Early Life and Military Beginnings
Fyodor Ivanovich Burtsev was born on June 27, 1923, in the village of Kazaki, now in the Kimovsk district of the Tula region. From 1932, he lived in Moscow. In 1940, he graduated from the Lenin Aeroclub in Moscow, marking the start of his aviation career.
He joined the army in 1940. In 1941, he graduated from the Borisoglebsk Higher Aviation School of Pilots, where he served as a pilot-instructor until 1942. Subsequently, from 1942, he was a pilot-instructor at the Higher Officer School of Air Combat in Lyubertsy.
Great Patriotic War Pilot
Burtsev was an active participant in the Great Patriotic War. Between September and October 1943, he served as a pilot in the 32nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment on the Bryansk Front. From October to November 1943, he was a pilot in the 111th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment on the 1st Ukrainian Front.
Later, from August to September 1944, he flew with the 322nd Fighter Aviation Regiment on the 3rd Belorussian Front. During this period, he completed 57 combat missions and engaged in 17 air battles, shooting down 3 enemy aircraft.
Distinguished Test Pilot and Leader
Until 1948, Burtsev continued his role as a pilot-instructor at the Higher Officer School of Air Combat. He participated in troop trials of the MiG-9 and Yak-15. In 1950, he graduated from the Test Pilot School, commencing a prolific career at the Flight Research Institute (LII) from May 1950 to July 1979.
He performed the first flight and conducted tests of the I-1 (I-370) on February 16, 1955. He carried out a vast amount of flight research in aerodynamics on aircraft such as the MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, E-4, E-5, E-6, and MiG-21. He also tested experimental engines on the Tu-4LL and Tu-16LL, and participated in flight tests of automatic landing systems on the Il-18, MiG-15, MiG-19, Tu-104, Tu-124, and Yak-25, in addition to tests of the KS (1951-1953), I-75F, and SM-2 (1953).
From 1974 to 1988, Fyodor Burtsev served as the head of the Test Pilot School. He retired from service in April 1980. He passed away on May 4, 2003, and was buried in Moscow, at the Danilovsky Cemetery.