Mikhail Vasilyevich Kozlov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Kozlov (; 5 November 1928 3 June 1973) was a Soviet test pilot who received the title Hero of the Soviet Union and Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR for his work. As the co-pilot on the maiden flight of the Tu-144, he was one of very few pilots to fly the Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic airliner, and was given the honor of flying it at the Paris Airshow in 1973. However, his career as a pilot was cut short because he died when the Tu-144 crashed at the Paris Airshow; the causes of the crash remain disputed. Early life Kozlov was born on 5 November 1928 to a Russian family in Yezhevo village. He entered the military in 1946 and the following year he graduated from the Tambov Military Aviation School of Pilots. After graduating from the Kirovabad Military Aviation School of Pilots in 1951, he worked as a flight instructor, and in 1953 he became a member of the Communist Party. In 1955 he entered test pilot school, graduating in 1957. Test pilot work After graduating from test pilot school he began working for the Tupolev Design Bureau. There, he tested a variety of aircraft, including flying