The time a West German teenager flew a plane to Red Square
Posted: Thu May 04, 2023 3:05 pm
This morning there was news item that last night two drones attacked the Kremlin. The Russians accuse the Ukrainians of an assassination attempt against Putin. The Ukrainians deny involvement.
This thread is not about discussing that incident.
This morning on NPR, a journalist observed that this is not the first time that an unauthorized flight made it to Red Square. In 1987, an amateur, inexperienced West German teenager named Mathias Rust flew a Cessna from Finland and attempted to land in Red Square. He landed on a nearby bridge instead and was arrested.
I remember that incident and seeing it on the news as a child. The incident sparked a shake-up in the Soviet Air Force as Gorbachov fired leadership that had permitted a teen to fly through supposedly impenetrable Soviet airspace and replace them with individuals more sympathetic to his reform agenda and conciliatory moves with the West.
It's a really crazy story. Rust has apparently had mental health issues and other brushes with the law since then.
This thread is not about discussing that incident.
This morning on NPR, a journalist observed that this is not the first time that an unauthorized flight made it to Red Square. In 1987, an amateur, inexperienced West German teenager named Mathias Rust flew a Cessna from Finland and attempted to land in Red Square. He landed on a nearby bridge instead and was arrested.
I remember that incident and seeing it on the news as a child. The incident sparked a shake-up in the Soviet Air Force as Gorbachov fired leadership that had permitted a teen to fly through supposedly impenetrable Soviet airspace and replace them with individuals more sympathetic to his reform agenda and conciliatory moves with the West.
It's a really crazy story. Rust has apparently had mental health issues and other brushes with the law since then.