Early years and military service Vlasov was born on October 13, 1960, in the city of
Lebedyn in the
Ukrainian SSR (current
Ukraine). He graduated high school with a
gold medal and in 1977 he entered the
Gritsevets Military Aviation Higher School of Pilots. He trained there with
Aero L-39 and
MIG-21 aircraft and graduated with a
"red diploma" in 1981.
Aerospace industry Upon graduation from the Fedotov Test Pilot School in 1989 Vlasov worked for the
MiG Corporation as a test pilot and as a deputy director general for flight testing (2002–2010). accomplished maiden flights and flight testing of the carrier-based
MiG-29K fighter and thrust-vectoring version of
MiG-29 (MiG-29OVT),
MiG-29M/M2 and
MiG-35 fighters and the
MiG-AT trainer. Vlasov is type rated for 35 types of aircraft. As an
aerobatics pilot he flew demonstration flights at international air shows in the UK, Germany, India, the United Arab Emirates, Poland, France and Slovakia, and was awarded several times for his skills. He headed the
Gromov Flight Research Institute from January 2010, while keeping his position in the MiG Corporation until February 2014. In 2010, he completed the
United Aircraft Corporation strategic personnel reserve programme in the
Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO. Vlasov worked as head of the Gromov Institute during its transformation into a public company, and became its Director General in 2012. In August 2024 he was in a position of an advisor to the
Roscosmos Director General and reportedly was one of the main candidates for the new position of the Roscosmos Deputy Director General for manned and automated spacecraft.
Family In 1986, Vlasov married Elena Pavlovna Vlasova, a
teacher of
chemistry and
biology. Together they have a daughter Anna (born 1987) and a son Andrey (born 1993). == Awards and decorations ==