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MIG Pilot: The Final Escape of Lt. Belenko
To be a MIG pilot in Russia is to be as close to heaven as communism allows. Millions are spent on your training. And nothing is too lavish for your living. Lt Viktor Belenko was a MIG-25 pilot - one of Russia's elite warriors and the supreme expression of the ideal communist man. Or so everyone believed.
Thwn on September 6, 1976, while on a routine training flight, Lt. Belenko veered off course - and embarked on an incredible escape, an unforgiveable betrayal of his nation, and a daring and torturous personal journey of hope and courage.
MIG PILOT is the thrilling true story of how Russia's greatest air military secret was stolen and delivered right into America's lap. But it's more - it's the fascinating life story of a peasant's son who grew up to possess every luxury and honor Russia can bestow. And who threw it all away for one desperate chance to possess a dream. The American Dream.
Thwn on September 6, 1976, while on a routine training flight, Lt. Belenko veered off course - and embarked on an incredible escape, an unforgiveable betrayal of his nation, and a daring and torturous personal journey of hope and courage.
MIG PILOT is the thrilling true story of how Russia's greatest air military secret was stolen and delivered right into America's lap. But it's more - it's the fascinating life story of a peasant's son who grew up to possess every luxury and honor Russia can bestow. And who threw it all away for one desperate chance to possess a dream. The American Dream.
222 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
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734 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
November 22, 2013
I first read this book in the Spring of 1985 while a Junior at Warren Central High School. Up to this point, having watched the nightly news since about age 8, I was scared to death of the Soviet Union. After reading the book, I FEARED for the Russians and Eastern Communists countries, realizing Russia was simply a 3rd world country with a bomb, and their own people pushed to cynicism about Communism. One of my favorite lines is where Belenko speaks of his days working in the tank factory, and the Communist Party Members coming to preach their propaganda about how one day the USSR would achieve perfect communism, to which his co-workers mumbled, "Yeah, and one day the tanks will make themselves!"
I realized Russia and all of Eastern Europe was on a far deadlier course for a bloody revolution as the people were tiring of the oppression. From that point on, instead of fearing the USSR, I prayed for the freedom of Russians and people oppressed in the Eastern block. I prayed for a freedom that would be "free" of bloodshed.
When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, I was shocked because I thought this would only happen when I was an "old man" not a man of his 20's. I also realized my prayers had been answered. Now while I don't like Putin or the regime in charge, it seems in many ways, my own country is in greater danger of becoming like the former Soviet Union with the intrusion of Progressives and their 50% of the 1% in charge in DC right now. All our "free trade" has made us more like China, than China like us.
So now I fear more for American freedom, as I watch Russia, even with its challenges having more common sense in their Government than ours has currently. Appears I never had to worry about "Red Dawn" from without, but rather within.
If you want to see the failures of an Oligarchical State that our Republic has almost fully become than read this BOOK! I remember picking it up and not being able to put it down until I had read the entire book. I was 16 going on 17 back then, and it was the first book I ever read from cover to cover without putting down. It is that good!
I realized Russia and all of Eastern Europe was on a far deadlier course for a bloody revolution as the people were tiring of the oppression. From that point on, instead of fearing the USSR, I prayed for the freedom of Russians and people oppressed in the Eastern block. I prayed for a freedom that would be "free" of bloodshed.
When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, I was shocked because I thought this would only happen when I was an "old man" not a man of his 20's. I also realized my prayers had been answered. Now while I don't like Putin or the regime in charge, it seems in many ways, my own country is in greater danger of becoming like the former Soviet Union with the intrusion of Progressives and their 50% of the 1% in charge in DC right now. All our "free trade" has made us more like China, than China like us.
So now I fear more for American freedom, as I watch Russia, even with its challenges having more common sense in their Government than ours has currently. Appears I never had to worry about "Red Dawn" from without, but rather within.
If you want to see the failures of an Oligarchical State that our Republic has almost fully become than read this BOOK! I remember picking it up and not being able to put it down until I had read the entire book. I was 16 going on 17 back then, and it was the first book I ever read from cover to cover without putting down. It is that good!
March 31, 2023
The courageous and inspirational story of Soviet Air Force Lt. Viktor I. Belenko, who gave up up prestigious and privileged life as a MiG pilot and risked everything out of an unquenchable thirst for freedom. And through his defection, Viktor Ivanovich gave the U.S. military and intelligence communities an invaluable gift, an aviation goldmine known as the MiG-25 Foxbat. Highly recommended reading.
Not only does the book give a fascinating detailed description of the MiG-25's strengths and weaknesses (something for which I have an additional appreciation thanks to my up-close-and-personal look at the Foxbats displayed at Al Asad Airbase's "MiG Graveyard," which I have discussed at length in a separate thread on the Open Source Roundtable), but a damning description of the pathetic lies and contradictions that were fed to Viktor Ivanovich and his fellow Soviet military officers by the KGB propaganda machine.
It's worth noting that Lt. Belenko made his defection to the U.S. in 1976, a year of relative economic doldrums in this country (that's the year Jimmy freakin' Carter was elected, for crying out loud), yet he still marvelled at our nation's prosperity, and at how ordinary middle- and working-class Americans could easily afford quality goods and services that would have been expensive luxuries to Soviet MiG pilots....something that the whiny, ingrateful Occupy Wall Street neo-hippies in our society would be well-advised to ponder.
28 FEB 2023 UPDATE: an even more enjoyable, insightful, and thought-provoking read the second time around!
Not only does the book give a fascinating detailed description of the MiG-25's strengths and weaknesses (something for which I have an additional appreciation thanks to my up-close-and-personal look at the Foxbats displayed at Al Asad Airbase's "MiG Graveyard," which I have discussed at length in a separate thread on the Open Source Roundtable), but a damning description of the pathetic lies and contradictions that were fed to Viktor Ivanovich and his fellow Soviet military officers by the KGB propaganda machine.
It's worth noting that Lt. Belenko made his defection to the U.S. in 1976, a year of relative economic doldrums in this country (that's the year Jimmy freakin' Carter was elected, for crying out loud), yet he still marvelled at our nation's prosperity, and at how ordinary middle- and working-class Americans could easily afford quality goods and services that would have been expensive luxuries to Soviet MiG pilots....something that the whiny, ingrateful Occupy Wall Street neo-hippies in our society would be well-advised to ponder.
28 FEB 2023 UPDATE: an even more enjoyable, insightful, and thought-provoking read the second time around!
December 18, 2008
This book was an eye opening journey into the life of what my life would be like under a socialistic rule. I'm getting ready to be a pilot and I can't even imagine what he had to go through to be a pilot in the Soviet Union. I wish we all could read this book in order to understand the dangers of socialism and why we should avoid any steps toward socialism with all the fervor we can. I'm grateful for Lt. Belenko for being brave enough to stand up to a system he knew was corrupt. It would be awesome to meet him and thank him for what he's done. Thank you Sherri for recommending this amazing book to me!
March 14, 2022
Wow ….. what an engrossing book.
So much better than I expected.
Victor Belenko, despite hardships and privations of his youth he fought his way up to become a Pilot, an elite of the society, of the Soviet armed force.
A long the way he saw lies and corruptions, inhuman treatments of the citizenry and soldiery by Party.
He grew resentful and upon collapse of his marriage he brought his MiG 25 to Japan and Free world.
This is his story.
Writing is perfect and you will never get bore reading it.
So much better than I expected.
Victor Belenko, despite hardships and privations of his youth he fought his way up to become a Pilot, an elite of the society, of the Soviet armed force.
A long the way he saw lies and corruptions, inhuman treatments of the citizenry and soldiery by Party.
He grew resentful and upon collapse of his marriage he brought his MiG 25 to Japan and Free world.
This is his story.
Writing is perfect and you will never get bore reading it.
March 14, 2015
I surprise myself that I actually like this book. It was rather difficult to overcome the culture differences, but the theme of the book was well thought out and well written. It wasn't until about halfway through the book that I des covered this was a true story. Which made me like it all the more (good books are always more exiting when they are true stories).
I am very much impressed by this mans character and work ethic. Even beyond his charisma and bravery, I believe he should be commended for his determination to make his own life meaningful and worth living. I admire that!
I am very much impressed by this mans character and work ethic. Even beyond his charisma and bravery, I believe he should be commended for his determination to make his own life meaningful and worth living. I admire that!
May 13, 2013
In this true story from the Cold War, Soviet pilot Lt. Viktor Belenko, on a routine training mission in 1976, veers off course and heads for Japan in his MiG 25 Foxbat. This book tells the story along two vectors; the human interest story of the man and the technology story of the plane.
As a pilot of the Soviet Union's newest interceptor, Lt. Belenko was one of the Soviet military's elite. Pampered and given every special treatment communism allowed, what would drive such a man to deliver himself and one of his country's top weapons into enemy hands? How would he find life in the West compared to home?
Little was known about the MiG 25 at the time. Fleeting glimpses on radar screens of an unknown aircraft traveling at alarming speeds had raised alarms at NATO. Had the Soviets made a giant leap in technology? Had the West's strategic planning just been rendered obsolete? Suddenly the mystery aircraft was in their hands and available for dissection. What would be revealed was astonishing.
This book is a must read for the insight it provides into a Cold War that many alive today can't remember or never experienced.
As a pilot of the Soviet Union's newest interceptor, Lt. Belenko was one of the Soviet military's elite. Pampered and given every special treatment communism allowed, what would drive such a man to deliver himself and one of his country's top weapons into enemy hands? How would he find life in the West compared to home?
Little was known about the MiG 25 at the time. Fleeting glimpses on radar screens of an unknown aircraft traveling at alarming speeds had raised alarms at NATO. Had the Soviets made a giant leap in technology? Had the West's strategic planning just been rendered obsolete? Suddenly the mystery aircraft was in their hands and available for dissection. What would be revealed was astonishing.
This book is a must read for the insight it provides into a Cold War that many alive today can't remember or never experienced.
December 19, 2016
Už ani nevím, jak se mi to dostalo na to-read list, ale bylo to skvělé a všem bych to vřele doporučila.
Viktor Bělenko se narodil roku 1947 v tehdejším SSSR. Z nuzných podmínek se dostal až na pozici armádního pilota, ale ač se mu na tamní poměry vůbec nežilo zle, žily v něm již delší dobu pochybnosti týkající se režimu. Nacházel nesrovnalosti a nesmysly v projevech strany. Nechápal, proč země není schopna připravit se na žně a vždy je tak třeba povolat na pole všechny včetně pilotů, přičemž i tak spousta úrody přijde vniveč. Štvalo ho, že většina lidí strašně chlastá a není tak schopna dostatečně konat svou práci. Jeho pochybnosti nakonec dospěly do takového stádia, že se v roce 1976 rozhodl, že jednoho dne při vhodných podmínkách odletí do blízkého Japonska. Navíc se pokusí svůj Mig-25 dopravit nepoškozený, aby ho Japonci mohli prozkoumat, protože SSSR se povedlo kolem tohoto letadla vytvořit iluzi špičkového stroje.
Viktor Bělenko se narodil roku 1947 v tehdejším SSSR. Z nuzných podmínek se dostal až na pozici armádního pilota, ale ač se mu na tamní poměry vůbec nežilo zle, žily v něm již delší dobu pochybnosti týkající se režimu. Nacházel nesrovnalosti a nesmysly v projevech strany. Nechápal, proč země není schopna připravit se na žně a vždy je tak třeba povolat na pole všechny včetně pilotů, přičemž i tak spousta úrody přijde vniveč. Štvalo ho, že většina lidí strašně chlastá a není tak schopna dostatečně konat svou práci. Jeho pochybnosti nakonec dospěly do takového stádia, že se v roce 1976 rozhodl, že jednoho dne při vhodných podmínkách odletí do blízkého Japonska. Navíc se pokusí svůj Mig-25 dopravit nepoškozený, aby ho Japonci mohli prozkoumat, protože SSSR se povedlo kolem tohoto letadla vytvořit iluzi špičkového stroje.
September 24, 2015
A must-read for everbody who hasn´t experienced life in a communism. Sadly, I did...
January 14, 2022
MIG Pilot : The Final Escape of Lt Belenko (1980) by John Barron with Viktor Belenko tells the story of the 1976 defection of Viktor Belenko with his MIG-25 to Japan. If the phrase ‘Must Think in Russian’ means anything to you then this book of interest. It’s clearly the basis for the book Firefox and the 1982 film starring Clint Eastwood.
No doubt the book is full of propaganda but as someone with Eastern European relatives what Belenko says about the USSR checks out. The USSR was poor in the 1950s and 1960s. In parts it was really poor. Belenko grew up in a broken home and food was clearly scarce for him as it was for many people around him. Belenko’s father had been in WWII but even as a veteran was not at all comfortable. Belenko was clearly a very smart, hard working guy and managed to become a pilot.
The stories of what a MIG-25 squadron was like are amusing. The MIG-25 used 500 litres of pure alcohol for each 70 minutes of flight. This meant that the squadrons had a huge amount of high quality pure alcohol which were, apparently, abused. The Soviet airforce nicknamed the plane the flying restaurant. Generals would go to the bases and fill their bottles.
The plane itself was remarkable in that it was capable of flying to Mach 3 and intercepting an aircraft. But it had huge, heavy, thirsty engines and could not turn. It was built to intercept the US Valkyrie bomber that wasn’t actually built. It also stopped the US from using the SR-71 over the USSR.
The story of Belenko’s actual defection flight is pretty quick. There wasn’t too much too it. He was lucky and got to Japan before his fuel ran out. The story after is interesting with the US and Japanese getting all the information they could from him but also giving him a lifelong pension.
Belenko is still alive and became an aerospace engineer. It would be great to hear an interview with him.
MIG Pilot is worth a read for anyone interested in Cold War aviation. It’s an easy and interesting read.
No doubt the book is full of propaganda but as someone with Eastern European relatives what Belenko says about the USSR checks out. The USSR was poor in the 1950s and 1960s. In parts it was really poor. Belenko grew up in a broken home and food was clearly scarce for him as it was for many people around him. Belenko’s father had been in WWII but even as a veteran was not at all comfortable. Belenko was clearly a very smart, hard working guy and managed to become a pilot.
The stories of what a MIG-25 squadron was like are amusing. The MIG-25 used 500 litres of pure alcohol for each 70 minutes of flight. This meant that the squadrons had a huge amount of high quality pure alcohol which were, apparently, abused. The Soviet airforce nicknamed the plane the flying restaurant. Generals would go to the bases and fill their bottles.
The plane itself was remarkable in that it was capable of flying to Mach 3 and intercepting an aircraft. But it had huge, heavy, thirsty engines and could not turn. It was built to intercept the US Valkyrie bomber that wasn’t actually built. It also stopped the US from using the SR-71 over the USSR.
The story of Belenko’s actual defection flight is pretty quick. There wasn’t too much too it. He was lucky and got to Japan before his fuel ran out. The story after is interesting with the US and Japanese getting all the information they could from him but also giving him a lifelong pension.
Belenko is still alive and became an aerospace engineer. It would be great to hear an interview with him.
MIG Pilot is worth a read for anyone interested in Cold War aviation. It’s an easy and interesting read.
September 11, 2022
Extremely interesting read of a Soviet pilot's courage in the face of adversity, and adjustment to life within the USA afterwards.
March 12, 2022
The intriguing story of Viktor Belenko, a man who made a very tough choice.
To begin with, we learn a little of Belenko's past. Born in the Soviet Union in 1947, Belenko recounts life in the USSR. Which generally from his experience, was fraught with constant shortages, basic items essentially being state-rationed. Cars were a rarity, mostly reserved for upper officials or the well connected.
Belenko came from a working family. He mentions how there is a shortage of food, yet the few new tractors delivered to farms go unused; the owners either ignorant of their potential. It becomes clear that he is seeing a problem, an underlying problem. Complacency and ignorance leading to failure. In the case of the tractors, so much work would be possible in a much shorter time, allowing for increased food production, but the tractors would sit unused while the work was done with animal and human labor at a snails pace. Having to wait in line to go into a store, where the shelves are nearly bare of food. Belenko is an intelligent man, he could see that there was something wrong.
Still he dreamed, he wanted to achieve. His intellect and talent allowed him to be selected as a MIG pilot. This is not something that was easy to do. With this came special privileges, afforded as a result of status as a Soviet MIG pilot. Belenko was given an apartment in a brand new apartment building. He walked in and could not believe his eyes, electrical wall outlets, a nice window, a small kitchen, etc. However as he started to look beyond the cosmetic, he discovered that the outlets were not wired, the window was jammed from being poorly installed, and the entire building was unstable; the result of a corrupt system. The contractor had sold the good building materials and replaced them with a poor grade. Belenko noticed the walls, ceiling, and floor buckling and bending, accompanied with disquieting pops and creaks.
He discovered that things were little better in the military; something he was aghast at. The MIG fuel was precious, it could not be wasted as it was not easy to refine. But officers wishing to falsify flight hours would forge paperwork, and then to show the fuel had been consumed, dump it from storage tanks. He also found out the maintenance crew was drinking the alcohol needed to maintain the jet. And the most maddening of all? No one seemed to care. For a patriotic young man like Belenko, it was a shocking reality.
It led to him questioning the narrative that had been drilled into him all his life, that the west was out to crush the USSR.
Belenko made the hardest decision of his life, but the only one he could make. He chose to fly his jet a top of the line MIG-25, to Japan and surrender it knowing the United States would take possession of it.
Belenko was whisked away to the US, where he was put under protection. He explained that he wanted to remain in the US. He was given a new identity, and placed into what essentially amounts to a witness protection type of program. He was now a farm hand, but he blew his cover to the farmer by his skills in a crop duster. He discovers that America is truly a land of both opportunity and a land of plenty. For the first time in his life he walks into a grocery store, only to find that there are no lines despite the fact the shelves are fully stocked. That there are cars all over the place, and that people have the right to free speech.
It is an interesting book, in part for the author's recollections of life in the USSR, and for his candor at what he witnessed and experienced there.
To begin with, we learn a little of Belenko's past. Born in the Soviet Union in 1947, Belenko recounts life in the USSR. Which generally from his experience, was fraught with constant shortages, basic items essentially being state-rationed. Cars were a rarity, mostly reserved for upper officials or the well connected.
Belenko came from a working family. He mentions how there is a shortage of food, yet the few new tractors delivered to farms go unused; the owners either ignorant of their potential. It becomes clear that he is seeing a problem, an underlying problem. Complacency and ignorance leading to failure. In the case of the tractors, so much work would be possible in a much shorter time, allowing for increased food production, but the tractors would sit unused while the work was done with animal and human labor at a snails pace. Having to wait in line to go into a store, where the shelves are nearly bare of food. Belenko is an intelligent man, he could see that there was something wrong.
Still he dreamed, he wanted to achieve. His intellect and talent allowed him to be selected as a MIG pilot. This is not something that was easy to do. With this came special privileges, afforded as a result of status as a Soviet MIG pilot. Belenko was given an apartment in a brand new apartment building. He walked in and could not believe his eyes, electrical wall outlets, a nice window, a small kitchen, etc. However as he started to look beyond the cosmetic, he discovered that the outlets were not wired, the window was jammed from being poorly installed, and the entire building was unstable; the result of a corrupt system. The contractor had sold the good building materials and replaced them with a poor grade. Belenko noticed the walls, ceiling, and floor buckling and bending, accompanied with disquieting pops and creaks.
He discovered that things were little better in the military; something he was aghast at. The MIG fuel was precious, it could not be wasted as it was not easy to refine. But officers wishing to falsify flight hours would forge paperwork, and then to show the fuel had been consumed, dump it from storage tanks. He also found out the maintenance crew was drinking the alcohol needed to maintain the jet. And the most maddening of all? No one seemed to care. For a patriotic young man like Belenko, it was a shocking reality.
It led to him questioning the narrative that had been drilled into him all his life, that the west was out to crush the USSR.
Belenko made the hardest decision of his life, but the only one he could make. He chose to fly his jet a top of the line MIG-25, to Japan and surrender it knowing the United States would take possession of it.
Belenko was whisked away to the US, where he was put under protection. He explained that he wanted to remain in the US. He was given a new identity, and placed into what essentially amounts to a witness protection type of program. He was now a farm hand, but he blew his cover to the farmer by his skills in a crop duster. He discovers that America is truly a land of both opportunity and a land of plenty. For the first time in his life he walks into a grocery store, only to find that there are no lines despite the fact the shelves are fully stocked. That there are cars all over the place, and that people have the right to free speech.
It is an interesting book, in part for the author's recollections of life in the USSR, and for his candor at what he witnessed and experienced there.
April 7, 2010
This book is like the fore runner to the great non-fiction works that I'm currently reading. It was originally written in 1980 and has a great voice. Telling a very first person account but without using the first person. I found that I liked this detached aspect of the book.
I would say that the most difficult part of the story is remembering that once Russia was thought of totally differently. It's hard to imagine what those times were like. It's incredible to realize that the cold war didn't end until the falling of the Berlin wall. Something that I remember vividly.
Reading about the lies and lies and LIES that are told to every Russian is amazing. And even thought most of them know they are lies, they tell them to each other and to their children. The subject, Lt. Belenko decided he was tired of the lies and wanted out. The ironic thing was htat once he got to the U.S. he didn't believe anything he saw! He thought all the food, and the clean stores and the roads were there just to fool him. Those Russians sure do brainwash their citizens! (or should I say "comrades"?)
This was a quick read and a good insight on the Russian mentality, strategies and tactics of the 1970's.
I would say that the most difficult part of the story is remembering that once Russia was thought of totally differently. It's hard to imagine what those times were like. It's incredible to realize that the cold war didn't end until the falling of the Berlin wall. Something that I remember vividly.
Reading about the lies and lies and LIES that are told to every Russian is amazing. And even thought most of them know they are lies, they tell them to each other and to their children. The subject, Lt. Belenko decided he was tired of the lies and wanted out. The ironic thing was htat once he got to the U.S. he didn't believe anything he saw! He thought all the food, and the clean stores and the roads were there just to fool him. Those Russians sure do brainwash their citizens! (or should I say "comrades"?)
This was a quick read and a good insight on the Russian mentality, strategies and tactics of the 1970's.
September 17, 2016
A real-life Cold-War tale...
Being born the year he defected and raised his first few years in the States, this was a story I never knew had happened. That said, I'm glad that Mr. Barron had the opportunity to write this tale and get it published for posterity sake.
Lt. Belenko's story illustrates exactly the cruelty and harshness that Cold-War Russia was under. We see him struggle with the frustration in facing the control and restriction of the Soviet party and how many of the people that were not the party elite lived in hopelessness. There are many accounts in Viktor Belenko's life that would leave me with the same sense of desperation to break away and escape.
In short, it's a good book and a quick read and was really quite entertaining when it got to the misadventures after arriving in the States.
Being born the year he defected and raised his first few years in the States, this was a story I never knew had happened. That said, I'm glad that Mr. Barron had the opportunity to write this tale and get it published for posterity sake.
Lt. Belenko's story illustrates exactly the cruelty and harshness that Cold-War Russia was under. We see him struggle with the frustration in facing the control and restriction of the Soviet party and how many of the people that were not the party elite lived in hopelessness. There are many accounts in Viktor Belenko's life that would leave me with the same sense of desperation to break away and escape.
In short, it's a good book and a quick read and was really quite entertaining when it got to the misadventures after arriving in the States.
March 9, 2021
Настолько увлекательная клюква, что прочитал за ночь в один заход.
Начинается всё с историй про голодное детство, переходит к историям про разруху и нерациональность (на моменте с танковым заводом стало больно от антипаттернов в организации производства), а после уже начинаются занимательные истории про армейский пофигизм и раздолбайство. И всё это привело к побегу и разбору самолета по гайкам японцами.
Отдельный момент - описание реакций советских официальных лиц / сми и их попыток пилота убедить вернуться на родину. Вроде ТАК ГЛУПО выглядит, но пропагандистские приемы особо не изменились.
Было бы прикольно посмотреть экранизацию. Получилось бы что-то между "Калашниковым" и "Шпионским мостом", мне кажется.
Начинается всё с историй про голодное детство, переходит к историям про разруху и нерациональность (на моменте с танковым заводом стало больно от антипаттернов в организации производства), а после уже начинаются занимательные истории про армейский пофигизм и раздолбайство. И всё это привело к побегу и разбору самолета по гайкам японцами.
Отдельный момент - описание реакций советских официальных лиц / сми и их попыток пилота убедить вернуться на родину. Вроде ТАК ГЛУПО выглядит, но пропагандистские приемы особо не изменились.
Было бы прикольно посмотреть экранизацию. Получилось бы что-то между "Калашниковым" и "Шпионским мостом", мне кажется.
November 17, 2025
John Barron's focused biography of Viktor Belenko is everything a nonfiction book should be. The book is filled with drama, introspection, honesty, and insight. It's educational without being pedantic, and does more to shine a light on socialism than any other book of its size. If you read MIG Pilot, you'll understand the "Cold War" in a whole new way.
When Flight Lieutenant Belenko defected from the Soviet Union in a stolen MiG-25 jet fighter on September 6, 1976, it wasn't on a whim. This gripping account is Belenko's backstory. Ambitiously, it also provides context for the whole defector phenomenon, which too few people remember nowadays.
When Flight Lieutenant Belenko defected from the Soviet Union in a stolen MiG-25 jet fighter on September 6, 1976, it wasn't on a whim. This gripping account is Belenko's backstory. Ambitiously, it also provides context for the whole defector phenomenon, which too few people remember nowadays.
February 4, 2011
I love this story--kid born in poverty, abondoned by parents, not much to hope for under Soviet rule. But he is easily inspired (namely by Saint-Exupéry and the romance of flight), and Belenko's life quest is to one day enjoy the freedom of the skies and to become the ultimate New Soviet Man. I'm convinced that if we could approach challenges--or even what seem to be insurmountable limitation--we could be the next Jack Wheeler, if wanted. Also inspiring: though Belenko had obtained his dream of becoming a MiG pilote and New Soviet Man, he was not blind in his loyalty to the Soviet Union.
(Three stars for the writing, five for the story.)
(Three stars for the writing, five for the story.)
August 2, 2012
The story follows Belenko, poster-boy of a New Communist, from his childhood to his escape in one of Russia's prize fighters. I love this book. It's funny, suspenseful, and very real. From spraying trees green, drinking jet fuel, listening to illicit guitar music, and watching your ceiling slowly collapse, this book is a never-ending source of amusement but also an education in Cold War era Soviet life. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Russian culture, Soviet-American relations, the Cold War, the workings of aircraft or fighter pilots, biographies, or if you just plain enjoy a good story.
March 29, 2014
I read this book when the Cold War was boiling over in the mid 80s. I was just starting high school. At the time, it affirmed the idea that everything good was in the West and everything bad was in the East. Soon after, my worldview would become much more nuanced. However, I recall the book was pro-USA without becoming jingoistic. There were even some critiques at the excesses of our society. It's a great biographical tale that had stayed in my memory after three decades. What Viktor Belenko liked about the West can be universally appreciated. Additionally, what caused him to question propaganda can be applied to every society.
January 7, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. It was a glimpse into a world so crazy I don't think I could have dreamed it up on my own. The Soviet Union was insane! It made me incredibly grateful for the freedom and prosperity we enjoy in the United States. It also got me thinking a lot about what motivates people and how to best solve economic inequalities. Apparently, communism isn't the answer.
Just a heads up-- the book ends way to abruptly. Prepare yourself for that, because otherwise it is quite frustrating.
Just a heads up-- the book ends way to abruptly. Prepare yourself for that, because otherwise it is quite frustrating.
February 16, 2015
I read this when I was a kid because I was into airplanes and war and stuff; I saw a jet on the cover and thought 'cool.' It really blew my mind because it was so harsh and crazy. The writing is really direct, I like that.
Belenko became a hero to me after reading this. Me, I'm just a soft, lazy, pencil-necked, nerd. I can't imagine being as tough and resourceful a man as he was.
I LOVE to lend this book out to people!!
Belenko became a hero to me after reading this. Me, I'm just a soft, lazy, pencil-necked, nerd. I can't imagine being as tough and resourceful a man as he was.
I LOVE to lend this book out to people!!
November 28, 2012
This is a fascinating true story of a boy raised in communist Russia to a top MiG pilot. He sees that communism doesn't work, makes a thrilling escape to the USA, but struggles to believe the freedoms of capitalism. I would recommend reading two books before this one to really grasp the full depth of this testimonial. Start with 1984 to see Orwell's predictions of communism and then read Yeager to follow the thrilling true story of top US pilot. Then this book completes the comparison.
June 21, 2017
This is written from an undeniably American perspective so there is room for debate among some of the qualitative assessments of life in the Soviet Union vs US that are portrayed. That said, Belenko's acute observations that fuel his skepticism of soviet propaganda are very clearly stated and add legitimacy. He has certainly lead a very interesting and brave life, the book itself is could-not-put-it-down fast paced.
January 17, 2017
Even though this book was published almost 40 years ago, it is based on a fascinating - and true - story. I found it very enlightening describing the pilot's youth growing up in communist Soviet Union and just how impoverished so much of the population truly was. And then upon his escape, it was fascinating to see his disbelief of things we take for granted every day in the U.S. A great read even now just to understand that period of time.
August 14, 2020
one of the best books on late soviet culture
August 10, 2021
I wish this were required reading in junior high and high schools. I met Belenko in college and spent hours learning about communism from his personal experiences. What a blessing that was.
September 3, 2021
Great story, well written. A scathing portrait of Soviet Russia; makes it clear why such a broken, corrupt system ultimately collapsed.
January 1, 2025
In 1976 Viktor Belenko piloted a top secret, '3.2 mach' MiG-25 Foxbat beyond Russia to land, skidding off the end of the runway at a commercial airport in Japan. Anyone recall the 1982 Clint Eastwood starring 'Firefox' movie in which a top secret USSR fighter is flown out of Russia? While the plane displayed the expected Russian engineering ingenuity, it was constructed of mostly of steel and weighed many more tons than the U.S. 'equal.' It burned fuel at an astronomical rate and could only be airborne for less than an hour. Instead of electronics it sported glass tubes, like the 1950's Black & White TV sets our parents had! Its radio was also limited to tiny range of frequencies so the pilot could speak only to the U.S.S.R. Air Force base, not other aircraft. The aircraft was so secret that it's most revolutionary parts were booby-trapped with dynamite-like bombs lest anyone try to examine them. Every Baby Boomer who lived through the war, the 'Cold War' of 1945 to 1991 between the Marxist communist U.S.S.R., (the Union of Soviet SOCIALIST Republics. Note the word "socialist"), and especially the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, where the world could have ended in a nuclear holocaust, must read this highly entertaining and enlightening biography. Note that during the crisis six plus decades ago, in my fourth grade at a Phoenix elementary school, we actually had rehearsals of, no, not diving under our desks, but of the entire school evacuating, with those of us who lived within walking distance being trotted home, accompanied by teachers, staff and volunteer parents. (This level of stress would have forever destroyed the psyches of every U.S. Millennial or GenZ's.) In 1969, Belenko, an Air Force pilot was quartered in squalor at a Soviet airbase, earning in U.S. equivalent dollars, about $45 a week, not owning a car and living in base supplied housing, which literally, was collapsing around, him because the contractors and inspectors had been paid off, usually with aircraft alcohol stolen from the base. The Russian ruble was worthless in international trade. The communists valued it at $1.20 per ruble, the rest of the world, at 15 cents.
Crime was rampant in every town with criminals holding up people in the street, demanding they strip, and then taking the clothes and selling them. Alcoholism was everywhere, for when Belenko, earlier had been employed in a tank factory they stopped working at noon and began drinking, which he usually abstained from. Every work day included at least two hours of political indoctrination with 100% lies about the West and the U.S. especially. There was also a political officer (usually a favored son of a high Kremlin official) on site to make certain everyone was towing the Marxist line. I know the book with its 45 year old cover seems like it would be dull reading, but I found it hard to put down. The U.S.S.R. dissolved in 1991, 74 years after it was founded in civil war. I'm assuming, Belenko, who, from 1976 on, had an awesome pension from the U.S. government, visited his homeland prior to his death in 2023.
Crime was rampant in every town with criminals holding up people in the street, demanding they strip, and then taking the clothes and selling them. Alcoholism was everywhere, for when Belenko, earlier had been employed in a tank factory they stopped working at noon and began drinking, which he usually abstained from. Every work day included at least two hours of political indoctrination with 100% lies about the West and the U.S. especially. There was also a political officer (usually a favored son of a high Kremlin official) on site to make certain everyone was towing the Marxist line. I know the book with its 45 year old cover seems like it would be dull reading, but I found it hard to put down. The U.S.S.R. dissolved in 1991, 74 years after it was founded in civil war. I'm assuming, Belenko, who, from 1976 on, had an awesome pension from the U.S. government, visited his homeland prior to his death in 2023.
February 15, 2020
An excellent account of the defection of Viktor Belenko with his MiG-25 Foxbat. I don't remember much about the event. But I understand it caused quite the international incident. It's a pretty straightforward telling of the events and what led up to them and it's easy to read.
The daily life struggles to survive in the Soviet Union told here are consistent with what I've heard from other people who grew up in the USSR and other Eastern Bloc countries. After hearing about the squalor and depravity that is endemic in those countries I can't understand how anyone could think that Communism is good for anything other than killing people unnecessarily. Everyone living there appears to understand that it's all a sham. The people pretend to work. The government pretends to care. And if you're lucky you have a little garden plot so you don't starve.
The hardcover was well formatted with no obvious spelling or grammatical errors. There are a couple of photos of Viktor and his MiG after it landed in Japan.
The daily life struggles to survive in the Soviet Union told here are consistent with what I've heard from other people who grew up in the USSR and other Eastern Bloc countries. After hearing about the squalor and depravity that is endemic in those countries I can't understand how anyone could think that Communism is good for anything other than killing people unnecessarily. Everyone living there appears to understand that it's all a sham. The people pretend to work. The government pretends to care. And if you're lucky you have a little garden plot so you don't starve.
The hardcover was well formatted with no obvious spelling or grammatical errors. There are a couple of photos of Viktor and his MiG after it landed in Japan.
May 19, 2019
Since it's summer, I'm trying to get all my non-fiction reads in and this book. Wow.
My favorite part was reading about Lt. Belenko's experiences in America. Misinformation (propaganda) mixed with the cultural differences between the defected pilot and the American guarding him made some of his experiences hilarious.
At the same time, it was almost heartbreaking what he had to go through. How bad does your experience have to be to make you react to things like that?
There was a lot of plane discussion that probably went over my head, but overall it was pretty easy to read for nonfic.
My favorite part was reading about Lt. Belenko's experiences in America. Misinformation (propaganda) mixed with the cultural differences between the defected pilot and the American guarding him made some of his experiences hilarious.
At the same time, it was almost heartbreaking what he had to go through. How bad does your experience have to be to make you react to things like that?
There was a lot of plane discussion that probably went over my head, but overall it was pretty easy to read for nonfic.
May 11, 2023
Found this paperback on my Mom's library shelf. Kind of amazing that I never heard of it or read it back when it first came out since I was fascinated by military planes and such as a teenager.
Not sure how much was the author's skill in interviewing Belenko vs. the desire of Belenko himself to let the world know what goes in USSR at that time, but it is a easy to understand, clear picture of the truth behind the propaganda that was the USSR for decades.
Not sure how much was the author's skill in interviewing Belenko vs. the desire of Belenko himself to let the world know what goes in USSR at that time, but it is a easy to understand, clear picture of the truth behind the propaganda that was the USSR for decades.
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