I joined the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (“SETP”) as experimental test pilot on December 12, 1991 (just before the Soviet Union collapse.) Then we had there the whole Soviet / Russian section with plenty of my fellows. After SERGEY TRESVIATSKY’s “Last Flight” on May 27, 2025 – I now remain the very only Russian SETP member… there’s no more any other test pilot in RF, who’d be able to write my obituary for SETP in English language (when it’s time). So I offer this text (just in case…)
ALEXANDER (“Sasha”) Yurievich GARNAEV
Honored Test Pilot of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia (Gold Star).
Born on September 1st, 1960 in the city of Zhukovsky, Moscow region USSR. His father Yuri Garnaev (Hero of the Soviet Union, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR) sadly perished in flight during the Mi-6 fire-fighter helicopter crash on August 6, 1967 in Southern France (Provance) – when his youngest son Sasha was just below the age 7 years.
E d u c a t i o n :
- 1981 Armavir Higher Military Pilot Aviation Academy (honored diploma with “Gold medal”);
- 1987 USSR Ministry of Aviation Industry Test Pilot School;
- 1989 Moscow Aviation Institute “MAI” (honored diploma);
- 1998 Russian National Academy of State Service (honored diploma).
D u t i e s :
Total flight experience – 12.000 flight hours in more then 70 aircraft types, prototypes and modifications: - 1975-76 – Zhukovsky Air CLub Student (Moscow region);
- 1977-81 – Pilot-cadet (Armavir Higher Military Pilot Aviation Academy);
- 1981-85 – Military pilot-fighter (USSR Air Force);
- 1985-87 – Student Test-pilot (Ministry of Aviation Industry Test Pilot School);
- 1987-94 – Experimental “MiG” Test Pilot (Mikoyan Design Bureau);
- 1994-2002 – Experimental Test Pilot, Commander of Test Pilot division (Gromov Flight Research Institute);
- 1993-2008 – AirLine PiLot (AirLine companies: “Ilyushin”, “Pacific Express”, “Zenith”, “Gromov Air”, Air-CLub instructor, “ETiRC Aviation” (business jet);
- 2009-2017 – “AEROFLOT” (Russian AirLines) AirLine PiLot, Captain AirBus A330;
- 2018-2021 – Captain business aviation.
Certifications / Honours : - Rus.1st Class Test Pilot – 30 July 1993;
- Hero of Russia – 15 January 1998;
- Rus.1st Class Airline Transport Pilot – 29 Dec.1999;
- Honored Test Pilot of Russian Federation – 21 Sept.2002;
- Candidate of Economic Sciences – 2002;
- USA FAA ATPL – 22 July 2009.
Sasha began flying gliders and skydiving at the age of 14. He graduated from secondary school in 1977 and enrolled in the Armavir Higher Military Aviation School for Fighter-Pilots. After graduating from it with the “Gold Medal” honored diploma in 1981, he then served four years as a fighter pilot, flight leader at the Soviet Air Force fighter aviation regiment and achieved the Captain military rank. He then left to the military reserve and entered the USSR Ministry of Aviation Industry of USSR Test Pilot School, in parallel began studies at the Moscow Aviation Institute.
Alexander completed Test Pilot School in 1987 and was assigned as an experimental test pilot with the Mikoyan Design Bureau (“MiG”). In 1989 he graduated from Moscow Aviation Institute with an honored diploma of engineering and systems technician.
At Mikoyan Design Bureau Alexander performed numerous flight tests of MiG-29M, MiG-29K, MiG-31B, MiG-31M prototypes. By flying MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-27, MiG-29, MiG-31 he executed abundance testing of fighters’ weapons systems and experimental missiles. He was the leading test pilot with the MiG-31M anti-satellite program for shooting orbital space targets – in July 1991 Alexander executed the successful final result of this program. On August 13th, 1991 he performed the very 1st test flight of the experimental MiG-29M prototype, which later became the “MiG-OVT” thrust-vectoring technologies demonstrator.
Alexander has been performing many MiG-29, MiG-31, Su-24, Su-27, Su-30, IL-78 flight demonstrations all over the world for more than 15 years. With distinction he performed numerous MiG-29 aerobatic displays in the USA and Canada during the Airshow Friendship Tour in 1991.
On December 12, 1991 Alexander became a Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He then presented several reports at SETP symposiums, i.e. on the dates: September 25, 1993 at Beverly Hills (CA, USA) with Section Chairman Scott Crossfield; on May 3-6, 1995 at Luzern (Switzerland). During the period 1993-97 he arranged, conducted and flew in various types of planes within the foreign Test Pilot Schools joint programs – including: the US Navy and Air Force Test Pilot Schools, Great Britain Royal Test Pilot School, International Test Pilot School, France Test Pilot School.
In 1994 Alexander was assigned to the M.M.Gromov Flight Research Institute (“LII”). For another 7 years there he headed Test Pilot Division № 1, which was involved in the wide range of the most complicated, critical and complex flight test tasks related to the aerodynamic and structural characteristics of various aircraft types, the powerplants characteristics and the enhancement of combat capabilities and reliability. Also contributed abundance research flights on “Flying laboratories”: on the Su-27LL for developing experimental control systems, on the MiG-25LL experimental supersonic ejections on the MiG-25LL, several flight experiments for air crash investigations. He participated the Yak-130 prototype flight tests, performed the Su-30 extra-long ferry flights (over 10-11+ hours flight time) with numerous air refueling events all over the Earth regions — from Polar areas to Tropics. Alexander flew a lot as a Leader-instructor with military pilots of Russian Air Force: trained them to perform the low-speed dog-fighting maneuvers at critical angle of attack, stall and spin, many international ferry flights and airshow displays.
On January 15, 1998 Alexander Garnaev was awarded with the Gold Star – the Russia’s top award “Hero of Russia” State rank. On September 21, 2002 he was granted with the State title “Honored Test Pilot of the Russian Federation”. In 2002 Alexander successfully obtained his doctorate degree at the Postgraduate School of the Russian National Academy of State Service.
Since 2002 and for another 19 years he then flew various long-range airliners, business-jets as airline pilot, captain – being certified with both RF and USA FAA Airline Transport Pilot Licenses.
Alexander’s flight experience lasted for more than 40 years and includes over than 70 mastered aircraft types, prototypes and modifications. He finally retired from flying in 2021.
6 (six) Alexander’s children continue Garnaevs’ family glory.
☝️“… then presented several reports at SETP symposiums, i.e. on the dates: September 25, 1993 at Beverly Hills (CA, USA) with Section Chairman Scott Crossfield…”©️
☝️“… then presented several reports at SETP symposiums, i.e. on the dates: … on May 3-6, 1995 at Luzern (Switzerland)”©️