Oleg Novitsky

Oleg Viktorovich Novitsky (Russian: Олег Викторович Новицкий; also tr. Novitskiy; born October 12, 1971) is a former Lieutenant Colonel in the Russian Air Force who logged over 700 hours of flight time and was awarded for bravery. He is currently serving as a Russian cosmonaut with Roscosmos and has participated in multiple expeditions, during which he has spent over 531 days in space. Novitsky was born on October 12, 1971, in Cherven, a Belarusian town of Minsk Region. He graduated from school No.2 in Cherven in 1988 and entered the Borisoglebsk Military Pilot School named after V. Chkalov.

In 1994 he graduated from the Kachinskoye Military Pilot School named after A. Myasnikov, where he studied at the department specializing in command tactical aviation. Novitsky was certified as a pilot-engineer.

Between September and December 1995, Novitsky served as a pilot-instructor in the fighter aviation regiment of V. Chkalov Training Center.

From December 1995 to June 2004 he served in a variety of positions, from pilot to air squadron deputy commander at the fighter air regiment of the 1st Guard Composite Air Division of the 4th Air Army and Air Defense Army of the North Caucasus Military Command.

Graduated in 2006 from the Yuri Gagarin Air Force Academy specializing in military units/Air Force detachments management.

After graduation from the Academy Novitsky was a commander of an attack air squadron.

By the time of selection to the Cosmonaut Corps he has mastered skills of piloting the Л-39 and Су-25 aircraft. He has logged a total of 700 hours of flight time. He is a Class 2 military pilot. Novitsky is a qualified paratrooper instructor and military diver.