Antonov legend celebrates 80th birthday

Volga-Dnepr Group is celebrating the 80^th birthday of Victor Tolmachev, the legendary chief designer of the An-124 ‘Ruslan’ and An-225 ‘Mriya’ transport aircraft, to mark his ‘outstanding contribution’ to the world of aviation.
Tolmachev continues to serve the industry as technical director of Volga-Dnepr and as an advisor to the group’s president, Alexey Isaikin.
He is a doctor of engineering science, a member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, and a member of the International Academy of Authors of Scientific Discoveries and Inventions.
His aviation career, spanning more than 50 years, began in 1959 when he graduated with high honours from the Kharkiv Aviation Institute and joined Antonov Design Bureau (now Antonov State Enterprise) in Kiev.
At Antonov, he participated in the development, creation and modification of almost every Antonov aircraft, such as the An-2, An-14, An-8, An-10, An-12, An-24, An-22, An-26, An-32 and An-28. 
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