Petro Balabuyev


Petro Vasylovych Balabuyev was a Ukrainian aircraft designer, engineer, Doctor of Engineering, professor, chief designer of the Antonov Design Bureau, Hero of Socialist Labour and a Hero of Ukraine, head of Kiev-based Antonov Aircraft for almost 20 years.

Biography

Petro Balabuyev was born on 23 May 1931, on a Valuysk farm in the Luhansk region. He graduated from the Kharkov Aviation Institute in 1954 with qualifications of an aircraft mechanical engineer.
In April 1954, after graduating from Kharkiv Aviation Institute, he started working at the Kharkov aircraft company:
Under his guidance the following aircraft were developed: Antonov An-22, Antonov An-72, An-74, Antonov An-32, Antonov An-28, Antonov An-124, Antonov An-225 Mriya . Among recent developments are the Antonov An-140 and Antonov An-148, Antonov An-38 and Antonov An-70.
Other positions taken by Petro Balabuyev:
Balabuyev was the author of over 100 scientific papers. He developed scientific bases of design and practical implementation of supercritical wing profiles into the design of heavy transport aircraft.
Petro Balabuyev died on May 17, 2007, in Kiev.

Awards and honours

Soviet and Russian

In 2001, he was awarded the Edward Warner Award.