“I love to go home”: Minsker of the year – about the profession of a flight operator and life outside the sky

Flight operator of the aviation detachment Alexander Kovalenok became Minsk citizen of the year in the field of transport and communications. He told the correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency about flights on Boeing 747 and Il-76, unusual cargoes, love of cooking and a special feeling of returning home.

The path of our hero is very exciting and sometimes unpredictable. Alexander was born and raised in Minsk – and not just in the capital, but in the very center of the city, on Moskovskaya Street near the station. After school, he entered the school, and then served in the missile forces. Returning from the army, he decided to get an engineering education - and it was during this period that he became seriously interested in aviation.

- I have been thinking a lot about what I want my future career to be. I wanted it to be connected with adventure, modern technology and large scale. Then I decided to connect my life with airplanes. In parallel with his studies as an engineer, he began to work as a flight attendant. Later, fate connected me with the airline "Transaviaexport". In 1994, I retrained as a flight operator and began to fly cargo IL-76 — and immediately realized that this is my vocation, — said Kovalenok.

For 30 years, Transaviaexport has been delivering goods between countries. Almost as much as Alexander is part of a big team. The air fleet of the company consists of Il-76TD aircraft and a cargo version of the Boeing-747-300, acquired in ownership over the past ten years. It was our hero who was one of the first in the civil aviation of Belarus who successfully passed additional professional retraining on new types of aircraft and received special permission to work on them, including on the Boeing 747.

- I flew the Il-76 for about twenty years, and then a cargo Boeing-747 appeared in Belarus. My colleagues and I were sent to the United Arab Emirates, we retrained and continued to work in our company, only on two types of ships: Il-76 and Boeing-747.

Before sending cargo ships require careful preparation, accurate calculation and execution of all necessary documents. In order for the plane to take off in the air, many people are involved. A. Kovalenok is one of them.

- My work begins long before takeoff - sometimes weeks or months before the flight departs. For the flight operator, each flight is a complex mathematical and engineering task, the expert said. - I am responsible for centering, mooring, selection of materials and equipment. There are no trifles in aviation, and the safety of the crew and the vessel directly depends on the accuracy of my calculations. This is a huge responsibility that I carry every day.

In Alexander’s practice, there were incredibly large cargoes, emergency humanitarian supplies, and even transportation of animals. In some cases, human lives are at stake, so speed is especially important.

- We have also worked under the world’s largest humanitarian organizations, such as the World Food Programme, the Red Cross, the United Nations and others. They took off urgently if there was a tsunami or other emergency somewhere, participated in the delivery of goods, Kovalenok said.

There were some really unusual tasks. For about ten years, specialists delivered goods by the method of parachute-free drop. Today, this practice is reminiscent of films and documentary materials devoted to such operations. The cargo was dropped from a low height - about 200 m - directly to the ground, where it was then taken by people.

Kovalenok recalls his very first flight on a Boeing 747 as if it was yesterday. The plane was leaving Azerbaijan. The impressive views behind the window and the sense of scale of the new aircraft are especially remembered.

The status of “Minskan of the Year” was a complete surprise for Alexander. His main distinguishing feature is innovation – the desire to look for new, modern solutions.

- There were such specific flights when I went to some country a few days before departure, to prepare everything in advance. We had to figure out on the spot how the work will go, what and where we will load, what conditions await us. We had to think through a lot in advance, because then, when the plane has already arrived, there is almost no time for revision. I have always been interested in learning new things, introducing modern ways of working, looking for opportunities to make the usual process more convenient and effective. Therefore, I often try to look wider, offer my options. Sometimes it was necessary to make unconventional decisions, to take responsibility in unforeseen situations. But it was always a delicate, calibrated calculation, where flight safety was unconditionally in the first place, Kovalenok said.

But, despite all the difficulties, Alexander is always grateful for his work for the opportunity to travel, learn about the world, meet people with different mentalities and help. And for the special feeling of coming home.

- I love going back to my native Minsk. From any business trip, no matter what distant countries I am in, when the plane is heading for Belarus, my heart freezes. All the fatigue disappears, because my beloved family is waiting for me at home, my main support and rear. I am a professional at work, but the happiest moments are when I hug my relatives after a long separation, the source said.

Among the hobbies is the love of cooking. Alexander even took culinary courses and during business trips prepared dishes for colleagues.

- I like cooking. I love cooking meat, salads, gravy. I love being in the kitchen and experimenting with recipes. On business trips, I sometimes pamper colleagues, and at home I always try to prepare something special for my wife and loved ones. For me, cooking is another way to show care for those who are dear to me, the hero explained.

Previously, the interlocutor was fond of gaming sports: football, handball, basketball. Over time, we had to move away from active games to avoid injuries. Work as a flight operator requires a careful attitude to their health - once a year, representatives of this profession pass a medical commission and confirm admission to flights.

Today A. Kovalenka is 56 years old. His life experience, courage and dedication to the profession became part of the path that eventually led him to the title of Minsk of the Year. Our hero sincerely thanks the management and staff of Transaviaexport and is sure that nothing in life happens for nothing.

Photo by Sergei Lukashov