Pravdinsk (air base)
| Pravdinsk | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: none – ICAO: none | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Operator | Russian Air Force | ||||||||||
| Location | Balakhna | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 253 ft / 77 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 56°31′18″N 043°28′48″E / 56.52167°N 43.48000°ECoordinates: 56°31′18″N 043°28′48″E / 56.52167°N 43.48000°E | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Pravdinsk Air Base was an air base in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia located 5 km northwest of Balakhna and 38 km northwest of Nizhny Novgorod (formerly Gorky). It was named after the nearby town of Pravdinsk which has since been annexed by Balakhna.
It is a small air base with a few taxiways and tarmacs. Google Earth high-resolution images show that airfield has been vacated by the military; only one small twin-engine prop plane is found.
Units that were stationed at Pravdinsk include 786 IAP (786th Interceptor Aviation Regiment) which had 5 MiG-25 aircraft in the 1970s and upgraded to 31 MiG-31 aircraft in the 1980s.[1]
In 2004, after five year of disuse, Pravdinsk Airfield (now more often referred to as Istomino Airfield (Аэродром Истомино), after the nearby village) saw an aircraft again. Now the airfield is used by Nizhny Novogord parachute sports enthusiasts, who praise it as an excellent drop zone.[2][3]
References
- ↑ "Aviatsiya PVO". Aviabaza KPOI.
- ↑ (We have opened for business!) (Nizhny Novgorod Parachute Sports Centre, 2004-Jun-15) (Russian)
- ↑ (The Drop Zone: How to get to Istomino Airfield) (Nizhny Novgorod Parachute Sports Centre, 2004-Nov-23) (Russian); directions, photo