Boris Chukhnovsky facts for kids
Boris Grigoryevich Chukhnovsky (Russian: Борис Григорьевич Чухновский) was an amazing Russian and Soviet pilot and Arctic explorer. He helped rescue people from the Airship Italia in 1928. He also searched for the missing Sigizmund Levanevsky airplane in 1937-1938. Boris Chukhnovsky even helped create a special airplane for Arctic research called the Bartini DAR.
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Becoming a Pilot
Boris Chukhnovsky was born in Saint Petersburg on April 9, 1898. He finished school in Gatchina. In June 1916, he joined the Navy. However, he soon moved to the School of Naval Pilots in Petrograd in March 1917. He finished his pilot training in November 1917. After that, he became the Chief of the Oranienbaum air detachment. From 1918 to 1920, he flew planes for the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. He mostly worked on the southern front.
Exploring the Arctic by Air
In 1923, Chukhnovsky went to the Naval Academy in Petrograd. The next year, he started working on mapping and studying the Arctic. He flew many missions from Novaya Zemlya over the Barents and Kara Seas. This was part of a big project called the Northern Hydrographic Expedition.
In 1925, he continued this important work. He took aerial photos of Novaya Zemlya, especially around the Matochkin Strait. By 1927, he left the Naval Academy to become a full-time Arctic pilot. He was one of the very first pilots to explore the Arctic for the Soviet Union.
The Famous Italia Airship Rescue
In May 1928, the Soviet Union joined a big effort to save the Airship Italia expedition. The airship was returning from the North Pole when it crashed. The icebreaker Krasin was sent to help. Boris Chukhnovsky was a key part of the Soviet rescue team.
On July 10, Chukhnovsky flew his plane and found a group of explorers. This group, led by Finn Malmgren, had left the crashed Italia airship to walk to the mainland. Chukhnovsky told the Krasin where they were. But then, bad weather made it hard for him to fly back to the icebreaker. He had to land his plane on the ice because he was running out of fuel.
Even stuck on the ice, Chukhnovsky sent a radio message to the Krasin. He gave them exact details about where the Malmgren group was. He told them it was more important to rescue Malmgren's group first, even before his own plane. Malmgren sadly died, but two other members of his group were saved by the Krasin on July 12. Chukhnovsky and his crew were rescued from the ice on July 15 and 16. He had been stranded on the ice for five days!
For his brave actions in the rescue, Boris Chukhnovsky received the Order of the Red Banner. This was the highest award in the Soviet Union at that time. In 1928 and 1929, he traveled around Europe. He gave talks about the amazing rescue mission. He spoke German and French, as well as his native Russian.
Developing Arctic Airplanes
In 1929, Boris Chukhnovsky started working for the Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route. He helped create the Arctic aviation service. He was in charge of this service until 1931. From 1931 to 1933, he flew missions to gather information about ice conditions in the Arctic.
Before this, Soviet Arctic planes were mostly from other countries. In June 1933, Chukhnovsky was given a new task. He had to help develop a Soviet-made flying boat that could work well in the Arctic. He worked with Robert Bartini to create the Bartini DAR airplane. Only one of these special planes was ever made.
Later Life
During World War II, Boris Chukhnovsky helped the White Sea Flotilla. In 1943, he moved to the Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route. There, he helped military convoys by scouting out ice conditions. In July 1945, he left the Soviet Army and was made a colonel.
Boris Chukhnovsky passed away in 1975. He is buried in Gatchina.
