BERIEV Aircraft Company prepares pilots of Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations for the operation of the Be-200 amphibious aircraft.

Dear Sirs!

On March 18, 2003 a big group of the pilots and engineering and maintenance personal of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situation started training in operating the Be-200ChS amphibious aircraft.

The group of 14 pilots, navigators and flight-engineers is headed by R.F. Zakirov, the chief of the aviation agency of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situation, and V.A. Drobinskyi, the chief of the aviation service of the Federal State Unitary Aviation Enterprise of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situation. Besides, the amphibious aircraft will be studied by 22 specialists of the aviation-engineering service of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations.

The training takes place in Taganrog at the base of the hydroaviatian training centre of BERIEV Aircraft Company. The program of the theoretical training is planned to last for one month, then the practical mastering of the Be-200ES will begin.

Today the serial production of the aircraft is carried out by the Scientific and Production corporation "IRKUT". Till the end of this year, two serial aircraft are planned to be delivered to the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations. The rest of the Be-200ES aircraft are expected to be delivered to the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations till the end of 2005.

Factory test pilots from Irkutsk have already been trained for the operation of the Be-200. On March 18, 2003 a solo flight was performed by test-pilot of "IRKUT" L.G. Smelyi and flight engineer S.S. Khoroshikh, who will test the serially-produced aircraft in future.