Mykola Melnyk

Mykola Melnyk
Born	(1953-12-17)December 17, 1953 Stavysche, Kiev Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died	28 July 2013(2013-07-28) (aged 59) Alicante, Spain
Allegiance	Soviet Union Ukraine
Battles / wars	Chernobyl disaster relief operation
Awards
Other work	test pilot, aerial firefighting pilot

Mykola Mykolayovych Melnyk (Template:Lang-uk; December 17, 1953 - July 28, 2013), also known as Nikolai Melnik (Template:Lang-ru) is a Ukrainian (previously Soviet) pilot and liquidator hero renowned for his high-risk helicopter mission on the dangerously-radioactive Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant building immediately after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

For this operation, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

External image
Mykola Melnyk in 2005
[1]

Early life

Mykola Melnyk was born and grew up in the town of Stavyshche in the Kyiv Oblast of Ukrainian SSR, which is now Ukraine. Upon his school graduation, Melnyk worked as a sports coach, and later as a telephone station technician in Stavyshche, later moving to Zaporizhia for a construction job. In 1972-74 he served his conscript service in the Soviet Armed Forces.

Pilot career

In 1979 Melnyk graduated from the Civil Aviation Pilot School (KLUGA) in Kremenchuk and began working as a civilian helicopter pilot in different cities. Later he continued his education at the Kremenchuk Department of the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute and the Civil Aviation Academy in Leningrad. After graduation from the special test pilot school in 1984, Melnyk worked as a test pilot, particularly for the Kamov helicopter design bureau in Feodosiya.

Chernobyl Liquidator mission

After the April 1986 Chernobyl disaster, Melnyk was directed to work in the cleanup operations. Lethal levels of radiation created after the Reactor #4 fire prevented ground liquidator teams from most operations on the roof of the power plant building. However, helicopters could reach and leave the area above the building within seconds, thus inflicting less health damage to the personnel on board. They were employed to cover building openings with sandbags and lead slabs, install necessary equipment, commence aerial photography and atmospheric radioactive contamination monitoring.

External image
Mykola Melnyk in his helicopter cockpit during the "Operation "Igla" in 1986;
[2]

External image
Aerial photo of the reactor building during the "Operation "Igla"
[3]

Melnyk, among others, was assigned to such missions as an experienced civilian helicopter pilot. He flew 46 sorties over the reactor building, for a combined total duration of 52 hours. The most important of those sorties was the so-called "Operation Igla" (Operation Needle), the June 19, 1986 installation of a giant 18-meter-long radiation probe on top of the building by means of a precision drop from the Kamov coaxial rotor helicopter. This operation was described as dropping a "needle" into a precise spot; it was considered especially difficult. When Melnyk successfully completed the operation during a training exercise in Moscow, the observers broke into applause. Melnyk did not know the purpose of the training, however, until several days later when he flew to Kiev to undertake the actual mission. It took three attempts to insert the "needle" into the actual reactor. The first attempt was foiled by a frozen crust above the target; Melnyk succeeded on the third try.

According to the "Remembrance Book" by the Chornobyl Museum, Mykola Melnyk participated in the Liquidator operations on site of the disaster from May 20, 1986 until September 9, 1986. In 1994, he underwent two surgeries related to health problems attributed to his radiation exposure.

Subsequent aviation career

Upon return from Chernobyl mission, Mykola Melnyk continued his work as a test pilot at the Kamov helicopter testing center in Feodosiya. In independent Ukraine, the facility was reorganized as a separate Feodosiya Kamov Research and Production Enterpise "Vertolit" (Феодосійське науково-виробниче об'єднання "Вертоліт" імені Камова).

Some time after the fall of the Soviet Union, Mykola Melnyk co-founded a cargo airline in Kiev. Company operated Antonov An-24 airplanes and Kamov helicopters as a subcontractor for DHL and United Parcel Service. However, Melnyk gradually became disappointed with the business, citing lack of sustainable demand for his helicopter specialization.

In 1995, Spanish airline Helicopteros del Sureste approached the partners for help with purchase of Soviet-made helicopters. Melnyk used the opportunity to move to Alicante (Spain), where he became contracted as a pilot and instructor specializing in Soviet-designed helicopters with the Helicopteros del Sureste. He since trained at least 25 local pilots. He also has worked in aerial firefighting. As of 2006, Mykola Melnyk had 13,400 recorded flight hours.

Recognition and awards

Soviet awards

Mykola Melnyk was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued on October 6, 1987 for his "courage, heroism and self-sacrifice displayed during liquidation of the Chernobyl NPP accident consequences". Later he was also decorated with the Soviet Order of Lenin for the same deeds.

International awards

In 1990, as part of its "Salute to Excellence" awards program, the Helicopter Association International honored Mykola Melnyk with its Igor I. Sikorsky Award for Humanitarian Service. The Sikorsky award is presented annually to one or more persons "who best demonstrate(s) the value of civil rotorcraft to society by saving lives, protecting property, and aiding those in distress". The award to Melnyk recognized his efforts as a Chernobyl liquidator. The award committee specified that Melnyk was recognized as a representative of "all the valiant aircrews who participated in relief efforts following the Chernobyl nuclear power station accident".

In Spain Melnyk received a royal award for aerial firefighting.