It’s hard to say what they’re called now. They used to be called “sky romantics”.
Scroll down to see more
Andrei Shapran
Small aircraft pilots have recently finished the summer-fall season in Novosibirsk, Russia.
Andrei Shapran
Almost all of them started their hobby in the 1970s-80s, a time when the Soviet school DOSAAF allowed practically everyone to fly.
Andrei Shapran
It’s hard to say what they’re called now. They used to be called “sky romantics”.
Andrei Shapran
The most passionate of them are still flying. For a city as large as Novosibirsk, there are, of course, incredibly few of them: about 30 in all.
Andrei Shapran
Thirty pilots, representatives of small aviation, take to the sky with more or less constancy.
Andrei Shapran
The image on the backdrop of the sunset seems surreal from the ground.
Andrei Shapran
It’s cold in the air. Pilots’ hands start to get numb and the land seems crimson in the setting sun’s rays.
Andrei Shapran
These pilots don’t ask themselves, “To fly or not to fly?” They fly in their free time and drag their old buddies and occasional guests to this vacant airfield.
Andrei Shapran
Each man decides for himself whether or not to fly in the winter.
Andrei Shapran
Most pilots lock up their aircraft, wings, and motors in the cold hangar until spring.
.jpg)
.jpg)
