Vitebsk helicopter pilots won in one of the most difficult disciplines of the World Championship
The crew of the Vitebsk aeroclub won in one of the most difficult disciplines – parallel cargo delivery. The champions were pilot Vladimir Bugaev and operator Andrey Rogonov. Silver went to the Russians – ex-champions Maxim Sotnikov and Oleg Puodzyukas. Another Belarusian tandem – Nikita Laptev and Vladislav Kurs – won third place.
The regional leadership congratulated the winners of the 16th World Helicopter Sport Championship >>
The fight for first place was fierce: as many as 11 crews scored the maximum number of points, and the winner was determined by the time it took the helicopter pilots to complete the task. The Belarusians turned out to be the fastest.
– We competed with the Russian crews until the last moment. The score was decided by fractions of a second, which ultimately brought us victory. We hope to perform successfully in other disciplines as well, – noted pilot Vladimir Bugaev.
In the parallel flight discipline, Russian crews took the podium. Andrey Orekhov and Vadim Sazonov proved to be the most accurate. Maxim Sotnikov and Oleg Puodzyukas took second place, and helicopter pilots Yuri Yablokov and Konstantin Podoitsyn rounded out the top three. Among the Belarusians in parallel flight, Alexander Grishchenko and Oleg Manko showed the best result, finishing the stage in sixth place. Polish athletes performed better than them.
The head of the federation, Alexander Tsentr, and his partner Vladimir Strienok, flying a Robinson R-44, took tenth position. The World Championship is attended by 37 crews from different countries. The Russian team, represented by 13 crews, was the largest.
Helicopter pilots from Poland, Austria, Germany, China, and Ukraine also arrived in Minsk. All crews perform exercises on two helicopter models – Robinson R-44 and Mi-2.
Most teams will use their own transport, some will use the Minsk aviation fleet. Helicopter races will be held in Minsk on the weekend, which can be seen at the #Pronеbo aviation festival.
The winner will be determined in an elimination format: after qualification, the eight best crews will advance to the final, where they will compete in pairs. You can watch the aerial battles for free at the Borovaya airfield.
The festival will feature about 30 aircraft: balloons, helicopters, autogyros, and airplanes, including the Po-2 night bomber.
BELTA. Photos: http://pronеbo.bel and from open sources.