By Vestnik Kavkaza
In 1966 Soviet pilots from the Group of Soviet Troops in Germany crashed, saving a town from their broken aircraft. 25 years later this deed was repeated by Major General of Aviation Sulambek Oskanov who didn’t eject himself from an aircraft to save his life, even though the state committee’s investigation confirmed he had such an option. Oskanov tried to steer the plane away from residential buildings.
Sulambek was born in the Ingush village of Pliyevo. He studied in a craftwork college in Grozny, attended a flying club and jumped with parachute. After graduation from Kachinskoe Higher Military Aviation School, Oskanov worked as an instructor there. In the early 1970s he studied in the Military Politican Academy which was thought to be an elite institute. “Sulambek was very punctual. He was never late, but never came too early. I remember many stories when we arrived at somebody’s place several minutes early and he suggested taking a walk and to arrive right on time. “Punctuality is a kingly virtue,” he used to say. When we studied in the Academy, Sulambek had several notebooks: in one he wrote smart thoughts, statements by great people. In the second he wrote jokes, funny stories. In the third – birthdays of friends and close people. Birthday cards and telegrams had always been a problem for me. But Sulambek liked sending them,” Oskanov’s friend Visin-Girey Tankiyev remembers.
After graduation, Oskanov was sent to the Fighter Air Regiment of the Group of Soviet Troops in Germany as the deputy commander of the squadron on politics. By that time Sulambek was an aerobic flight master of sport. Only the most prepared pilots deserve the title, who demonstrate their skills at parades and air shows – pilots of Strizhi and Vityazi squadrons.
Sulambek who was called “Sergey Sergeich” by his friends came back from Germany to Moscow as Lieutenant-Colonel. However, he didn’t want to service in the headquarters and have an apartment in Moscow. Oskanov asked to send him to a military regiment and became the deputy commander of the fight air unit in the South Army Group in Hungary. “Sulambek got not only excellent memory, but also remembered people perfectly. If he met a person once, he remembered his name forever. Several years after he could say where and how he met the person,” Visin-Girey Tankiyev says.
Soon Oskanov was sent to Lipetsk where he was appointed the commander of the Training Center; he also got the rank of Major General. He was the first Vainakh who got this rank.
To be continued
