Mykola Koval

Mykola Leonidovych Koval (, born 2 January 1952, Kvasyliv, Rivne Oblast) is a Ukrainian fighter pilot, Colonel in the reserve of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, participant of the Afghan war. He is also an honorary citizen of Pennsylvania and California.

Education Koval studied at Novozdolbuniv school No. 3. In 1973, he graduated from the Chernihiv Higher Military School of Pilots (specialization — military pilot-engineer), and in 1978 — from the Gagarin Air Force Academy. State exams and related flights by the graduating cadets were supervised by a commission of experienced military pilots, headed by the prominent WWII fighter-pilot, three times Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Marshal Ivan Kozhedub. Kozhedub singled out Koval among the other cadets and signed a photograph where he appeared next to Koval with "To pilot Koval from pilot Kozhedub. Become the first among us, equal to the sky."

Career Koval flew MiG-15, MiG-21, MiG-23, Su-17, Su-25, MiG-29, Su-27. He was awarded the most prestigious transitional prize "Super King of the Air" by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. She also invited the winner to her birthday celebration.

In 1997, Koval was appointed deputy chief of the Combat Training Center of the Ukrainian Air Force. That year he won top prize at the demonstration performance in Tel Aviv (dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Israeli Air Force). Order of Lenin honorary badge "Glory and Honor" (2012)