Tushino Airfield

Tushino airfield (Russian: Аэродром Тушино) (ICAO: UUUS) is a former general aviation airfield located in Tushino, northwest Moscow, Russia. During the Cold War, this was the site of military exercises showcasing the latest in Soviet innovation. These exercises were held on Soviet Air Fleet Day.

Moscow Tushino

Аэродром Тушино
Il-14 on the Tushino airfield
Summary
Airport typePublic
LocationMoscow
Elevation AMSL128 m / 420 ft
Coordinates55°49′6″N 037°25′36″E
Websitewww.aero-tushino.ru
Map
Moscow Tushino
Location within Russia
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
11/29 1,300 4,265 Dirt

Dates

Soviet Air Fleet Day

The most frequent date of air shows was the Soviet Air Fleet Day (Russian: День Воздушного Флота). It was also known as the Soviet Air Forces Day (Russian: День Военно-воздушных Сил), or Soviet Aviation Day.[1] It was established in 1933.[2] In the period from 1933 to 1940 it was held on August 18, a free day in the calendar of that time. Later it was most usually held on the third Sunday of August,[3][4][5] if only weather permitted. The initial exhibition on August 18, 1933,[1][6] was a result of Yakov Alksnis initiative, and was held in Khodynka (the Central Moscow Aerodrome), but since the next[7] year the show became located on Tushino airfield near Moscow, where it remained for decades. In 1937, the parade was attended by nearly a million[7][8] people, observing the masses of aircraft spelling in the sky "LENIN", "STALIN" and "SSSR". The celebrations repeated until the fall of Soviet Union, and continue[1][9][10] in Russia (the location is now Zhukovsky International Airport, see MAKS airshow).

May Day
Further information: May Day

The 1st of May was dedicated to a multitude of parades throughout the Soviet Union. They often included large-scale flypasts.[11][12]

Other
Otkritie Arena, one of the main construction objects build on the site of closed Tushino Airfield.

The Soviet Air Fleet Day became primarily associated with Soviet Air Forces (VVS), so a separate day has been established for Soviet Air Defense Forces (PVO) a second arm of Soviet military that employed numerous fighter squadrons. It was called Soviet Air Defense Forces Day (Russian: День войск противовоздушной обороны СССР),[13] occurred on the second Sunday of April,[14] and was celebrated with air parades of lesser scale.

In 1991, at the behest of Mikhail Gorbachev, Tushino Airfield was used to host the free Monsters of Rock concert featuring AC/DC, Metallica, the Black Crowes and Pantera. Official estimates placed the crowd at between 800,000 and 1,000,000 people. The crowd was unofficially estimated to number at least 1.5 million people. Furthermore, 200,000 people attended the "Inside Bram" backdoor tour. The "Bram" backstage tour was planned to tour through Germany, France and Spain, but was cancelled due to health issues.

The stadium of Spartak Moscow was built on the site of the Tushino Airport. Otkrytie Arena (or Spartak Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Moscow, the construction of which started in October 2010. It's used mostly for football matches and host the home matches of FC Spartak Moscow. The stadium was designed with a capacity of 35,000 people, but later this was changed to a 42,000 people. The stadium hosted 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup games.

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See also
  • Soviet air shows, for which Tushino airfield is notable

References
General
  • "September 28, 1991 – Moscow, Russia". Metallica.com. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
Specific
  1. Pre-history of MAKS – provides the complete information on Russian and Soviet air shows.
  2. Council of People's Commissars of the USSR decree 859 of 28.04.1933 Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Petrone, Karen (2000). Life has become more joyous, comrades: Celebrations in the time of Stalin. ISBN 978-0-253-33768-9.
  4. "Airmen celebrate their professional holiday". Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  5. "Russian Life magazine". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  6. Curiously, the August 17, 1933, was the date of the first launch of Soviet rocket – GIRD-09. Albrecht, Ulrich; Nikutta, Randolph (October 1993). The Soviet armaments industry. ISBN 978-3-7186-5313-3.
  7. Everett-Heath, John (1983-05-10). Soviet helicopters: Design, development and tactics. ISBN 978-0-7106-0259-6.
  8. Higham, Robin D. S; Greenwood, John T; Hardesty, Von (1998). Russian aviation and air power in the twentieth century. ISBN 978-0-7146-4784-5.
  9. Decree 3564-1 of September 28, 1992: "The establishment of the Russian Air Fleet Day" (Russian: Об установлении праздника День Воздушного флота России)
  10. Decree 949 of 29 August 1997: "On establishing the Day of the Air Force" (Russian: Об установлении Дня Военно-воздушных сил) and a revision 549 of 31 May 2006.
  11. Inc, Time (1949-06-20). LIFE. – May Day of 1947
  12. "Soviet and Russian Bombers". Retrieved 31 July 2012. – May Day of 1954.
  13. Avis, George (1987). The Making of the Soviet citizen: Character formation and civic training in Soviet education. ISBN 978-0-7099-5105-6.
  14. When it was established on 20 February 1975, the commemoration day was set for 11 April; but it changed to the second Sunday of April following the decree of 1 October 1980.
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