70 years since the death of Constantin Rozanoff

This month we pay tribute to Constantin Rozanoff, a test pilot who died 70 years ago. He had been head of Dassault Aviation’s flight test department since 1946.

On 17 January 1953, at the controls of the Mystère IV B01, he became the first French pilot to break the sound barrier in level flight on a French-built aircraft.

The first flight of the Mystère IV B01, piloted by Constantin “Kostia” Rozanoff, took place at Melun-Villaroche on 28 September 1952. It lasted 25 minutes. It reached a maximum level speed of Mach 0.92 (instead of 0.87).