80 years ago, the USSR made a record-breaking long-duration jump from the stratosphere.

After Victory in the Great Patriotic War, parachuting in the USSR reached a new level and became a popular sport. Test parachutists renewed their quest to increase jump altitudes, jumping with new types of parachutes, and testing various equipment and devices used in the military, aviation, and space exploration. They tested ejection systems and oxygen equipment. They ejected from various types of aircraft, at various speeds, and perfected their jumping techniques. All these experiments were necessary not only for the development of aviation but also for the successful implementation of the future space program.

A particularly remarkable jump was performed by Colonel Vasily Grigorievich Romanyuk (1910-1993), a parachute and ejection system test instructor at the Air Force Research Institute. He had been interested in aviation since childhood, graduated from the Orenburg Military School for Observer Pilots, and came to parachuting—a discipline then just emerging in the USSR—almost by chance.

The young man was drawn to the numerous newspaper reports of new world records in parachuting. Romanyuk wanted to try what he believed only a select few were capable of. "I've often asked myself whether an ordinary guy like me could make a parachute jump," Vasily Grigoryevich wrote in his autobiography, "Notes of a Test Parachutist."

The "ordinary guy" completed a total of 3,475 jumps, most of which were experimental, meaning they were performed from an airplane at low altitude, at supersonic speeds, in the dark, landing on water, and even from the stratosphere. Incidentally, all of this knowledge and skills were actively used by Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War.

But on September 25, 1945, Vasyl Romanyuk performed not just an experimental jump, but a unique one. It was a prolonged dive from the stratosphere, setting a world record for both altitude and duration of a fall with an unopened parachute. At the time, there was virtually no experience with such jumps.

After extensive training, under the supervision of experienced specialists, Vasyl Romanyuk ascended to the stratosphere, which begins at an altitude of 11 kilometers above the Earth's surface. Having reached a record-breaking 13,108.5 meters, Romanyuk jumped from the plane according to a pre-planned procedure. Incidentally, at that time, Soviet aviation did not yet have spacesuits. Therefore, to avoid immediate hypothermia, the parachutist smeared himself with grease and donned an insulated suit with high fur boots.

The first moments of the fall didn't go according to plan. Romanyuk couldn't find the "support" that would help him assume the correct position for the fall, and he began tumbling in the air. Later, the parachutist admitted that he was momentarily overcome by a feeling of helplessness. "Falling like a meteor, in icy, almost airless space, illuminated by the rays of the unbearably bright sun, I was, in essence, exploring a field completely unknown to aerial athletes. After all, not a single parachutist in the world had ever performed a freefall from such a height!" recalled Vasily Romanyuk.

But already a very experienced test pilot, he pulled himself together, pulled himself together, and realized it was the thin air. Vasily Grigoryevich then decided not to waste his energy on stabilization and, lying on his back, continued his freefall.

At an altitude of approximately 6-7 kilometers, the test pilot broke through the cloud cover, flipped facedown, and began observing the approaching ground. Vasyl Romanyuk remained in freefall for 167 seconds. At an altitude of one kilometer, he deployed his parachute and descended smoothly onto solid ground. He later described his landing this way: "Amid the pointed tops of fir trees and golden birches, a small clearing opens up. I descend into it. For a few moments, I lie motionless, contentedly feeling the earth beneath me, so solid, reliable, and infinitely familiar."

Two years later, Vasily Grigorievich set a new record: he jumped from a height of 13,400 m, although with an immediate parachute opening.

For testing parachute technology and the courage, bravery, and heroism he demonstrated during it, Romanyuk, the first parachutist test pilot, was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union in September 1957. Colonel Vasily Grigoryevich Romanyuk was also awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner , the Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st and 2nd Class, and two Orders of the Red Star .

But he wasn't the only one to jump from record-breaking altitudes. Svetlana Savitskaya , along with a group of women, jumped from a Tu-107 from 14,252 meters. She covered a distance of 13,716 meters in free fall. Valery Raevsky achieved a solo free fall of 14,540 meters. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, stratospheric balloon flights became especially popular. This was due to the active period of space exploration. Stratospheric balloonists often tested spacesuits, aviation suits, and parachute systems for landing from high altitudes, often at risk to their lives.

Of course, technology has advanced significantly since the mid-20th century. The current record for a parachute jump is 41 kilometers (25.5 mi). American Alan Eustace achieved this feat on October 25, 2014. Nevertheless, Vasily Romanyuk's phenomenal achievements have forever been etched into the history of Russian and international parachuting. It's no wonder he is still called "skydiver No. 1."