Tushino (Russian: Тушино) (ICAO: UUUS) was a former general aviation airfield located in Tushino, northwest Moscow, Russia. During the Cold War, this was the site of military exercises showcasing the latest in Soviet innovation. These exercises were held on Soviet Air Fleet Day. Nowadays, the grounds are the site of the Otkritie Arena, the home of FC Spartak Moscow, one of Russia's leading football clubs.
The most frequent date of air shows was the Soviet Air Fleet Day (День Воздушного Флота). It was also known as the Soviet Air Forces Day (День Военно-воздушных Сил), or Soviet Aviation Day.[1] It was established in 1933.[2] In the period from 1933 to 1940 it was held on August 18, a free day in the calendar of that time. Later it was most usually held on the third Sunday of August,[3][4][5] if only weather permitted. The initial exhibition on August 18, 1933,[1][6] was a result of Yakov Alksnis initiative, and was held in Khodynka (the Central Moscow Aerodrome), but since the next[7] year the show became located on Tushino airfield near Moscow, where it remained for decades. In 1937, the parade was attended by nearly a million[7][8] people, observing the masses of aircraft spelling in the sky "LENIN", "STALIN" and "SSSR". The celebrations repeated until the fall of Soviet Union, and continue[1][9][10] in Russia (the location is now Zhukovsky International Airport, see MAKS airshow).
Otkritie Arena, one of the main construction objects built on the site of closed Tushino Airfield.
The Soviet Air Fleet Day became primarily associated with Soviet Air Forces (VVS), so a separate day has been established for Soviet Air Defense Forces (PVO) a second arm of Soviet military that employed numerous fighter squadrons. It was called Soviet Air Defense Forces Day (День войск противовоздушной обороны СССР),[13] occurred on the second Sunday of April,[14] and was celebrated with air parades of lesser scale.
In 1991, Tushino Airfield was used to host the first outdoor rock festival ever held in the Soviet Union - the free Monsters of Rock concert featuring AC/DC, Metallica, the Black Crowes and Pantera. Official estimates placed the crowd at between 1,000,000 and 1,600,000 people. The crowd was unofficially estimated to number at least 1.5 million people[15] and went down in history as the largest concert all participating bands have played in their respective careers.[16][17]
Furthermore, 200,000 people attended the "Inside Bram" backdoor tour. The "Bram" backstage tour was planned to tour through Germany, France and Spain, but was cancelled due to health issues.
The stadium of Spartak Moscow was built on the site of the Tushino Airport. Otkrytie Arena (or Spartak Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Moscow, the construction of which started in October 2010. It's used mostly for football matches and host the home matches of FC Spartak Moscow. The stadium was designed with a capacity of 35,000 people, but later this was changed to a 42,000 people[need quotation to verify]. The stadium hosted 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup games.
^Decree 3564-1 of September 28, 1992: "The establishment of the Russian Air Fleet Day" (Russian: Об установлении праздника День Воздушного флота России)
^Decree 949 of 29 August 1997: "On establishing the Day of the Air Force" (Russian: Об установлении Дня Военно-воздушных сил) and a revision 549 of 31 May 2006.
^Inc, Time (1949-06-20). LIFE. {{cite book}}: |last1= has generic name (help) – May Day of 1947
^When it was established on 20 February 1975, the commemoration day was set for 11 April; but it changed to the second Sunday of April following the decree of 1 October 1980.
