Loop Forgotten Hero

Everyone is familiar with the figure of aircraft flying "loop." For the first time in the world it is made August 27, 1913 in Kiev, Petro Nesterov. This maneuver Nesterov initiated aerobatics.
His last sortie famous Russian pilot performed in Ukrainian sky, not far from the Lvov.
For the first time in the world by applying ram Nesterov knocked Austrian aircraft, but he was killed. In Soviet times, the place of death of the pilot erected a monument.
And now it has become useless and gradually destroyed ...





Its first flight Nesterov made in 25 years in 1912.
Later, he was involved in the design activity, to modify existing aircraft. Possessing sound knowledge of mathematics and mechanics, flight director having sufficient experience, he theorized ability to perform deep bends and put them into practice.
He also developed the interaction between air and ground forces to conduct air combat, mastered night flights.



In August 1913, a group headed by a flight (consisting of three cars) Kiev - Oster - Kozelets - Nizhyn - Kyiv with landings at field aerodromes.
During the flight the first time in aviation history was conducted route filming.
In the first half of 1914, Peter Nikolaevich has carried out two flights: Kiev - Odessa 3 hours 10 minutes, and Kiev - Gatchina for 9 hours and 35 minutes.
For that time it was a great achievement.



To prove his idea that "for the aircraft in the air everywhere support" on August 27, 1913 in Kiev Syretsko field of PN Nesterov the first time in the world performed on a plane "Nieuport-4" with motor "Gnome" of 70 liters. from. a closed loop in a vertical plane.
This maneuver Nesterov initiated aerobatics.
Six days later, this complex aviation figure repeated the Frenchman Adolphe Bago. This event was widely publicized in the foreign and Russian press.
In the foreign press of historical authorship of "dead loop" is attributed to ACS Air Max Kaiser Immelmanu as "Immelmann loop»



With the outbreak of World War II Nesterov served in the South-Western Front, where he participated in the liberation of the city.
Nesterov carried out aerial reconnaissance, performed one of the first in Russia adapted to the bombing of artillery shells. Having carried out during the war 28 sorties, September 8, 1914 near the town of Zhovkva Pyotr Nesterov made his last feat - rammed the Austrian aircraft that carried out aerial reconnaissance of movement of Russian troops.
The fact that at the beginning of the war planes of all the belligerent countries except the Russian "Ilya Muromets" did not have guns.
Command believes that the main task of aircraft - intelligence, and the availability of guns will distract pilots from performing basic tasks.
Therefore, the first dogfights were conducted using rifles and revolvers. Taran was also the most effective way to bring down an enemy aircraft



Heavy "Albatross" was flying at a height inaccessible to the shots from the ground. Nesterov went to intercept him in a light high-speed "Moran".
The Austrians tried to avoid a collision, but Nesterov overtook them and tried to hit the "Albatross" on the wing of its chassis, however, does not calculate the speed, crashed into the wing screw. Both planes fell to the ground, and the pilots were killed
In 1914 on the site of the death of Peter Nesterov from the city Zhovkva was erected monument.
Later, in 1980, there was built a memorial to the hero aviator: a monument to the dead loop, ending up a jet airplane taking off and a small museum.
In 1992, the city returned to the historical name of Nesterov, but the museum was abandoned and looted
While in Moscow to decide what to do with the works of Tsereteli, once soaring plane on the obelisk hero soon, it seems, has not come out of a dead loop

via Leonid Varlamov



Source: