Seleznyovo

60°44'20"N 028°36'36"E

Runway: n/a - ...meters/...feet - concrete

Seleznyovo airfield (russian: Селезнев аэродром, finnish: Suur-Merijoen lentokentällä, also known as Vyborg airfield/Выборг аэродром/Viipuri lentokentällä) was an airfield 130 kilometer northwest of St. Petersburg.
The airfield was built before 1938, because that was the year it was photographed during the 20th anniversary of the Finnish liberation of Vyborg.
Presumably it was built in 1937, the year in which Aero Oy (now Finnair) started a land plane service between Helsinki-Malmi and Viipuri.


The airfields reconstruction probably began soon after, but it was never finished because of the Russian-Finnish war.





Finnish Marshal Mannerheim on air parade at Suur-Merijoen airfield, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the liberation of Vyborg in 1938 (uusisuomi.fi).


Instead the unfinished airfield became the basis for a flying school around 1950.
The history of the flying school began in August 1948 when the commander of Naval Aviation in Kaliningrad established an aircraft mechanic school.
In 1952 the school formed the 66th Naval Aviation Technical School at the abandoned airstrip, 14 kilometers from the town of Vyborg.
The school was intended to train Naval Aviation technical officers.





The flightline of the school in 1970, showing an Mi-2 "Hoplite", an Mi-1 "Hare, and several An-2 "Colt" biplanes (abandonedplaces.livejournal.com).


Sometime after the collapse of the Soviete Union the airfield was abandoned.
Natalia Belotelova visited the airfield in July 2011 and reported there was noone to be seen.
With the exception of a single Mi-8 none of the aircraft and helicopters at the field appeared to be in an airworthy condition.





Natalia in front of the only seemingly airworthy Mi-8 on the airfield in July 2011 (Natalia Belotelova)





only some of the abandoned helicopters at the airfield in 2011 (Natalia Belotelova)





Vyborg airfield in 2006 (Google Earth)


Наталья, пожалуйста, свяжитесь со мной, чтобы мы могли обсудить использование ваших фотографий на заброшенных аэродромов.