Gorelovo

59°45'58"N 030°04'47"E

runway: 09/27 - 2500x60m/8,202x..ft - concrete/asphalt
runway: 03/21 - 1100x60m/8,202x..ft - concrete/asphalt (CLOSED)

Gorelovo airfield (Russian: Горелово аэродром, or Air Base Gorelovo, ICAO: n/a) is an airfield just outside and south of St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad).
The airfield was built in 1937 as a fighter base for the 19th Independent Fighter Regiment (Russian: 19-й отдельный истребительный полк).
It became operational at the airfield in Jan 1939 upon their return from the Spanish civil war.
In November 1939 the Regiment defended the northwestern borders of the country and Leningrad, performing 3412 sorties.
On 11 April 1940, the regiment was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for their excellent performance of assigned tasks during the fighting on the Karelian Isthmus during the Winter War.
The regiment flew several aircraft during the Second World War.
I-16, I-153 and MiG-3 fighters were all used at some time.
By 1941 it was flying the MiG-3 and LaGG-3 fighters, logging 3145 sorties, 415 air battles and the destruction of 116 enemy aircraft.
The regiment and the base lost 30 pilots and 57 aircraft during that time.
In February 1942 the Regiment left the airbase for operations elsewhere on the front.


No photos of the airfield before 2000 have been located


After World War II the airfield was upgraded to accept jet fighters.
In July 1957 nine regiments IAD participated in celebration of the 250th anniversary of Leningrad.
From Kubinka Air Base near Moscow, air parade participants relocated to Gorelovo.
MiG-19 with suspended fuel tanks (the inhabitants of Leningrad took them for torpedos) performed a ceremonial flight along Nevsky Prospekt from the direction of Moscow railway station.
The airbase was abandoned by the Soviet Air Force in 1960 and became a aircraft repair facility.
By the 1990s it was becoming a storage facility for about 100 disused Mi-8 helicopters.
While Russian sources claim it still is, it was also used to store things like containers and lorry trailers between 2006 and 2007.





Gorelovo airfield in 2002, with helicopters and other aircraft spread all around the airfield and dispersals (Google Earth)





Gorelovo airfield in 2006, with trucks and containers parked on the north side of the disused runway (Google Earth)





Gorelovo airfield in 2007, with trucks and containers parked on the western parking area (Google Earth)





Gorelovo airfield in 2009, with only the hulks of helicopters on a parking area on the east side of the airfield (Google Earth)


Right now, it is now also being used by a local flight school.
Operating since 2010, it offers training for both single and twin engined aircraft.
The flight school operates from a small platform on the west side of the airfield, along with a few An-2s, a pair of L-410s, a Piper Cheyenne and a Diamond Distar.
A local club of enthousiasts is trying to restore Il-14 RA-0543G to airworthy condition.
Most of the former base is freely accessible.





A partially overgrown taxitrack in 2011 (View at Fotki.yandex.ru - Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках).





Shot down the runway in 2011 (View at Fotki.yandex.ru - Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках).





Gorelovo airfield in 2011, with civilian aircraft on the west parking of the airfield (Google Earth)





The IL-14P that is currently under restoration by some Gorelovo enthousiasts. The cyrilllic title above the windows says 'Soviet Union'.
It would appear that Aeroflot is not too keen on a full period Aeroflot colourscheme (tushinec.ru).





Two Let L410s, an Antonov An-2 "Colt' and a Diamond Distar on the west platform near the flight school in May 2011.