Marina Popovich - test pilot 1st class, ufologist, colonel engineer of the Air Force. Set 102 records in the field of aviation on different types of machines. During her career, she mastered more than 40 types of helicopters and aircraft. She was a tester of aviation equipment at the Antonov Design Bureau and the Chkalov Research Institute. Marina Lavrentievna's total figure is a little more than 6 thousand hours. She is also a public figure, writer, professor and just a wonderful woman…
Childhood
Popovich Marina Lavrentievna was born on the Leonenki farm (Smolensk region) in 1931. The girl had to go through the whole nightmare of the beginning of the Patriotic War - bombing, air battles, blood … This is what determined Marina's future profession. She dreamed of becoming a pilot.
Meet the sky
Marina Popovich graduated from school in Novosibirsk, where their entire family was evacuated. Not forgetting her dream, the girl enrolled in a local flying club and entered the aviation technical school. At the age of 17, she jumped with a parachute for the first time, and also made her first flight on the Ut-2. Thus began her long career in aviation.
Work
In 1951, Marina Popovich successfully graduated from an aviation technical school and got a job as a design engineer at the plant. And when sheAfter completing her studies at the Central Flight Technical School in Saransk, she remained to work as an instructor there. In 1958, the girl moved to the position of an instructor pilot at the Chkalov Central Aeroclub.
To achieve the right to control a fighter, Marina entered the military service, and then graduated from the Higher Aviation School in Leningrad. Since 1960, the girl began to master the technique of controlling jet aircraft. And in 1962 she took part in the selection of candidates for astronauts among women. She also underwent a medical examination as part of the 2nd group, but was not taken for certain reasons.
Test Pilot
In 1964, Marina Popovich began working in a new interesting position - a test pilot. She was the only woman in the USSR with such a profession. At first, Marina Lavrentievna was a transport pilot, and then moved to a fighter. Then the pilot led the team of the An-12 aircraft. In the future, her career developed even more rapidly.
It was Marina Lavrentievna who became the first female pilot to break the sound barrier on a MiG-21 jet aircraft. After that, the foreign media dubbed her "Madame MiG".
Records
During the years of active flights, she set 102 world records. Of these, 13 were registered with the FAI - International Aviation Association. Popovich set the first speed record on the L-29 in the Czech city of Brno. Then the records turned into a routine for her. The pilot also holds the record forspeed of aircraft with 2 turbojet engines. Popovich installed it on a RV car in 1965 after completing a closed circuit of 2,000 kilometers.
Marina Lavrentyevna set ten records as the commander of the giant An-22 aircraft. She is the only female pilot on the planet who has had the opportunity to fly this huge cargo aircraft. Together with the team, Popovich set a record by lifting the Antey to a height of 6.6 kilometers and flying 1,000 kilometers at a speed of 600 km/h. At the same time, there was a fifty-ton cargo on board. It was the first such flight in aviation history.
Other posts
Until 1978, Marina Lavrentievna worked as a test pilot at the Vladimir Aviation Research Institute. Then she moved to Kyiv, where for five years she tested equipment at the Antonov Design Bureau. Later she became the president of "VERSTO" - a flight association in Tushino, and also headed the company "Converse Avia". For some time she was engaged in the study of torsion fields in the center of Akimov A. E.
Ranks
Marina Popovich is a professor, doctor of technical sciences, head of the association of women scientists and full member of six well-known academies of sciences. She is also a holder of a number of orders and an honored master of sports. And the pilot has a lot of orders and international awards. For example, the FAI Big Gold Medal and two Korolev medals (gold and silver). The talent and merits of the outstanding pilot are recognized abroad, at home and even in space. The Americans named one of their star touristroutes in honor of Marina Popovich. In addition, a star in the constellation Cancer was named after her.
Community activities
The pilot is actively involved in social activities. She participates in the women's movement "Hope of Russia", is the vice-rector of the Moscow International University for patriotic work, as well as vice-president of the International Roerich Center and the International Fund "He alth of the Fatherland". As part of the latter, she organized medical care for disabled children.
Writing books
Marina Lavrentyevna is a member of the Writers' Union of Russia. As a truly creative person, she managed to compose several books between flights. In total, Popovich wrote 14 books (some of them co-authored), including a collection of poems "Life is an eternal take-off" and scripts for the paintings "The Sky with Me" and "Bouquet of Violets". And one of her latest works - "UFO over the planet Earth" - was awarded the Lomonosov Prize and the Golden Pen of Russia award.
Private life
Marina Popovich, whose biography is presented in this article, was married twice. The first marriage of the pilot lasted 30 years. From this union with the famous cosmonaut Popovich P. R., Marina Lavrentievna has two daughters - Oksana and Natalya. The second husband of the record holder was Zhikharev B. A. - military pilot and general.
Interests
Today, there are a lot of areas that Marina Popovich is interested in: UFOs, anomalous phenomena, new technologies, pilot consultations, etc. Alsoshe participated in expeditions to find Bigfoot. Marina Lavrentievna spent half of her annual vacation on such trips. And the pilot dreams of building several airships. The record holder also fell in love with alpine skiing.
Conclusion
Popovich Marina Lavrentievna is an amazing woman, an extraordinary and bright personality. In communication, she is natural and simple, full of optimism and energy. Now the legendary pilot works and lives in Moscow. Marina Lavrentievna considers herself quite a happy person, because all her dreams have come true!
