Sergey Ivanovich Safronov (; 25 August 1919 – 29 September 1983) was a Russian aviator who was given the title Hero of the Soviet Union. According to Thomas Polak, Safronov shot down 31 enemy aircraft during World War II.Polak, p. 270.
He was born in Pilekshevo, Nizhny Novgorod on 25 August 1919. In 1938 Safronov joined the army. In 1939 he graduated from the Engels Military Air School.
During World War II he participated in air combats in Kuban, shot down aircraft in the Kursk Salient, and participated in the battle in Stalingrad.Tsymbal, p. 6. "Gagarin's flight commander was Sergei Safronov, Hero of the Soviet Union. He fought at Stalingrad, took part in bitter air combats in the Kuban, and shot down Messerschmitts and Junkers in the Kursk Salient. As a captain he was made a Hero[...]" By the end of World War II he had been promoted to Major. After the war ended, he worked in the Saratov aeroclub as a flying instructor. Yuri Gagarin was one of his students. He later became the flight commander of Gagarin.
Safronov died on 29 September 1983 in Nizhny Novgorod.
Bibliography Polak, Tomas (with Christopher Shores). Stalin's Falcons: The Aces of the Red Star : A Tribute to the Notable Fighter Pilots of the Soviet Air Forces 1918-1953. Grub Street, 1999. , 9781902304014. Tsymbal, Nikolay Andreyevich (Николай Андреевич Цымбал). First Man in Space: The Life and Achievement of Yuri Gagarin : a Collection. Progress Publishers (Moscow), 1984.
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