Oleksandr Halunenko

Oleksandr Halunenko
Born	1946 Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine
Occupation(s)	Test pilot, politician
Years active	–2004 (piloting career)
Known for	Testing Antonov An-124 Ruslan and Antonov An-225 Mriya; Hero of Ukraine recipient

Oleksandr Vasylyovych Halunenko (Ukrainian: Олександр Васильович Галуненко) is a distinguished Ukrainian test pilot and Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR. He currently presides over the Ukrainian Federation of Aeronautical Sports, an organization affiliated with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Halunenko has been honored with the title of Hero of Ukraine for his exceptional contributions.

File:Antonov An-225 at Farnborough 1990 airshow (2).jpg

Antonov An-225 in 1990. On 11 September 2001, Oleksandr Halunenko’s crew established 214 national and 124 world records during a single flight aboard this aircraft

Halunenko’s reputation is closely tied to his role in testing prominent aircraft such as the Antonov An-124 Ruslan and the colossal Antonov An-225 Mriya.

He was awarded the prestigious Hero of Ukraine distinction after successfully executing a manual landing of the Antonov An-70’s second prototype in April 1997, following failures in its electronic flight control system during its maiden flight. After concluding his piloting career in 2004, he transitioned to politics and served one term in the Ukrainian parliament starting from 2006. Currently residing in Bucha, Ukraine, Halunenko endured the hardships of the battle of Bucha amid the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Awards

• Hero of Ukraine accompanied by the Order of the Gold Star (awarded August 21, 1999)
• Order of Merit (Ukraine) (conferred on September 20, 1997)

External links

• "Pilot Oleksandr Halunenko: Under the USSR, the government demonstrated greater responsibility toward the aviation sector", Glavred, 22 September 2016