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Appolinariy TomashevskiyTest pilot
Date of Birth: .
Country:  Russia |
Content:
- Early Life and Military Service
- Revolutionary War
- Military Aviation Career
- Test Pilot and Pioneering Flights
- Testing the ANT-4
- Legacy
Early Life and Military Service
Alexander Ivanovich Tomachevsky was born in 1890 into a peasant family. In 1914, he graduated from the seaplane school in Petrograd. Tomachevsky served in World War I, attaining the rank of sergeant.
Revolutionary War
In September 1918, Tomachevsky joined the Red Army and flew as a military pilot in the 2nd Soviet aviation detachment in Saratov. He participated in battles against the White Guards and Czechs on the Eastern Front.
Military Aviation Career
From February 1919, Tomachevsky served as a reconnaissance pilot in the Southern Group of Forces of the Eastern Front. He earned the Order of the Red Banner for his actions during the liberation of Ufa in June 1919. From July 1919 to March 1920, he commanded the 30th aviation detachment of the 4th Army. In July and September 1920, Tomachevsky served as a military pilot in the Slavnaya joint aviation group of the Western Front.
Test Pilot and Pioneering Flights
After the Civil War, Tomachevsky became one of the first Soviet test pilots. In spring 1922, he began testing the COMTA, a heavy two-engine triplane. In 1924, he tested the AK-1, the first Soviet four-seater passenger aircraft. He then participated in a group flight from Moscow to Beijing and Tokyo in June 1925.
Testing the ANT-4
On November 26, 1925, Tomachevsky took to the skies in the Tupolev ANT-4, the first heavy metal aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. His testing of this momentous aircraft cemented his place in aviation history.
Legacy
The details of Alexander Ivanovich Tomachevsky's later life remain unknown. It is known that he died in 1926. Despite the brevity of his career, his contributions to early Soviet aviation were significant and his name stands among the pioneers of the field.
