Military pilot Oldřich Pelčák dies at 79

Military pilot Oldřich Pelčák has died at the age of 79, the Military History Institute wrote on its Facebook page. Pelčák, who graduated from the aeronautical academy in Košice, was one of two Czechoslovak astronauts who underwent a rigorous space training program in Russia in the 1970s. He trained as a back-up to Vladimir Remek who eventually boarded the Soyuz 28 spacecraft and spent almost eight days in orbit in March 1978. Pelčák piloted many types of aircraft, from fighter to transport, before retiring in 1999. He actively promoted astronautics among the young generation.