Famous Test Pilot Yuri Kurlin

On September 17, the famous test pilot Yuri Kurlin, who worked for many years at the Antonov Design Bureau (now "Antonov" State Enterprise), would have turned 95 years old.

He was born in 1929 in the town of Shatsk, Ryazan region. Soon after, his family moved to Pyatigorsk in the North Caucasus.

After World War II, Yuri graduated from the Rostov Industrial Technical School and tried to enroll in a military flight school, as he had been passionate about aviation for a long time. However, his application was not even accepted because, according to the rules at the time, young professionals had to work for a certain period in their chosen profession.

In 1949, Yuri entered the correspondence department of the Kyiv Institute of Civil Aviation Engineers (now NAU), and the following year, he joined the Krasnokutsk School of Civil Aviation Pilots. He studied at both institutions simultaneously until he obtained his pilot's diploma in 1952. After graduation, the young pilot was assigned to the 92nd aviation squadron of the Ukrainian Civil Aviation Directorate, which was just beginning to master the then-new An-2 aircraft. This unit was based at the Svyatoshyn airfield in Kyiv, adjacent to the Antonov Design Bureau's newly relocated factory.

Flying the An-2 involved many flights at very low altitudes while working on agricultural fields, and there were many landings on small fields chosen by the pilot from the air. All of this provided invaluable experience. However, Kurlin aspired to more and increasingly thought about becoming a test pilot.

After earning his engineering degree, Yuri became one of the few pilots at the time to hold a higher education. This was a significant step toward his dream, but he still had to spend several more years flying Il-14 and Li-2 planes in the aviation industry's transport divisions.

Finally, in 1957, Kurlin had the opportunity to enter the Test Pilot School. His training there boosted his confidence and provided the necessary professional skills. There were days when he had to fly 4-5 different types of aircraft, such as the Yak-25 and Il-28, MiG-15 and Tu-4, Il-12 and Tu-16. After a year, Kurlin graduated with honors, which gave him the right to choose his next job, and without hesitation, he decided to return to Kyiv. Thus, in September 1958, he became a test pilot at the Antonov Design Bureau.

Kurlin was immediately tasked with testing the An-14 "Bee," which had outstanding takeoff and landing characteristics. Antonov was very fond of this machine, but its fate was complicated, and he made great efforts to popularize the aircraft. Once, Kurlin was assigned to select a landing site along the Desna River about 100 meters long, where Antonov planned to give an interview. The task was completed, and the PR event was successful. Later, the General Designer and the pilot decided to take a little break. "The wing of the An-14 hung over the water," Kurlin recalled. "Oleg Konstantinovich and I dove from it into the Desna and did handstands together. We were happy!" Later, Kurlin flew the An-14 around the Kyiv region, making 68 landings on sites selected from the air.

Kurlin's professional growth was rapid. By 1965, he was entrusted with a groundbreaking machine—the world's largest aircraft at the time, the An-22 "Antei." February 27 became a day he would remember for the rest of his life, as which test pilot wouldn't dream of being the first to lift such a unique experimental machine into the air?

There were sensational demonstrations of the "Antei" at the Paris Air Show and several other international exhibitions. However, the routine of flight work consisted not of bright air shows. For instance, Kurlin's crew transported oversized cargoes on the An-22 to Siberia and the Far North. They had to fly under the harshest conditions, often landing on unfamiliar, snow-covered runways. A special chapter was the transportation of An-124 and An-225 wings on the "back" of a specially modified "Antei."

Kurlin's biography also includes many other complex tasks, such as landings with both engines off on the An-24 and An-26; flights on the An-32 from high-altitude airfields in India; landings on icy and muddy runways on the An-74; and tests of the An-124's behavior in the wake of another aircraft.

Kurlin retired from flying in 1994, dedicating nearly 44 years to his career! He mastered over 30 types of aircraft, logging 16,716 flight hours, 6,685 of which were test flights.

However, the legendary test pilot did not leave his beloved company. Filled with unflagging energy, he worked as an instructor-methodologist for over two decades, passing on his vast experience to younger colleagues.

Yuri Vladimirovich passed away suddenly on February 27, 2018.

Photos:

1 - Yuri Kurlin in the cockpit of the An-22. 1965

2 - Yuri Kurlin and Oleg Antonov relaxing on the Desna River. Late 1950s

3 - After a successful landing on the An-26 simulating engine failure. Yuri Kurlin, fourth from the right. 1975

4 - Yuri Kurlin and Chief Designer Petro Balabuyev giving an interview after delivering the center wing section of the second An-225 to Kyiv on the An-22. 1991

5 - Yuri Kurlin on the An-148 simulator. 2011