Who says Russians aren’t adept at capitalism? Where some visitors see only old dilapidated airfields, savvy Russians, knowing the popularity of extreme sports, foresee the city’s next parachuting or skydiving spot. As a result, aeronautics, aerostatics, airplane and helicopter piloting and parachuting fields have sprung up around Moscow to attract New Russians and foreigners looking for a new adventure. The investment has paid off: the city’s airfields are often jammed with crowds eager to defy gravity.

The equipment used by Moscow’s flying schools and clubs is far from new and the only way to determine its reliability is to check its safety record. So far, no accidents have been reported.

The Russian operators are, however, taking no chances with lawsuits. They require that all participants sign a ‘no-claims statement,’ surrendering the right to take any legal action against the club in the case of getting injured as a result of carelessness, lack of caution or coincidence. As for ‘coincidence,’ it leaves a lot of freedom for interpretation.

Pleasure flights on a helicopter
If you want to fly above Moscow, we would advise you to try an air taxi. The ‘Aero-Taxi Service’ offers an observation flight above Moscow on comfortable MI-8 helicopters. The company offers 15-minute flights around the Tushino airfield, over the southern part of Moscow and around the Ostankino television tower (300 rubles for adults and 200 rubles for children aged up to 12). The 35-minute flight around the Moscow Ring Road at 150 meters is more expensive – 900 rubles for adults and 500 rubles for children. These longer flights are temporarily all booked out.

In addition to observation flights over Moscow, ‘Aero-Taxi Service’ offers medium-haul flights: "The most popular destination is the Seliger Lake health resort. A one way ticket is $1,400 and the flight takes 100 minutes.

Parachute Jumping
If you are looking for an adrenaline rush, then stop by at the Third Moscow City Air Club. The club, which uses a specially equipped airfield located near the town of Volosovo (40 km from the Moscow Ring Road), has highly-skilled instructors and is reputed as the leading parachute jumping club in Russia. Former world champion parachutist Natalia Sergeeva and astronaut Svetlana Savitskaya took their first lessons at this club.

Training sessions are held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning from 10 a.m. and last from 90 minutes to 4 hours. You can make your first parachute jump on the same day. The choice includes four varieties – classical paratrooper, tandem, static-line and accelerated free fall. A classical paratrooper jump is 400 rubles (including a month’s insurance); subsequent jumps (while insurance is valid) are 300 rubles. The other varieties are $100 each.

A classical paratrooper jump is made from an An-2 airplane at a height of 800 meters with a standard military parachute prepared and folded-up by an instructor. The most popular and safest, especially for beginners, however, is tandem jumping. The participant jumps with an instructor, from an MI-8 helicopter at a height of 3,500 meters. The jump includes 40 seconds of free fall.

"The static line jump is made from the height of 1,200 meters with a special wing-shaped parachute," leading specialist of the club Tamara Yegorkina said. "A wing-shaped parachute is more maneuverable than an ordinary one and, what is more important, is designed to ensure a comfortable landing.

"The accelerated free fall is a technique that gives the fullest impression of the parachute sport. The jump is made solo, from a height of at least 3,000 meters and involves at least 40 seconds of free fall. Two experienced instructors accompany you on the jump and provide assistance during separation from the airplane and during free fall. In my opinion, this is one of the safest jumps," Yegorkina said.

static-line, accelerated free fall and tandem jumps are made with special parachutes equipped with the ‘cypres safety system,’ which is very reliable. Specialists say that the widespread fear ‘what if it does not open’ is absolutely unnecessary.

Many young women were among the parachute jumpers at Volosovo. Asked what attracted her to the sport, Yekaterina Tsvetkova, 21, a student at the Moscow Sociology University replied, "Parachute jumping is not just a shot of adrenaline, it is a philosophy. It helps acquire an understanding of such concepts as birth, life and death."

After you have tried parachute jumping you can proceed with learning to pilot gliders, para-gliders and hang-gliders. ‘Deltaplan’ club, operating under the umbrella of the Moscow Aviation Institute, organizes such flights at Zhukovka, in the Moscow region (Ilyinskoye Shosse, not far from the tennis center). A 15-minute tandem flight on a glider or hang-glider with an instructor will cost you $6.

Balloon Flights

The ‘Avgur’ and ‘Aeronats’ clubs have their balloon flight bases within only 45 kilometers of Moscow, near the town of Istra. ‘Avgur’ offers balloon flights for groups of four for $350 for the first two hours and $150 for each hour in excess of that. ‘Aeronats’ offers flights for groups of 2-3 people for $400 per hour. Reservations should be made five days in advance. Insiders say enjoyment will strongly depend on the weather and wind direction.

The same clubs offer training courses in balloon navigation and issue internationally recognized licenses to graduates. A 14-day individual course at ‘Avgur’ costs $2,000. In a group of six, the fee runs $1,200 per person. Your international license will not be valid outside Russia unless you have a balloon navigation record of above 50 hours. ‘Aeronats’ offers a 72-hour training course that includes 10 hours of practical training for groups of two. The course is $1,800.

How to become a pilot

After parachute jumping and balloon flights, the next step is mastering the art of airplane and helicopter piloting. There are quite a few clubs offering training in aircraft and helicopter piloting for both Russians and foreigners. Most issue international amateur pilot licenses to graduates. It is quite a problem to reach these clubs by telephone and their secretaries leave a lot to be desired. Be prepared to call repeatedly and receive nerving replies like ‘please call tomorrow.’

But sooner or later, with patience and perseverance, you will get through and fulfill your long-standing dream of becoming a pilot. Prices do not differ very much — most clubs charge about $4,500 for an elementary course and $7,000 — $8,000 for a comprehensive course that takes 4 months.

The Second Moscow City Air Club operates a chain of airfields located in Pakhomovo (Simferopol Shosse, 130 km from Moscow), Dubrovitsy (near the town of Podolsk, Moscow region) and Telegino (near the town of Elets, Lipetsk region). Current rental rates are 80 rubles/min (Yak-52 aircraft), 100 rubles/min (MI-2 helicopter), 50 rubles/min (glider) and 100 rubles/min (aerobatics). These rates strongly depend on the situation in the local fuel market.

Chaika Club offers individual training in flying sport aircraft, namely Yak-18T, Yak-52, Cessna and Il-103. Its training base is located at the Maychkovo airfield, 18 kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road — one of the closest to Moscow. Besides training, the club offers pleasure flights costing anywhere from 15 to 100 rubles.

OKB Sukhoi Air Club operates under the umbrella of the famous Sukhoi Aircraft Design Bureau. Its airfield is located 170 km from Moscow, near the city of Tula. Pleasure flights (30 minutes) are available for $29 — $43 (glider) or $95 — $300 (airplane).

In addition to parachute jumping, the Third Moscow City Air Club (Volosovo airfield) offers the so-called try-your-hand-at-piloting flights, which cost $100 per hour (An-2 aircraft) or $200 per hour (MI-2 helicopter). If you like it, you can take a full course and get an international amateur pilot license.

What is required for one to go in for air sports?
• You have to be at least 16 years-old and have a healthy heart (able to cope with huge rushes of adrenaline).
• You have to take a comprehensive instruction from a specialist (a briefing would be enough for a glider or balloon flight).
• If you decide on serious training, you will need to pass a medical check-up.