Russian Mi-8AMT Wins Mil Cup Race

A Russian-made Mi-8AMT helicopter belonging to the Vertical-T air company and representing Russian Helicopters has won the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant Cup race from Moscow to Gelendzhik in southern Russia. The competition was held on September 4-5, 2012 as part of the opening of the ninth international Gidroaviasalon exhibition.

Seven teams took part, flying machines made by Mil, Robinson, Bell, Alouette and Gazelle.

The awards ceremony took place on September 6, 2012 at the Beriev testing base, with prizes awarded by Russian Minister for Industry and Trade Denis Manturov.

The winning team in the Mi-8AMT was captained by Viktor Pavlyukov. Second place went to a Bell 407 captained by Maxim Sotnikov, while third place was taken by a Robinson R44 under the command of Alexander Kurylev.

"The Mi-8AMT was the undisputed leader throughout the event, while competition between the remaining competitors was hard-fought and intense," says chief judge Alexander Solodnikov. "The difference between crews was just a matter of minutes, and sometimes only seconds - no-one wanted to yield an inch in demonstrating their professionalism and flying skills."

Each stage of the event contained its own set of challenges. The first navigation stage, running for 520km from Moscow to Voronezh, saw the teams complete tasks designed to test their navigation skills. The outstanding competitor here was Alexander Kurylev in the Robinson R44, who reached the given coordinates fastest and most precisely.

The second rated stage (510km from Voronezh to Rostov-on-Don) was a test of control, with the teams having to arrive at the finishing point precisely at a given time, or pick up penalty points. This section was won by R66 pilot Dmitry Rakitsky.

The third, sprint stage, from Rostov-on-Don to Krasnodar (220km) was taken by the Bell 407 of Maxim Sotnikov. During the final 250km stage from Krasnodar to Gelendzhik, the crews showcased their group flying skills. The race ended with the winning Mi-8AMT crossing the finishing line.