Country works to improve record despite funding problems (410 words)

Published: 8/22/2000

The visit of Stuart Matthews, President of the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), to Russia last week marks a gradual recovery of the image of the Russian air transport sector as having a poor safety record. Visiting Russia at the invitation of Valery Shelkonikov, President of the Russian Flight Safety Partnership, Matthews commented that 'Up to 90% of accident statistics that I was shown by my Russian colleagues are similar to those in the West' and 'the types of accident are the same as well: approach /landing accidents and controlled flight into terrain'. For much of the nineties Russia has been struggling with the issue of flight safety after a disastrous record of crashes and incidents in the early part of the decade, gaining the country a notoriety that resulted in the US State Department advising US citizens not to fly in Russia. The subsequent years have seen a marked improvement in safety as the FSVT particularly has tightened and enforced regulations resulting in a dramatic decline in accidents. During his visit Matthews met with some of the key figures in Russian air transport including Alexander Neradko, the newly appointed First Deputy Minister of Transport and head of newly formed State Civil Aviation Authority, Eugeny Shaposhnikov, Adviser to Russian President on aerospace, Rudolph Teymurazov, Deputy Chairman Interstate Aviation Committee (MAKS) and Dr. Vyacheslav Bakaev, Director Gromov Flight Research Institute. Visiting the Gromov Flight Research Institute based at Zhukovsky outside Moscow, Matthews was shown some of the Russian safety developments including methods to prevent and recover aircraft from stall, as well developments designed to reduce pilot error, which the institute says could significantly lower accidents resulting such a cause. According to its Director Vyacheslav Bakaev, the Gromov Research Institute is 'very keen to establish contacts with leading aerospace companies and is ready to make its test facilities available for joint development of flight safety systems and methodologies' adding that 'we are hopeful that FSF will be helpful in making world aerospace leaders aware of our institution'. Despite having its funding being heavily reduced in the nineties, in common with most of the country's aviation institutes, as Russia's leading test institute Gromov has managed to keep its facilities in tact. The problems of funding however, despite recent changes in government, remain acute. Matthews will visit Uzbekistan this week to present the FSF safety award to Alexander Ruzmetov, President of Uzbekistan Airlines.

Article ID: 2017