Not everyone was respected in the huge team of Soviet test pilots. Sergei Timofeevich Agapov was one of those people who came for advice. He tested dozens of military aircraft and made a significant contribution to the development of Soviet aviation.
Biography
The life of the famous pilot began on September 24, 1932 in the village of Varvarovka in the Saratov region. In 1949 he graduated from the special Gorky Air Force school. His military activity began in 1949. In 1952 he graduated simultaneously from two educational institutions that train aviation specialists.
He continued his career as a pilot until 1983. He buried his wife at a young age, since then he has not spread about his personal life, he never had children. The famous aviator died on May 4, 2006 in the city of Zhukovsky. He was buried at the Bykovsky cemetery in the same city.
Aviation achievements and stories
Agapov began his test pilot career in 1959, he entered a specialized school. After graduation, Sergei Timofeevich got to the Tupolevites. Vasily Borisov, who has always been Sergei's rival, crossed with him. They have always been the main competitors of each other, they practically did not communicate personally, but they were skilled pilots. According to Agapov, Borisov only needed money and fame, he exaggerated his achievements too much.
Sergei Timofeevich allowed himself such a harsh statement for a reason. He knew perfectly well that his opponent would find out about this phrase. His distinguishing feature was to tell what he thinks about other pilots, without various embellishments. Other aviation figures were not at all offended by Agapov's words, moreover, they continued to speak of him as a talented pilot with a successful future.
Over the decades of working with various flying machines, all possible models of the Design Bureau have passed through the hands of the famous test pilot. Agapov, together with Kozlov and Bessonov, from the very beginning of his work at the Tupolev Design Bureau, made the main emphasis on testing the Tu-28 interceptor. The car was taken over by G. T. Beregovoy, and handed over to the military by Sergei Timofeevich. The work took place in Vladimirovka. There, an unusual incident took place, showing Agapov's incredible sociability and reliability as a comrade.
Sergei is a short man, and Beregovoi is above average. The first flew first, and then the second. One day after Agapov's flight, Beregovoy sat in the cockpit, began to close the cap of the "lantern", and he hit him on the head. An employee on ejection seats immediately ran up to him and began to make excuses: he forgot to remove Agapov's pillow from the chair. Beregovoi committed a stupid act and hit the specialist in the face, as he was an emotionally unstable servant. "Trade union" immediately took up arms against such an unworthy act, for the aggressor this action could be the last in his career, but Sergey Timofeevich saved him.
He began negotiations, and the ground government agreed to acquit the culprit, but for a box of brandy. Agapov, naturally, did not refuse such a gift and took part in its "destruction" together with the staff of the terrestrial crew. Only later, when heart problems arose, Agapov already stopped allowing himself even a glass of vodka.
The renowned test pilot has accumulated vast experience in flying with high angles of attack on the Tu-134 military aircraft. On this machine, Agapov reached such large angles of attack that forced self-oscillations of the entire structure began, caused by a temporary breakdown of turbulent equilibrium. The tests that Sergey performed on the Tu-134, exploring the large angles of attack and spin modes, are considered by professionals to be one of the most difficult and dangerous.
Sergei Timofeevich said that when work began on the most powerful modern missile carrier Tu-160, he did not even hope to work on it. According to him, it will take 20 years or more to bring this plane to perfection, and Agapov was 50 at that time. Sergei Timofeevich was asked to fly as a co-pilot to test this model. He carried out aviation work and said that the car was made with high quality.
Records and awards
An experienced test pilot set 14 world records on the TU-144, he developed the highest speed, lifting height and carrying capacity. The very first flight on this aircraft was performed by Agapov, he was the crew commander, he was assisted by the Aeroflot pilot Kuznetsov. Sergey has more than 6 medals and awards on his account. He became a Hero of the Soviet Union, received the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, the medal "For Labor Valor" and others.
The opinion of Agapov's entourage about him
According to the stories of Agapov's friends, he was a very smart, quick-witted person with a mathematical mindset. He has always been a trusted friend and a great test pilot. Thanks to his great life experience and natural talent, he controlled the car in a way that only a few aviation workers could.
They said about him: "this one will be able to fly on a broom." He was a surprisingly calm person, even in the most volatile and stressful situations during aerial trials. The other crew members were guided by him, his composure was transmitted to them, this helped them find solutions in the most difficult and critical moments of the flight. He never fully opened up to the people around him, did not share his problems and experiences with them. It is possible that this was the cause of his critical heart problems.
