Commander of the Pacific Fleet Air Force

Lieutenant General Pavlov (6th May 1927-7th February 1981) was a 37-year veteran of the Soviet Navy at the time of his death, and had been made a two-star General. 

He was born on the 6th May, 1927 in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR. He joined the Red Navy in December 1943, having been a cadet of the preparatory school of pilots named after V. M. Molotov. He remained in that position until August 1944, when he became a Cadet pilot of the 3rd Naval Air Force Pilot School, which he remained in until September 1945. 

In 1947, he entered into the Naval Mine-Torpedo Aviation School in Nikolaev, and was then instructor-pilot of the 1st AE. He was known as energetic and decisive by nature, and was demanding both of himself and of his subordinates, having already earned several hundreds of flight hours by 1952. He was known as a good pilot, being able to competently handle it both on the ground and in the air. 

He was promoted to Major General on the 24th February, 1972, and was made Deputy Commander of the Black Sea Fleet. Then, in December of 1980, just two months before the fatal accident, he was aooiubred as the Commander of the Pacific Fleet Air Force, one of the most vital roles in the Soviet Navy Air Forces. 

Lieutenant General Pavlov was buried in Kyiv, Ukraine.