A former military airfield Veshchevo. Airport" Vyborg "

 abandoned / shut down, former air force base

Military strategic airfield «Veshchevo», the largest military transport airfield north-west Russia (the former in / h 61849, 66 APIB). The area of the airfield: 789.49 ha. Built during the dawn of the Cold War (1960 - 1970 g.).

Probably the most expensive and extensive military construction the Leningrad Region. Highway M - 10 E - 18 "Scandinavia" was designed and built with the ability to use it as a replacement of GDP for the airport. In the field passing the road in the vicinity of the «Veshchev» There are 3 special area (roadbed perfectly direct and unusually wide), which is well visible the naked eye. Numerous eyewitnesses recall as warplanes passed on these sites is reduced, and simulated landing, then went to the airport. After disbanding «Veshchev» the idea of using the route as a takeoff - landing strip had become irrelevant, and later nekotroe time, "landing" sections have been installed lighting poles, making a landing impossible.

In 1980 - s «Veshchev» was handed over to the Baltic Fleet aviation as OMSHAP 66.
He has ceased to exist in the middle of 90 - ies of the last century. Originally based at the airfield aircraft MiG-17, 1974 - 1975, they were replaced by the MiG-21SMT, which, in turn, in the late 70 - ies changed Su-17M3 in the number of 45 - and units. Like all major military installations «Veshchev» have full autonomy and have the infrastructure (house officers, hostel, tea, etc.). In the immediate vicinity of the airport was a military town established «Veshchev».

The history of the airfield is closely associated with several, very, loud events, one of which had a wide resonance in the USSR:

1987, late August-early September ...
Near the location of the helicopter near Vyborg, on the rocks, was discovered a UFO, which had an external resemblance to a rocket Energia, sand-colored length of the 13th meters. The object was taken to a military airfield «Veshchev», where he then was taken by plane to the airfield aircraft "Monchegorsk", where he hid in the territory of the former fuel depot. After a week in Monchegorsk "arrived a special commission, tried to open the object using high-temperature metal cutting. After an unsuccessful attempt to object was placed in a camouflaged hangar in the airport. Later came specialists from Moscow, which opened the UFO by the ultrasonic scanning surface. Inside was found a small cabin, calculated on the two pilots. In the other compartments were unable to penetrate the object, the stern of the UFOs were extracted brilliant, of unknown purpose, the rods. After some time, an object which vykatili from the hangar to the study, before the eyes of all blew up (in this case occur at all RTAs).

1988, the 8th of March ...
Dixieland Seven Simeonov, which consisted of seven brothers Ovechkina of 8 - to 26 - years, was considered one of the business cards of Irkutsk. The whole country was admired not so much, however, musical talents of brothers, but the very fact: seven simple kids suburb of "workplace" stick to the plot, doyat cows - and travel around the world. The brothers, meanwhile, had already been assured that in the West, they will certainly become millionaires. In autumn 1987 - the first "Seven Simeonov, along with the Irkutsk delegation was in the Japanese city - Kanazawa sister. There, they met them unknown American producers, who promised Ovechkina record in London on multimillion-dollar stock discs with their compositions. Total - and it should have been - to get to the U.S. Embassy. Prevented the accident - they were not able to catch a taxi. But in March, traveling on a tour to Leningrad (brothers followed his mother and sisters, only 11 people), have prepared the bomb and bleed. Hidden in the case of instruments carried on board the Tu-154, following the route: Irkutsk - Barrow - Leningrad. In the ship were 170 people. Gunpoint, and a bomb with which they had intended to blow up the plane, the terrorists demanded from the crew to change course and fly to London. Pilots managed to convince the hijackers that for such a long flight the aircraft needed refueling. Aircraft put on a military airfield «Veshchev», Ovechkina explaining that this is Finland (at the gate of one (do not have time) of aircraft hangars specially marked "AIR FORSE). But, seeing some soldiers in the Soviet GDP form, the terrorists realized that they were deceived. In rage they shot hostess Tamara warm, which, incidentally, was scheduled to start living together with the senior from Simeon - Basil. At that time, the seizure group (special MUP) arrived by plane at benzozapravschike and broke into the cabin through the cockpit and the rear, opened fire. During the storming of the brothers, having decided to commit suicide, a bomb exploded. From the blast killed one of the brothers shot the other older brother, was shot dead before the mother, which led the hijacking of aircraft, after which, shot himself. In the living were only 28 - year old Olga Ovechkina and 17 - year-old Igor Ovechkin. When the assault of 3 hostages killed, 35 wounded. The plane burned.

Later, this tragic episode was used as the basis for the storyline of Russian film "Mother" ...

In 1993 - 1994, it was decided to disband in / h 61849, «Veshchev». It was a heavy blow to the military and their families, for those who spent their best years to become a mother despite everything airport ...
After the departure of the military airfield «Veshchev» immediately attracted the attention of the Government of the Leningrad Region. A project which involved the conversion of a military airfield to a civilian cargo airport (OJSC "Airport" Vyborg "). Through it planned" to handle "up to 450 thousand tons of cargo a year. There were plans to provide the northern transatlantic route or the Russian" northern delivery " . The total amount of investment required is estimated at $ 160 million, and payback period - 5 years.
But the project failed, and state-owned enterprise, it was decided to privatize. Much of the property is already sold out, except the runway (in part, without the plates), and taxiways. Since July 31, 2002 decision of the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region declared the company bankrupt, opened bankruptcy proceedings. Currently, accounts payable OJSC "Airport" Vyborg, 100% owned by government-owned area of over 30 million rubles. Estimated cost grounds takeoff - landing strip is 78 million rubles in 2000 prices process of searching for an investor inhibits the fact that the plan for privatization of the airport, at the time, was drawn to violations of existing legislation: the runway and some other property has been declared as a plot of land. In fact, this facility, that is, the airport property. Not interested in the land and construction investors, explaining that the fact that, for example, the cottage village is not built, because the place is not in demand. So far, only the Russian Automobile Federation commented that this is the place to come to the ring road races, but the investor does not have such a project.

Despite the fact that the north-west of Leningrad Oblast, in the border areas of Finland, there is no airport, can take even legkomotornuyu Aviation, a former military airfield "Veshchev" and now OJSC "Airport" Viborg ", was removed from the list of alternative Airports ...
anavigator.narod.ru / expedizii.htm # 2
www.avia.ru/forum/8/8/9167790496672662240081131024088_1 ...