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Nikolay AlifanovTest pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, colonel
Date of Birth: 09.07.1912
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Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Military Career
- Combat Experience in China
- World War II
- Test Pilot Career
- Post-Military Life
- Awards and Honors
- Order of the Red Star (November 5, 1946)
Early Life and Education
Nikolay Grigoryevich Alifanov was born on July 9, 1912, in the village of Alfёrovo (now Dolinskoye) in the Dnepropetrovsk region of Ukraine. Raised in an orphanage, he completed a factory apprenticeship school and worked as a machinist. In 1930, he graduated from a worker's faculty and the Kharkov School of Pilots of the Voluntary Society for Assistance to Aviation and Chemical Industries (Osoaviakhim).
Military Career
Alifanov joined the military in 1931 and graduated from the Stalingrad Military Aviation Flight School in 1932. He served in active flying units in the Belarusian Military District. From 1936 to 1937, he was a flight instructor at the Odessa Air Combat School.
Combat Experience in China
In November 1937, Alifanov deployed to China as a volunteer fighter pilot. He flew 30 combat missions on an I-15 fighter and engaged in one air battle, during which he was shot through the chest and ejected from his aircraft using a parachute.
World War II
Upon his return to the Soviet Union in 1938, Alifanov became a test pilot for the No. 21 aviation plant in Gorky. He tested serial-production I-16 and LaGG-3 fighters and their modifications. During World War II, he served from October 1942 to February 1943 as the commander of an aviation squadron and from February 1943 to August 1944 as the commander of the 263rd Fighter Aviation Regiment. He fought on the Volkhov, Kalinin, Steppe, Western, and 1st Belorussian Fronts, participating in the defense of Leningrad, the Battle of Kursk, and the liberation of Belarus. He flew 24 combat missions on a La-5 fighter, engaging in six air battles in which he shot down four enemy aircraft alone and one as part of a group.
Test Pilot Career
After the war, from 1944 to 1965, Alifanov served as a test pilot for the Gorky Aviation Plant. He tested serial-production fighters, including piston-engined La-7, La-9, and La-11 fighters and jet-powered La-15, MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21 fighters and their modifications. For his courage and heroism in testing new aviation technology, Alifanov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on May 1, 1957, along with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Post-Military Life
Alifanov retired from the military in June 1965 with the rank of Colonel. Until 1971, he worked as the Deputy Head of the Flight Test Station of the Gorky Aviation Plant for Flight Operations. He lived in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) until his death on February 6, 1986. He is buried in the Maryina Roshcha Cemetery in Nizhny Novgorod.
Awards and Honors
Hero of the Soviet Union (May 1, 1957)Order of Lenin (May 1, 1957)
3 Orders of the Red Banner (November 14, 1938; April 10, 1943; November 5, 1954)
2 Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st Class (December 11, 1943; March 11, 1985)
Order of the Red Star (November 5, 1946)
MedalsHonored Test Pilot of the USSR (March 16, 1963)
