Zinoviev
Based on a true story. With thanks to Lt. Colonel Boris Sanochkin. It was a crisp February day in 1967 and the air was ablaze with thundering kerosene. Captain Zinoviev allowed himself a satisfied chuckle as the wheels of the Mig 21-PMF lifted off the runway and the brutal 60 kilonewton thrust of its Tumansky R11F2S-300 engine pushed him into the backrest of his zero-altitude ejector seat. Many young boys grow up wanting to fly fighter jets. Few of them ever do. Fewer still get to fly brand spanking new ones. Fondly known as the Balalaika for its shape resembling a traditional Russian guitar, this aircraft was the pinnacle of Soviet aerospace technology. Zinoviev banked onto the planned heading and eased off the throttle as he approached the formation of other Migs. There were six of them altogether in Labour Banner Flight, and his call sign for the mission was Labour Banner Fiver. All of the aircraft were fresh off the production line in Lukhovitsy, just south of Moscow. He wondere