Ukrainian fighter ace nicknamed ‘Juice’ who won fame taking part in dogfights over Kyiv is killed along with two other pilots when two L-39 combat training aircraft collided mid-air

Three Ukrainian pilots, including one of the country’s most celebrated dogfighters, were killed on Friday when two combat training aircraft collided in mid-air, the country’s air force said.

The Ukrainian military paid tribute to Andrii “Juice” Pilshchykov, a 29-year-old flying ace with “mega knowledge and mega talent”, as well as two other pilots who died in the crash between two L-39s, which took place in the Zhytomyr region, west of Kiev and hundreds of miles from the front lines of the Russian invasion.

The two other pilots are now named Vyacheslav Minka and Sergiy Prokazin, two pilots in the Ukrainian Air Force.

President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences to the families of the dead pilots in his nightly speech to Ukrainian citizens, adding: “Ukraine will never forget anyone who defended Ukraine’s free airspace.”

The country’s public prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation into the incident to see if flight preparation laws were violated.

Juice, who was reportedly nicknamed by American pilots during joint training, who lightly teased him for not wanting to drink alcohol, rose to prominence in the early days of the Russian invasion after taking part in dogfights over Kiev.

His death took place west of Kiev, hundreds of miles from Ukraine’s front line

He reportedly got his call sign from American pilots because he refused to drink alcohol

Dozens of fellow airmen were seen mourning the deaths of the three pilots

Burning pianos is a tradition in air forces around the world and is done to mourn the loss of pilots

The call signs and flight numbers of the three dead pilots were written on the piano shortly before it was set on fire

Vyacheslav Minka (pictured left) and Sergiy Prokazin (pictured center) both died Friday along with Juice

Last fall, he was tasked with shooting down Russian missiles and drones headed for Ukrainian cities.

He told the BBC shortly afterwards: ‘By intercepting the cruise missiles, your mission is to save the lives on the ground, to save the city.

“If you can’t, it’s a terrible feeling that someone is going to die. Someone will die in a few minutes and you did not prevent that,” he added.

Where does the piano burning tradition come from?

Burning pianos is a tradition among pilots when one of their fellow soldiers dies in the line of duty.

The tradition reportedly began in World War II

The tradition reportedly started in World War II, after a piano-playing pilot in the Royal Air Force serenaded his fellow aviators with a song to mourn fallen pilots.

But when he himself died, his fellow pilot decided that if he couldn’t play the piano, no one could dragged him out before setting him on fire.

Source: New Zealand herald

Ukrainian soldiers were seen mourning Juice’s death. A video was shared on social media showing members of the country’s air force setting fire to a piano in memory, a tradition among air forces around the world.

Dozens of pilots stood solemnly, watching the flames flare up on the piano, which bore the call signs and plane numbers of the three men who died in the crash.

The country’s attorney general’s office said it has opened a criminal investigation into whether flight preparation rules were breached before the fateful flight.

Juice was also the “main driver” of an advocacy group urging Ukraine to get F-16 fighter jets, a Ukrainian Air Force spokesman said.

Yurii Ihnat said in a Facebook post: “A year ago in the US, Andrii met US government officials, raised the urgent needs of the Air Force, was in constant contact with California pilots and was the main driving force behind an advocacy group. advancing many decisions about the F-16s (offer).

“During the war, he gave dozens of interviews to Western media because he knew English well, and the main thing was the topic of conversation: what can and should be talked about for Ukraine!

“You can’t even imagine how he wanted to fly an F-16… but now that American planes are actually on the horizon, he won’t fly it anymore.

Andrii Pilshchykov was not just a pilot, he was a young officer with great knowledge and great talent.

Juice was reportedly one of the loudest voices for Ukraine’s push for Western countries to supply the country with F-16 fighter jets

“You can’t even imagine how he wanted to fly an F-16 … but now that American planes are actually on the horizon, he won’t fly it anymore,” said an Air Force spokesman.

“He was an excellent communicator, the driver of Air Force aircraft reform, and a participant in many projects. I have often supported his crazy ideas, with incredible results!’

Ukraine will deploy up to 61 F-16s in the coming months as the country prepares for a major counter-offensive.

While the US and NATO were hesitant to send fighter jets to Ukraine for fear of escalation, this fear seems to have subsided.

The Pentagon confirmed earlier this week that Ukrainian pilots would depart for Texas in September to receive English language training, while flight training would begin in Arizona in October.

Other Western countries will begin training Ukrainian pilots later this month.

Flight training is expected to last about five months.

Zelensky previously said of the decision to provide Ukraine with F-16s: “This will also bring civil aviation back into Ukrainian airspace, as it will bring us closer to victory and provide greater security for Ukraine.”