Sukhoi Su-27A Flanker, 595 / 36911037511, Russian Air Force
This picture is © Martin Laycock and may not be used or published without permission.
Registration: 595
Construction Number: 36911037511
Military Unit: Zhuovsky Test Centre - 'Test Pilots Team'
Model Sukhoi Su-27A Flanker
Operator: Russian Air Force
Airport: Boscombe Down (EGD / EGDM), UK - England
Airshow: Boscombe Down - Air Tournament International - 1992
Photographer: Martin Laycock
Date Taken: 13/06/1992
Date Submitted: 30/03/2010
Photographed minutes after Anatoly Kvotchur's now legendary arrival at Air Tournament International 92. For those who didn't experience it let me describe. It was a scorchingly hot June Saturday and the air at Boscombe was also thick with anticipation for the first UK visit of the Test Pilot's Institute Su27 Flanker. By mid-afternoon the aircraft was already running late and the spectators at ATI were expecting a no-show from the Russians. However, Tornado F3s from 11 Squadron RAF had met the Flanker and the supporting TU134 and were escorting them through UK airspace to Boscombe. As the Russians arrived in the circuit with their Tornado escorts nobody expected what would happen next! As the Tu134 touched down on the long Boscombe runway, Anatoly drifted the Flanker into position alongside, gear up, no more than ten feet off the ground. He then continued along the entire length of the runway before pulling the big Russian fighter into a vertical climb before commencing his remarkable display for the first time in the UK. Unforgettable.
Picture ID:1224078