What Was The Soviet Approach to Fighter Pilot Training

The story of the Soviet Center for Combat Employment 1521 “Maryy” (Мары), which became the proving ground where Soviet fighter pilots would master and test their skills to become the best pilots in the world. Though different in some aspects, Soviet Air Base 1521 is often considered a Soviet analog to the US Navy TOPGUN School.

Chapters:
00:00 - TOP GUN
03:55 - BEER-BELLIED PILOTS
12:10 - CAUCASUS
24:53 - EXERCISE 500
31:24 - COGNAC STRIPES

Paper Skies - amazing stories about famous airplanes, historical events, or exceptional people that have changed the world of aviation or turned out to be unfairly forgotten.

All content on Paper Skies is presented in historical context for educational purposes.

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[JP]

"Honey melons the size of artillery shells"

Just in case anyone wasn't certain that this story took place in the USSR, the measurement scale is artillery shells lol

[Jack-jqif]

Would be lovely to see a video just about your father and his pilot career in the future

[TOBORtheMighty]

As an American kid that basically wore out his Top Gun VHS, it was lovely to hear stories from the other side of the curtain. Governments may bicker, but the people know: after chasing sunsets, one of life's simple joys, is playing with the boys.

Keep up the great work. I can't wait to binge more of your videos.

[mafiousbj]

It's insane for me seeing your home videos seeing how "old school" the clothing and video quality are yet the jet fighters look timelessly modern.

Those are some fine pieces of machinery

[MustardChannel]

Brilliant video. The research is bar none - but's the subtle jokes are such a great touch 👍

[easy_eight]

It's so interesting seeing a military YouTuber including his own childhood footage that is somehow related to an obscure topic of his own video

[Chrinik]

Seeing the old footage of your dad and yourself is really very wholesome. And it's kind of cool your dad was a fighterpilot

[pavelgalitsyn]

Большое спасибо за видео. Крайне интересный материал, поданный спокойно, незаангажированно и с нотками ностальгии - высший пилотаж. Почему я до сих пор был не подписан - загадка)

[legoeasycompany]

Love all the personal stories that ties in with the subject on hand. Must have been awesome to talk about your dad being a fighter pilot to all your friends/classmates. Also always loved nose arts and those ones were really cool to see as well

[cdbxuqy]

This is the level of quality that even the History channel in it's glory days would envy

[ethancampbell]

17:18 Oh, a F-4 FVS silhouette, that's an interesting choice.
The F-4 FVS was a proposal for a variable geometry wing (like the MiG-23 and F-14) version of the F-4 Phantom. It never left the drawing board.

[garykelley]

This is so interesting, seeing things 'from the other side' so to speak. We here in America hear all the time about American fighter evolution, and to a lesser extent some of the other NATO nations, but getting a glimpse into the Russian side is sparse. Thanks for this informative vid!

[unhelpfullmedic]

it makes me kinda sad some people don't like the accent, i think its wonderful and its even cooler as a person who gets most of his information form western creators to hear a Eastern Accent along with someone who is loves the history of there country. while not the most important aspect is just a really enjoyable characteristic of your content :)

[uiator]

What a fantastic and revealing video. I’m a former USAF pilot and knew nothing on the Soviet side of this story. Keep up the good work!

[thomasirwin]

Paper, it's good to see you posting again. I hope you and your family are doing well, and like the other commenters, I'd love to hear more about your father. He sounds like a great aviator, but even more, he sounds like an AMAZING father. This was a GREAT piece to watch, and my only complaint is that I couldn't turn it off when I should have been getting extra sleep while I'm on call.

[stejer]

The narration about the beer-bellied fighter pilots, that you then saw waddling away with their big asses had me in stitches! I didn't know this part of history, and thank you for making me laugh.

[jnb]

Man, those family archives are just priceless! Wow! Thank you sharing those with us!

[garrycollins]

I am a retired fighter pilot who flew during that era. As a graduate of and instructor at the US Air Force Fighter Weapons School (a more extensive course than the Navy Top Gun program) I really enjoyed this video.

[AnimarchyHistory]

Your fathers legacy lives on. Ukrainian Fulcrum pilots have proven that the MiG-29 is still a lethal platform in the hands of well trained dedicated aviators. If there is one thing the pilots of the (former) Soviet Union have proved, they are unmatched in their audacity. I can hear how proud of him you are, and rightfully so!

[JohnHill-qohb]

No matter what country's uniform a military person wears, we are all brothers in arms, politicians wage war, militarys fight them. If left to associate amongst themselves, I think great bonds and friendships would form, politicians keep getting in the way. Great video, very interesting, thank you.