
| Aviation career | |
| First flight | 1965 |
| Flight license | 1968 USSR |
| Air force | Soviet Air Forces |
Oleksandr Vasylyovych Halunenko (Ukrainian: Олександр Васильович Галуненко) is a Ukrainian test pilot, Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR, the president of the Ukrainian Federation of Aeronautical Sports (member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale), Hero of Ukraine.[1][2]
He is known for testing such airplanes as the Antonov An-124 Ruslan and the super giant Antonov An-225 Mriya.
Halunenko received the Hero of Ukraine award for manually landing the second prototype of the Antonov An-70 successfully, after malfunctions of the electronic control system occurred during its April 1997 initial flight. After retiring from flying in 2004, he served a single term in the Ukrainian parliament beginning in 2006. A resident of Bucha, Ukraine, Halunenko survived the battle of Bucha during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3]
Awards
- Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Gold Star (August 21, 1999)[4]
- Order of Merit (Ukraine) (September 20, 1997)[5]
References
- ^ "Oleksandr Halunenko set 214 national and 124 world records in one flight on an Antonov AN-225". 11 September 2019.
- ^ "Довідка: Галуненко Олександр Васильович". Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
- ^ Altman, Howard (4 May 2022). "An-225 Mriya's first pilot on the tragic destruction of the world's biggest plane". The War Zone. The Drive.
- ^ "Про нагородження відзнакою П... | від 21.08.1999 № 1043/99". 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Про нагородження відзнаками Президента України". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 14 July 2023.
External links
- "Лётчик Александр Галуненко: при СССР государство относилось к авиапрому более ответственно" ("The pilot Oleksandr Halunenko: during the Soviet Union, the state was more responsible towards aviation industry"), Glavred, 22 September 2016