Fyodor Ivanovich Burtsev (Russian: Фёдор Иванович Бурцев; 27 June 1923 – 4 May 2003) was a distinguished Soviet test pilot, military aviator, and Hero of the Soviet Union. He spent the majority of his career at the Gromov Flight Research Institute and later served as head of the Fedotov Test Pilot School from 1974 to 1988.
Early Life
Burtsev was born on 27 June 1923 into a working-class Russian family in the village of Kazaki, Tula Governorate (in present-day Tula Oblast). In 1932 his family moved to Moscow, where he completed the eighth grade in 1940 alongside training at the Lenin Aeroclub. He joined the military in January 1941 and graduated from the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School of Pilots in November of that year.
Military Service
During World War II, Burtsev served initially as a flight instructor before being deployed to the front lines. He flew 57 combat sorties on the La-5 fighter and achieved one solo aerial victory. He served with the 32nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment and later the 111th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Until 1948 he remained an instructor pilot at the Higher School of Aerial Combat in Lyubertsy.
Test Pilot Career
After graduating from test pilot school in 1950, Burtsev joined the Gromov Flight Research Institute. From 1951 to 1952 he participated in the manned testing of the KS-1 Kometa anti-ship air-to-surface missile alongside fellow test pilots Amet-khan Sultan, Sergey Anokhin, and Vasily Pavlov. For this work, he received the Stalin Prize, 2nd class, in 1953.
Burtsev went on to test a wide range of fighter aircraft, including the MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, and the experimental prototypes E-4, E-5, and E-6. In February 1955, he became the first pilot to take off in the MiG I-370/I-1. He also conducted tests of refueling systems, supersonic stability, prototype engines on Tu-4 LL and Tu-16 LL flying laboratories, and an automatic approach system on the Il-18.
Later Life and Legacy
Burtsev was awarded the title Honored Test Pilot of the USSR in 1964 and Hero of the Soviet Union in 1966. He served as head of the Fedotov Test Pilot School from 1974 to 1988, formally retiring from the Air Force with the rank of colonel in March 1980. He moved from Zhukovsky to Moscow in 2001 and died there on 4 May 2003. He was buried at Danilovskoye Cemetery.
Awards and Honors
- Hero of the Soviet Union (22 July 1966)
- Order of Lenin (22 July 1966)
- Honored Test Pilot of the USSR (21 August 1964)
- Stalin Prize, 2nd class (1953)
- Order of the October Revolution (25 March 1974)
- Two Orders of the Red Banner (20 September 1947; 3 February 1953)
- Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class (11 March 1985)
- Three Orders of the Red Star (10 July 1944; 2 August 1944; 30 December 1956)
A commemorative plaque was installed on the centennial of his birth at the house on Frunze Street in Zhukovsky where he lived.
