LODZINS, JANIS

• May 28 1925 - makes his first solo flight (LVG No.27). (Rank: Sargeant)
• September 1, 1927 - is enrolled in the advanced pilot training course, completing it on March 1, 1928.
• December 9, 1929 - one of the first pilots to receive the new Bristol Bulldog fighters. (Rank: Staff Sargeant)
• May 25, 1930 - participates in the Aviation Festival at Riga/Spilve.
• 1931 - is checked out to fly the Fiat CR.1s
• May 31, 1931 - Participates in the Aviation Festival at Riga/Spilve.
• July 31, 1931 - crashes Martinsyde ADC-1 #61.
• May 28, 1933 - participates in the Aviation Festival at Riga/Spilve.
• September 9, 1934 - participates in the Aviation Festival at Riga/Spilve.
• September 8, 1935 - participates in the Aviation Festival at Riga/Spilve.
• July 26, 1936 - participates in the Aviation Festival at Krustpils.
• October 1938 - Member of the 3rd Fighter Squadron.
• December 1940 - with the Aviation Regiment disbanded, he is invited to the Soviet Baltic Aviation Bureau for examination and, presumably passing that successfully, is offered employment flying non-military aircraft for the Soviets. He is assigned a "Percival" aircraft (reportedly seized from the Lithuanians) and ferries passengers between various cities in the Baltic, and sometimes even as far as Moscow.
• 1941 - while flying one of the formerly Latvian DH-89s (with technician Karlis Levics) he crashes on landing at Moscow's Bikova aerodrome.
• June 21, 1941 - Lodzins, while landing at Bikova aerodrome, damages the Percival's undercarriage. As this was on the eve of the German attack upon the Soviet Union, he did not manage to get it repaired in time to make the return trip to Riga.
• July 4, 1941 - Lodzins, along with a number of other Latvian pilots employed by the Soviet Baltic Aviation Bureau, are called to Moscow to be given their new assignment. To their surprise, they are being removed from flight duties and summarily sent to work in Siberia. Fortunately, they had a letter of recommendation from their former commander and this was enough to have them assigned to Mineralnije Vodos for further flight training, which would qualify them to operate a wider variety of Soviet types of aircraft. After training he was assigned to flight duties in Sedova and Tulun.
• March, 1942 - Lodzins is ordered to report to Zolin, where the Latvian aviators scattered throughout the Soviet system are being gathered to form a Latvian Squadron within the Soviet Air Force. Lodzins, however, is rejected for this service when he reveals during his intake interview that his sister had married a Baltic German and repatriated with him to Germany in 1939. He is sent back to his duties in Tulun, Siberia.

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