How long did the BI's first powered flight last?

Short answer

The flight lasted three minutes and nine seconds. Bakhchivandzhi flew it on 15 May at 19:02 UTC, the first real flight of the BI-1, a Soviet short-range rocket-powered interceptor. He reached an altitude of 840 m (2,760 ft) and a top speed of 400 km/h.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How long did the BI's first powered flight last?

Bereznyak Isayev 1

The first real flight lasted three minutes and nine seconds

The BI-1 was a Soviet short-range rocket-powered interceptor. Its design bore the signature of A. Y. Bereznyak and A. M. Isayev. On 15 May, at 19:02 UTC, pilot Bakhchivandzhi carried out the BI-1's first real flight. That flight lasted only 3 minutes and 9 seconds.

Altitude and speed reached

On that same flight, the aircraft reached an altitude of 840 m (2,760 ft). The maximum speed recorded was 400 km/h.

The crash that cost Bakhchivandzhi his life

During a low-altitude test flight, the BI-1 flown by Bakhchivandzhi entered a 45-degree dive and crashed into the ground. The pilot died in that accident.