Prisijungta: 1970 Sau 01 d., 03:00 Pranešimų: 4087
On February 5, 1919, during a battle with the Bolsheviks, the Lithuanians captured a Red Army Sopwith "1 1/2 Strutter," which became Lithuania's first combat plane, though it was not used until August 3, 1921. On September 21, 1928, during a flight avei Kaunas, the plane's engine caught fire. The pilot, Captain Leonardas Peseckas (1899-1976) and Lieutenant Kazys Šimkus (1905-1968) climbed out onto the wings, when Peseckas continuously shifted his weight about in order to maintain the plane's balance. He successfully landed the plane, and although he was severely burned managed to sea t his co-pilot's life and his own. In recognition of such a brave feat the President of the Republic of Lithuania bestowed the rank of major on L. Peseckas.
