Pastavy (airfield)

The airfield was used by the Polish Air Force until the Liberation of Western Belarus by Red Army troops. In 1940, after the Liberation of Western Belarus , the Postavy Aviation School was founded on the basis of the airfield, in which bomber pilots were trained. Colonel Vyacheslav Arsenyevich Timofeev was appointed head of the Postavy aviation school. The school had 3 airdromes at its disposal. The main one is Postavy (under construction) and two field ones - in Mikhalishki and Kobylnik, at the former field airfield of the Polish Air Force. The airfield was part of the 13th aviation-based district. As of the end of May 1941, the following were based at the airport:

• management of the 32nd air base,
• 132nd OPC of management;
• 137th airdrome-based battalion ^[1] .

With the outbreak of World War II on June 23, the school was relocated to Orsha, then to Moscow, and then to Chkalov, where the 3rd Chkalov Military Aviation Pilot School was formed from the remains of several aviation schools ^[1] .

After the occupation, Postav airfield in unfinished condition was used by Luftwaffe bomber aircraft ^[1] .

A modern airfield was built in 1954. At the airport were based:

• 940th Aviation Regiment of fighter-bombers ^{[2] [3]} ;
• 305th Aviation Regiment of fighter-bombers ;

In 1960, the 940th Fighter Aviation Regiment on MiG-17 aircraft was relocated from the Ross airfield. On March 18, 1960, the regiment was transferred to fighter-bomber aviation , received a new name - the 940th fighter-bomber aviation regiment, and became part of the 1st Guards fighter-bomber Stalingrad Order of Lenin twice the Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Aviation Division . In November 1976, the regiment was renamed the 940th Aviation Regiment of fighter-bombers and received new Su-7B aircraft (BMK, BKL), on which it flew until 1982. In 1982, the regiment received the MiG-27 M and MiG-27D. In May 1988, the regiment was disbanded at the airport as part of the 1st Guards Aviation of the Stalingrad Order of Lenin twice the Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov of the fighter-bomber division ^{[2] [3]} .

In 1976, the 305th aviation regiment of fighter-bombers on MiG-15 and MiG-17 aircraft began to form at the airport. The regiment became part of the 1st Guards Aviation Stalingrad Order of Lenin twice the Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov of the fighter-bomber division . Colonel Sychev V.S. was appointed commander of the regiment. In November 1976, the regiment received new Su-7B aircraft (BMK, BKL), on which it flew until 1980. In the winter of 1977, the regiment was awarded the Battle Red Banner. In 1980, he received the Su-17, and in 1986 the regiment retrained for Su-24 aircraft and was renamed the 305th bomber aviation regiment ^[4] .

In February 1989, after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan , the 378th Separate Assault Aviation Regiment on Su-25 aircraft was relocated to the airport. After the collapse of the USSR in January 1992, the regiment became part of the Belarussian Air Force , and was disbanded in 1993 ^[5] .

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the airfield was used until 1993. In 1993, the 305th Bomber Aviation Regiment was relocated to Russia at the Yeysk airfield ^[4] , and the airfield was closed. The territory is in an abandoned state. The runway is disassembled.

• On February 19, 1975, the crash of the MiG-17 airplane, the Postavy airfield, pilot senior lieutenant Krysanov S. When performing an attack on a ground target at the Prudniki training ground after performing a combat turn at a speed of 950 km / h with a pitch angle of 90 °, the plane collided with the ground. The pilot died. The presumptive reason is a collision with a bird and a loss of pilot performance.
• February 6, 1990 Su-25 plane crash, Postavy airfield. The pilot at the 8th minute of the flight reported a converter failure. He terminated the mission at the command of the RP and completed the approach. On the run with the wheel raised, the pilot reported that the plane was leaning to the left. The plane deviated left 12 m from the axis of the strip. To prevent evasion to the left, the pilot gave his right foot. The airplane skidded off to the right, turned 20-30 °, crossed the center line, descended to the ground, continuing to turn right. After descending to the ground, he skidded another 150-200 m and stopped. The pilot did not release the parachute. On the plane, the front and left main landing gears are broken, and the left half wing is damaged. The reason is disproportionate actions by the controls on the run. After repair, the plane did not fly, was decommissioned and transferred to the Kobrin PARM, then to the Military Academy as a teaching aid.

• Anokhin V. A., Bykov M. Yu. All Stalin's fighter aviation regiments. The first complete encyclopedia. - Popular science publication. - M .: Yauza-press, 2014 .-- S. 894. - 944 p. - 1,500 copies - ISBN 978-5-9955-0707-9 .

• Aerodrome map