Women in civil aviation. Pilotess Maria Uvarovskaya - about working in a male team and the everyday life of a pilot

Many girls in Russia dream of conquering the sky, but only a few achieve this lofty goal. On the eve of March 8, the world's only female pilot of the new Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft, Daria Sinichkina, told in an interview with RIA Novosti special correspondent Alexander Kovalev what needs to be done on Earth in order to fly the liner of her dreams.

- Daria, when did you first feel that you would like to be on board not only as a passenger, and at what age did you make a bold and balanced decision to become a pilot?

- There was no one in my family connected with aviation, and before my first training flight, I never flew on airplanes, even as a passenger, can you imagine? And, in general, before the planes I saw only on TV.

I started learning to fly at the age of 23. I already had higher education and work, but all this did not bring me satisfaction. Then there was a desire to change my life and learn how to do something really difficult and exciting. I wanted to do a real thing, set myself some kind of difficult task and solve it. The first sightseeing flight on an airplane turned out to be spontaneous, but from the very first flight I realized that I wanted to do this all my life.

- It is known that in 1914 Evgenia Shakhovskaya became the first female military pilot in the world. Did you initially think of becoming a civilian pilot, or did you want to enroll in a military flight school?

— Yes, I immediately decided that I wanted to be a pilot. civil aviation. It was my dream to fly on large passenger planes.

— How did your flight path develop and what difficulties did you encounter during training?

I started learning to fly in 2008. She received her commercial aviation pilot's license at the Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation Flight School. I learned to fly at my own expense, of course, this required significant financial investments. I had to give up a lot then, but the goal was undoubtedly worth it. There were no particular difficulties during the training. As a recent graduate of Lomonosov Moscow State University, it was quite easy and always interesting for me to study.

- Your training for flights on the SSJ 100 took place at the SuperJet International training center in Zhukovsky. Did you like how the study was organized? What about the equipment - computer simulator (CBT), procedural simulator (FPTD), flight simulator (FTD LV)? What could be improved?

— The training center in Zhukovsky is just great! The organization of the educational process, the material and technical base - everything is done at a very high level. The training was conducted by experienced teachers. I especially want to note that there is an opportunity to study at the SuperJet International center with instructors from Italy, in English. This made me work more actively and helped to tighten and consolidate knowledge in English. The training center has excellent new simulators. After the flight simulator, work in the cockpit of a "live" aircraft did not raise any questions at all. I think that simulators of this level fully meet the tasks of retraining pilots from any type of aircraft.

- In Russia, according to various sources, there are now about thirty female pilots. Who do you know, who are you friends with or do you hang out with? Maybe you maintain relations with your foreign colleagues?

- I have only one friend who flies on passenger planes in Yakutsk - Anna Lozovskaya. We were friends during our studies. By the way, there are much more female pilots in general aviation than, for example, in sports. Of these, I am happy to communicate with many.

In general, I am against the allocation of female pilots to some special caste. In the profession, it should not be important what gender the specialist is, what is important is the level of knowledge and the quality of work. I always strive to take a worthy place among my colleagues in terms of knowledge and quality of performance of duties, and not because there are few women in the profession and this is something special.

- According to the FAA, there are currently about 25.5 thousand women in the world who were lucky enough to get licenses to manage air transport. What, in your opinion, are the prospects for Russian female pilots and what factors are holding back their appearance at the controls?

— In Europe and America there are much more (in percentage terms) female pilots than in Russia. This is our national feature. Here, it seems to me, nothing, except time, will not correct the situation.

In Russia, it is difficult for a female pilot to get a job in passenger transportation. I myself faced refusals when my documents were not even considered, motivated, for example, by the fact that “we have heavy collections of navigation documentation”, “we do not allocate funds to pay for a separate room for female pilots in hotels” and so on. I think this problem is social. Perhaps employers do not want to deal with women, because the company's financial costs for retraining a pilot for new type quite large, and the employer is afraid that a woman, for example, will go on maternity leave soon after retraining and cease to be of benefit to her company. I can understand their concerns. And I want to thank the management of those airlines that give us a chance and understand that female pilots overcome enough difficulties to get the job of their dreams and, of course, not to immediately go on maternity leave instead of flying.

- Russian airlines still lack civil aviation pilots. Does our country need to attract foreign pilots, if so, how many? Will they create serious competition for our young boys and girls?

- In Russia, there is an overabundance of pilots: I mean commercial pilots with no experience in line work. We lack only aircraft commanders (FAC) with a large raid. There are many holders of commercial pilot licenses in the country, and many of them are not hired precisely because of their lack of experience in regular flights. It's a vicious circle. There is no shortage of pilots if commercial pilots are finally given a chance to start working and gain this very experience. Over time, they will also become commanders. But airlines need commanders immediately and now. It is beyond my competence whether it is necessary to close the gap with foreign commanders. Perhaps for the first few years.

— Who was or is a personal example for you?

— A personal example for me has always been my first instructor, honored test pilot of the Russian Federation Yuri Mikhailovich Kabanov, master of sports and world champion, wonderful person and a pilot with a capital letter. From the very first lesson, he always treated me and all his students like a father and gave us a lot of irreplaceable knowledge and skills.

- You were lucky enough to become not just a pilot, but so far the only Superjet 100 pilot in the world. How much time have you spent at his joystick in the Russian airline Red Wings and what is your flight time as a co-pilot? How do you feel driving the SSJ100?

“It is, of course, a great honor for me. Right now my SSJ100 flight time is about 500 hours. I love this plane very much and am always ready to argue with all those who disagree. I haven't flown Boeing or Airbus, so I can't compare to them, but the Superjet itself is beautiful, it's true! Very smart machine, easy and convenient to operate. It removes a large share of the mechanical monotonous work from the pilot, allowing him to keep his attention for the most necessary and important actions, and does not allow many mistakes to be made.

In general, a very comfortable, reliable and safe aircraft.

Why do you love your plane? Do you consider it the best in the world? What do you affectionately call him to yourself? Does he have a nickname?

- Of course, I consider him the best, quite sincerely. And in general, I am monogamous by nature, so it will be difficult to convince me. No, somehow the nickname did not work out, in the operation of the machine we usually call it by the tail numbers, "two", "twenty-first", there is no common name.

- What, in your professional opinion, distinguishes the SSJ100 from other machines? What are its highlights and features in piloting?

— I can't compare it with other large passenger aircraft, because I haven't thoroughly studied their technical features.

The main highlight of the Superjet 100 is its safety. The protection systems in it are simply ingenious. The aircraft does not allow exceeding the maximum permitted parameters where this affects flight safety. Plus - a high level of automation. Even the process of starting the engines is fully automatic. The system controls itself, interrupts the launch itself in the event of a malfunction, multi-level automatic self-monitoring leaves no room for pilot error due to any inattention or stress factors. And so - on all systems.

It is known that the most common cause of aviation accidents is the human factor. Since flight safety is a priority for us at Red Wings in terms of passenger transportation, I believe that the Superjet, with its highest level of automation and the presence of unique in-flight protection systems, most fully meets the modern requirements for safe passenger transportation.

— SSJ100, being new car, while still learning to fly, gaining the necessary statistics. What do you think could be improved on the plane?

- There are drawbacks, but they are small and most often domestic. I didn't encounter any major issues. The air conditioning system in the parking lot was noisy, there were problems with the supply of drinking water. Usually these details are quickly eliminated. It should be noted that I flew only on machines of the first series, and, I think, in new version these issues have already been fixed.

— The men are given flight uniforms. Was her Russian airline Red Wings tailor-made for you? Are you happy?

- In large airlines such as Aeroflot, there are more female pilots on the staff. Perhaps they can afford to develop a special model of women's flight uniforms. Typically, firms engaged in the production of uniforms sew new model at least 50 copies. It is clear that if only one girl works in an airline, as we have in Red Wings, it is impossible to develop a special form for her. Plus size complexity. For example, even the smallest men's jumpers are huge for me. I usually buy uniform trousers, shirts, jumpers and other paraphernalia at the Galaktika store, which specializes in the sale of uniforms for civil aviation workers. Women's clothing there is not specifically designed for female pilots, but almost completely matches appearance with what is required. I order some improvements in the studio or do it myself. That is, you can find a way out. The flight uniform is very beautiful and I wear it with pride.

— How important is knowledge of technical English to work as a pilot?

- Knowledge of English, and not only technical, is absolutely necessary on modern aircraft. All systems in the cockpit are signed and provide data in English, all commands and standard conversations in the cockpit are also in English.

Teaching aids are often in English. And for Boeing and Airbus, all documentation is completely in English.

Now it is very important to know English well. I really want to achieve such a level that English becomes a full-fledged second language for me. This difficult task and therefore very interesting.

— Daria, how do passengers react if they find out that the co-pilot is a woman?

“I don't know, honestly. At the time when the commander reads out a welcome speech to the passengers before the flight, I have been at my workplace in the cockpit for a long time and do not see the passengers, and the flight attendants have never told me about anything unusual.

Judging by the remarks on the Internet, there are also dissatisfied that women are at the helm, but the Internet is a specific place for discussion, so I try not to read aviation-related forums at all. I personally have not experienced any dissatisfaction. Although I can believe that some people still have strong stereotypes about a woman behind the wheel. But this will not change anything, society is developing, and in ten years we will also have 20-30 percent of women in the profession, as in Europe. I think it will become commonplace.

— Do you have any restrictions on the number of flights per month? How many hours is the flight norm and working time norm for you? How many hours per year?

“According to our legislation, a pilot must fly no more than 80 hours a month and no more than 800 hours a year. This may seem small compared to standard office hours, but keep in mind that this is only the time spent in flight.

Pilots must arrive on the flight in advance for pre-flight preparation and medical control, as well as conduct a post-flight analysis after the flight. We also need to add the time of stops at destination airports, during which the crew continues to perform their duties on the aircraft. A working day with one or two landings should not exceed 12 hours. There are also overnight stays at off-base airports, regular ground-based theoretical and simulator training, and the time spent by the crew in reserve. So we work out our salary in full.

— I have no doubt that male colleagues in the airline behave with dignity, it would be unprofessional on their part to show distrust or disrespect. But what do you think, at least behind the eyes, they are kindly joking about you?

- You know, I'm always surprised in a good way how lucky I am with the people around me. Without exaggeration, around me all the time are beautiful people who treat me not only with respect, but in a kind way, and it seems to me that this is sincere. In the working team, I feel very comfortable and calm, for which I am very grateful to my colleagues and management.

And in a friendly way, we all joke about each other, as in any company, this is a sign of a normal human atmosphere in the team, isn't it?

— What goals do you set for yourself in the future, both professionally and personally?

— I plan to acquire the necessary experience and the number of flight hours to obtain a license as a line pilot. So far, this is the next target. I also want to get the fifth level of English according to ICAO, I am very interested in studying it. I didn’t think about retraining for any other type, I really like flying the SSJ100, it seems to me the best aircraft of all. Personally, I have no special goals, I already have everything that one could dream of.

— Are you married, do you have children, and if not, do you plan to return to heaven after the birth of the baby?

- Yes, married. I don’t have children, until I plan it, now I have just started working actively in big aviation and I am very passionate about my work.

— Do you have time for your personal life?

- IN summer period there are always more flights. Therefore, it happens that it is not enough. It's easier in winter. All your own free time I strive to spend with my husband, but, of course, this is never enough.

— Do family and friends worry when you go on a flight, and do they consider the job of a pilot risky?

- Parents, yes, they think and worry. But I always remind them that air transport is objectively the safest. My husband is also a pilot, he is aware of everything, but he always checks the weather before my flight.

— How and where do you prefer to relax and how much time do you manage to carve out for this?

— On vacation I like to travel, attend various aviation festivals, competitions and air shows. My hobby is the same aviation, so I'm interested in such events. I also prefer to spend my weekends at the flying club. I also like fishing, hunting, riding a snowmobile, in general, leisure and outdoor sports.

- Do you listen to superstitions (the 13th, not to be photographed before the flight, and many others), or do you no longer have them?

I don't have any specific superstitions. I'm indifferent to Fridays and photos. In professional passenger aviation, I somehow didn’t notice them especially. Here in general aviation, with which I am still closely connected, there is an opinion that several "signs" lead to each flight accident. That is, if you spilled coffee in the morning, broke the sugar bowl, scratched the car, forgot your license and got stuck in traffic, then go home and go to bed. It is better not to fly anywhere on this day. But this, of course, can only be attributed to flights on their own tasks and on their own aircraft.

In passenger aviation, I am sure that if you are well prepared, fulfill all the requirements, collect all the documents and carefully fulfill your tasks, the flight will go well. This is what we are taught to do our job well.

— Have there been any aircraft failures? How did you get out of the situation?

- I have not flown in large aviation for many years and have not encountered failures on passenger aircraft. But during training, there was a case when a tire of the front wheel burst during landing on a small training plane. Not such a terrible refusal, of course, but then I worried for a long time, scolded myself for having performed the landing poorly, too rudely. The first failure is probably the most memorable.

— What would you wish to girls who are serious about working as civil aviation pilots?

- Do not doubt your abilities and realistically assess the prospects. If this work is really very necessary precisely because it is interesting to fly, then we must act. It makes no sense to go into professional aviation for the sake of some kind of "unusual" one. It is this imaginary "unusualness" that, in my opinion, prevents women from getting a normal job in aviation. We must try to prove to the employer that a female pilot is the same average (good!) Specialist as any other pilot. That she does not stand out in any way and does not require any special treatment, concessions or indulgences. No employer needs an "unknown animal" in the state. We need a good reliable employee. This is what you should strive for.

— What is your wish to RIA Novosti readers?

- I can say for sure that flying is a real happiness. If you have never flown on a small plane or helicopter, feel free to go to the flying club. I have no doubt that you will enjoy and even probably want to learn how to control a flying machine yourself. It is an incomparable feeling to pilot yourself. I really want to see more and more flying people in our country every year!

Many girls at this age still don’t even know how to drive a car, only thinking about courses at a driving school, and Maria Fedorova quite calmly manages a passenger plane with a hundred passengers on board. Today she is the youngest passenger airliner pilot in Russia and the first female Superjet pilot in Aeroflot.

In fact, the announcement of the aircraft commander over the speakerphone before departure "... today the commander of the ship Sergei Ivanov and co-pilot Maria Fedorova are with you," and even female voice the main pilot is not something surprising - in Aeroflot alone there are 20 pilotesses, of which five are aircraft commanders (PIC). But 23 years old! This is what surprises and delights at the same time.

Last week I managed to spend half a day in the company of Maria, to hear firsthand how she managed in such young age become a pilot, how difficult was this path and what it is like to fly a passenger plane.
And the pilotess answered questions from readers and gave me a ride in the cockpit.

Read about all this below.

Photos and text Sergei Anashkevich

2. Sheremetyevo Airport, morning ... We arrived at the meeting almost at the same time. Maria, with a modest smile, extended her fragile hand to greet me, and for a moment it seemed to me that it was not the co-pilot of the SSJ-100 Superjet, who had already flown more than 300 hours, but a modest third-year student standing in front of me. And this despite the fact that being a pilot of a passenger aircraft is a very difficult and responsible mission that requires a huge concentration of attention and considerable strength.

While we are waiting for the representatives of the airline to enter the airfield, we take a glass of latte and I ask the question that worries me the most: “Maria, how are you? How did you manage to become a full-fledged passenger plane pilot at the age of 23 in the largest airline in Russia?

“Actually, there is nothing surprising in this. Immediately after school, I entered the St. Petersburg University of Civil Aviation, and after graduating last year, in November, I came to get a job at Aeroflot. Then everything is standard: several months of retraining in the flight training squad, endless classes, tests, training and flights on the simulator, exams, three months as a trainee pilot, and in August I went on my first flight as a full-fledged co-pilot.

- Were you very worried that day?

“To be honest, I don’t remember him at all,” Maria answers, embarrassed and a little thoughtful.

- Because of the excitement?

- No, I just don’t remember ... At that time, I had already flown 225 hours in the “second” seat, so that flight was almost the same, only the instructor pilot was not behind me this time.

At this moment, an escort from Aeroflot approaches us and we head to the airfield, to one of the liners operated by Maria. Unlike her other 19 female colleagues in the airline, she does not fly with Airbus, but with the domestic Superjet. Maria said that this was her conscious choice and she was very pleased to be the first girl in Aeroflot to fly this type of aircraft. She really likes the car and every time she is happy to conduct a pre-flight inspection and prepare the aircraft's systems for flight.

It's really amazing when such a huge colossus is controlled by such a fragile girl - with the usual movement of her hand she sends the plane into the sky and also habitually lands it on the runway at Sheremetyevo, Kazan or Helsinki ..

Despite the 5 years spent on the university bench, training to fly a specific type of aircraft is already taking place in the flight training detachment directly at the airline with which the pilot signs the contract. They do not teach flying on Boeings, Airbuses, or Superjets at the university. Already here, at Aeroflot, Maria studied the type of aircraft chosen for herself and for the first time sat at the helm of the SSJ-100 on a simulator at Sheremetyevo. Several months of theory and flights on the simulator, and already in May, for the first time in her life, the girl sat at the helm of a real aircraft with passengers as a trainee pilot - the so-called commissioning began.

For the next 25 flights, our heroine flew as a trainee pilot in the co-pilot's seat on regular Aeroflot flights. During such flights, there are three people in the cockpit: in addition to the trainee, in the first pilot's seat there is a fully qualified co-pilot, and behind them is an instructor (safety pilot), who is also the PIC. He manages the whole process and, if necessary, he sits in the co-pilot's seat and takes full control of the aircraft.

Having flown 25 flights as a trainee, Maria successfully passed the flight test in August without additional flights, and the flight commission allowed the girl to fly as a full-fledged co-pilot.

— Maria, tell us, what were your impressions about the first flights, airports, where did you fly to?

- To be honest, I don’t remember anything, everything is in a fog. The tension is monstrous, you arrive, immediately after landing, the pilots carry out a lot of procedures, you need to have time to “surrender” this flight and immediately prepare for the return flight. While you are filling out the documents, luggage is already being loaded onto the plane, and flight attendants are starting to board passengers. What cities are there) Everything is in a fog.

— Were there any overlays or problems during commissioning?

— No, everything went very smoothly and without missteps.

To be honest, at that moment I looked at the girl with great respect. Even during the story, in every word she felt how much responsibility lies on the crew of a passenger plane and how much everything is difficult in their work. How much concentration, perseverance and moral strength you need to have in order to perform all this difficult work without failures!

But now, when takeoffs and landings have returned to normal, when you arrive in some cities for the eleventh time, Maria recognizes the cities and remembers certain features of the runway, and even favorite / least favorite airports have appeared ...

- I really like the runway in Tyumen - high-quality, wide, it's a pleasure to land a plane on it. I like to fly to Minsk, because on this route, the ideal flight duration: here, on the one hand, the dynamics of work, on the other, you can do everything without haste.

- Surely there are unloved airports?

- Of course, - laughs, - I don’t like flying to Saratov and Stavropol ...

- And where would you like to fly, where you have not yet been able to fly at the helm of an airplane?

- Even at the very beginning of training, I flew as an observer to Tivat, looked at the work of the pilots. I really liked the entry there, but Tivat airport is considered difficult, with special conditions clearance, and I can't fly there yet. But once…

I could not help but ask about the difficulties during the flights. I liked the confidence with which she answered these questions. He says that there are difficulties: weather, detours of storm fronts, snowfalls now, but this is a common thing for pilots and there is no fear during such flights, they cope with all situations that arise without any problems.

- I remember that in August there were a lot of thunderstorms and I had to think outside the box a lot, understand where the thunderstorm was heading and how best to go around.

Answering a reader's question whether she was superstitious, Maria replied that she was not, but at the school, the majority tried not to be photographed before the training flight. Touching upon the period of study, we also talked about what the girl had to fly before she sat at the helm of the Superjet.

- Initially, on the Yak-18T, then there were classes on the Cessna 172S, and the Diamond-42 became the final type.

And it also turned out that even as a passenger, Maria flew very little, only a few times to rest during her studies. But now the girl has no shortage of flights.

At the end of our conversation, I asked Maria questions from readers.

Flying was your childhood dream?
— No, there was no such dream. My father had this dream, but he failed to realize it. So, you can say that I realize his dream.

Why did you choose to fly a Superjet and not a Boeing?
- We support the domestic manufacturer, - laughs, - in fact, on the advice of wise and experienced comrades. Here in my flight training squad there were only guys, and I was one girl on the Superjet. The plane is very good. Moreover, it is a norm for pilots to retrain for a new type of aircraft every 5-7 years. I would like to go to MS-21...

How long does the autopilot drive the car in flight?
“Our company policy is to maximize the use of automation, so after climbing about 1000 feet, we activate the autopilot, then work on it. In fact, we only manually take off and land. Even during the bypass of thunderstorms, everything is done by automation, it's just that its modes of operation are different.

What was the most difficult during the training?
- The most difficult thing was at the very beginning, on commissioning. On the simulator, you can always stop, clarify, ask again, everything will always be explained to you, because. the pilot must learn absolutely everything and very accurately. But in a real flight, you can’t stop and in general you need to do everything quickly. You can’t be distracted by anything at all, because. you miss the radio, and that can be a big problem. So in the first month, the back simply did not bend after the flights.

Which stage of the flight do you like the most?
— Landing!

Is pilot training free or paid? And what does a person from the outside need if he decides that he wants to become a pilot?
- I studied for free. And to become a pilot, just desire is not enough, you need basic education. Not necessarily higher, like mine, but secondary special - yes.

How long does a pilot change take?
– Depends on the duration of the flight and schedule, but the maximum is no more than 12 hours.

What is the most important quality a pilot should have?
- For myself, I realized that attentiveness! Without it, nothing at all, this is the key to success. Under no circumstances should you be distracted.

Do you have to talk on the speakerphone with the salon?
- Yes, several times the commander asked to speak words of welcome, the flight attendants then reported that the passengers in the cabin were surprised, admired, they began to discuss that the girl was in the pilot's seat, but no one was indignant or scared.

What does the co-pilot do in flight? What are his tasks?
- In general, there is no separation of duties in flight as such. On earth, yes. And as for the flight, before takeoff we decide who is piloting, who is not piloting, and then according to the standard plan. Certainly, key decisions accepts FAC, and as for the mechanics, there is no separation. As a rule, during a return flight, one leads in one direction, and the other leads in the other. The non-piloting pilot at this time conducts a radio exchange and documentation on it.

Car enthusiasts often test other car brands. Is there such a thing among pilots and can you sit at the helm, for example, of an AN-2 or a combat fighter and control it without any problems?
- An-2 without problems, but a combat fighter is unlikely. In action films, by the way, they sometimes show how a passenger with pilot skills jumps up and sits at the helm of an aircraft, because the pilot cannot control and easily lands the aircraft ... In reality, this is far from reality, because. aircraft types are very different from each other.

Does Maria have an Instagram?
— Yes, but there are few readers in it. Who cares, Maria's Instagram - @mariaalexseevna

We ended the conversation already at the Aeroflot training center, which is located at Sheremetyevo Airport, where Maria was met by her husband, also a pilot. Their warm hugs and smiles themselves answered the last question that was pecking out - does Mary have enough time for her personal life and family. As it turned out, enough. She and her husband perfectly understand each other in this profession, help and support if necessary, and even, as far as possible, meet each other at the airport in order to go home together after work ...

And yes, do not be biased towards such a young age of the pilot. You understand that the girl went through all the stages of training, very strict tolerances, all the necessary commissions, where she was even more close attention than any other pilot. Today she is a full-fledged co-pilot. And it doesn't matter how old she is - 23 or 40. She is a professional.

A 23-year-old girl was able to become a pilot of the Aeroflot airline.

Many girls at such a young age do not even know how to drive a car and only think about studying at a driving school, and Maria Fedorova, without any worries, manages a passenger airliner carrying more than 100 people in one flight. To date, she is considered the youngest passenger airliner pilot in Russia and the first woman to fly a Superjet in Aeroflot.

The journalists managed to talk to Maria and learn firsthand how she managed to build a career in the largest airline in Russia as a pilot.

The girl said that she did not see anything surprising in the choice of her profession.

Immediately after graduation, the future pilotess entered the University of Civil Aviation of St. Petersburg, and immediately after graduation, in November last year, she came to get a job at Aeroflot. Further, the events for the novice pilot developed in a standard way: several months of retraining as part of a flight training squad, endless classes, tests, training and flights on a simulator, and already in August - the first flight as a full-fledged co-pilot.

Were you very upset that day?

To be honest, I don't remember anymore. Maria replied shyly. - At that time, I already had 225 hours of practice in the "second" seat, so that flight did not become somehow special for me, it differed only in that I did not have an instructor pilot behind me as before.

It is noteworthy that Aeroflot employs 20 girls, but only the youngest among them, Maria, manages the domestic Superjet. Other representatives of the fair sex fly on imported Airbus aircraft. Our heroine said that she consciously made this choice, and she is very pleased to be the first girl in the airline operating this type of aircraft.

She really likes the car and before each flight she is happy to carry out a pre-flight inspection and prepare the aircraft for flight.

It is really impossible to believe in this - that such a fragile girl manages to lift a multi-ton liner into the sky with one movement of her hand and just as calmly land it on the runway in Helsinki, Kazan or Sheremetyevo.

Which part of the flight do you like the most?

- Landing!

We are sure that many readers of our portal will want to take an example from you. Tell us a little about pilot training. Many will be especially interested in the financial side of the issue.

- I studied on the "budget". To become a pilot, a simple desire is not enough, basic education is required. Not necessarily higher, but at least secondary special.

How long does a pilot change take?

– It depends on the schedule and duration of the flight, but the maximum is -12 hours.

What is the quality required to be a pilot?

- From personal experience, I realized that mindfulness! Without it, there is no way at all, it is simply impossible to be distracted in this work.

Do you have to deal with the salon on the speakerphone?

- Yes, it happened that the commander asked me to say words of welcome. The flight attendants then reported that after such a long time the passengers were surprised and began to discuss what the girl was doing in the cockpit, but no one made any claims and was not afraid about this.

What are the tasks of the co-pilot?

– There is no separation of duties in flight. Rather, it is, but only on earth. Already before takeoff, we decide who will be the pilot and act according to the standard plan. As a rule, one pilot leads the liner in one direction, the other pilot in the opposite direction.

Car enthusiasts like to test cars of other brands. Do you have a desire to sit at the helm of some other aircraft, for example, an An-2 or a combat fighter, and check all the capabilities of the machine?

– I am sure that I will cope with the control of the An-2 without problems, but I am unlikely to be able to cope with a combat fighter. In the movies, by the way, they sometimes show how a passenger with the skills of a pilot sits at the helm of an aircraft, since the commander cannot perform his duties, and successfully performs a landing. In practice, this is almost impossible, since all aircraft models differ significantly from each other.

Are there female pilots in Russia? Certainly! At first glance, this profession seems quite romantic, but it is not. It is very difficult for women in this area for many reasons. But how? Let's figure it out.

Our service is both dangerous and difficult

They can easily conquer the sky, having received the education of a flight attendant. What if you want more? height, sky, beautiful shape- these are the first associations that come to the mind of girls when they hear the word "pilot". But all the pitfalls associated with this profession are not always taken into account. A professional female pilot in Russia needs to undergo special training, to be fluent in foreign language, to be a responsible and attentive person, because at stake human lives.

Why aviation?

There are more and more female pilots in Russia every year. This profession is becoming increasingly popular - the fair sex is eager to realize their ambitions just like men. It often happens that the little daughter of a pilot, looking at her dad, dreams of following in his footsteps. The growing popularity of aviation in our country is obvious.

How can a woman become a pilot?

It no longer surprises anyone that a woman is an aircraft pilot in Russia. Recently, an acute shortage of personnel in transport and military aviation has begun to be felt in our country. In this regard, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that it is necessary to increase the number of places in educational institutions for future female pilots in Russia. Teachers of aviation clubs and flight schools say that women are not very suitable for military aviation because of the high workload. But for transport aviation - quite.

Professional training for pilots

First you need to go through a special medical commission - after all, the pilot must have excellent health. Then you need to choose an educational institution. Now in Russia there are a huge number of aviation clubs for female pilots and training centers in which professional training of aviation personnel is carried out. After passing the theory, which according to the standard is given 220 hours, you can begin to practice. A flight book is issued for a newly minted pilot, which contains flight permits, total flight time, testing of the theory and piloting technique. It is better to start flying in autumn or winter - it will not be so hot in the cockpit, and the cold is not felt due to an excess of adrenaline. A solo flight is not allowed immediately - only after 9 hours with an instructor. And only after that, beginners are released into free flight without an instructor. On average, the practical course lasts about 50 hours.

Unfeminine work

It is believed that aviation is an exclusively male field. It is difficult for a woman here for several reasons. Firstly, it is, of course, heavy physical activity, designed more for the male body. Secondly, in order to work successfully in aviation, a woman must think like a man, which is not possible for everyone. And thirdly, you should not write off the work in the men's team. On the one hand - help and support, and on the other - condescension and, at times, arrogance. A female pilot in Russia must have iron restraint and a strong character.

Pilotesses and war

Marina Mikhailovna Raskova became an outstanding wartime pilot, who in 1941 took the initiative to create a women's aviation regiment. Even before the war, along with men, hundreds of women were educated in flight schools, so there were as many as 3 regiments who wanted to. Colonel G. Rozantsev led the recruitment of pilots. After some time, the 586th, 587th and 588th women's aviation regiments were formed. Brave women guarded the region of Stalingrad - the most important strategic object of military operations. Women's aviation regiments participated in the liberation of the Crimea, North Caucasus, Poland. Sometimes the regiment flew out on a mission without additional equipment and parachutes. Instead, the aircraft were equipped with even more ammunition.

Nobody is forgotten and nothing is forgotten

The Germans called the aviation regiments of our female pilots "Night Witches". Courageous women terrified German soldiers, the best representatives of the aviation of the German army were sent against them.

Among the female pilots in Russia, it is worth highlighting the legendary pilot Polina Osipenko, who became famous for her unusual story. The girl worked in the dining room of the flight school, where K. E. Voroshilov once arrived. Plucking up courage, Polina asked to enroll her in an educational institution, which, to everyone's surprise, he did. Polina Osipenko set several world aviation records, her life was tragically cut short during a flight in 1939. Many pilots of women's regiments tragically died defending their Motherland. Streets in some cities are named after such great pilotesses as P. Osipenko and E. Bershanskaya.

The first women in aviation

The first woman in the world to conquer the sky is traditionally considered Raymond de Laroche (aka Eliza Deroche), who in 1909 for the first time rose to a height of 6 meters and flew about 300 meters. This act became Starting point for women in aviation. Eliza became the first pilot in the world, set several world records. Before the advent of aviation in the life of this woman, she was an actress. Eliza died in a plane crash. The pilot was a man, and Eliza was in the passenger seat.

The first woman to officially receive a pilot's license was Beryl Markham. She is the first woman to fly African continent with rescue missions. In 1936, Markham was the first woman to fly solo east-west transatlantic flights from England. He is the author of memoirs and various manuals on aviation. Among other merits of Beryl, it can be noted that she was the first woman who had a license to teach horseback riding in Kenya, which was a very significant achievement at a time when the female half of humanity was limited in rights. Beryl Markham died at the age of 83 in Nairobi.

The first female pilots in Russia

Officially, Domnikia Illarionovna Kuznetsova-Novoleinik is considered the first pilotess in Russia, who, having only theoretical knowledge about the structure of the aircraft, lifted it, but, unfortunately, could not hold it and collapsed to the ground. By the way, Domnikia's husband was aviator Pavel Kuznetsov, who later became a flight instructor.

The first in Russia by the name of Zvereva, Lidia Vissarionovna, was the first officially recognized pilot in our country. In the flight school, she found not only her vocation, but also her husband, aviator Vladimir Slyusarenko. By the way, Lydia Zvereva was the first woman to graduate from a specialized aviation educational institution.

Everyday life of modern pilotesses

How many female civil aviation pilots are there in Russia? Today this question can be answered precisely - clearly more than in the USSR. In the Land of the Soviets, women aviators were not very fond of. In the whole state there were only 4 places for training women in this profession. At present, the list of female civil aviation pilots in Russia is much more extensive than, say, 30-40 years ago. Often, looking at the photos of Russian female pilots, it seems that these women do not have a life, but a romantic dream. Behind the scenes are separation from family and friends, lack of sleep and constant stress. And even despite these important factors, the list of female pilots in Russia is constantly updated, all new beauties strive to conquer the sky.

Beauty that conquered even the sky

Russian in peace and war time has always been top notch. As for civil aviation, it is in no way inferior to military aviation; the profession of a pilot has at all times been shrouded in the spirit of romanticism and prestige. And how many female pilots of civil aviation in Russia! It can be seen that exceptionally strong and beautiful representatives of the weaker sex work here. What is the secret of their beauty? This is definitely one that appears only when a person is busy with his favorite thing. When you are close to a dream, the world plays with new colors. Below are videos and photos of Russian female pilots who amaze not only with their determination and fortitude, but also with their beauty.

Maria Fedorova is the youngest female pilot in Russia

At the age of 23, many of the fair sex do not know how to drive, let alone an airplane, even a car! How many female pilots in Russia at such a young age sat at the helm of an aircraft? Looking at this fragile girl, you will never think that she can land a multi-ton liner with the usual movement of her hand. Maria Fedorova is the youngest pilot of Aeroflot.

When asked about the reason for choosing a profession, Maria modestly replies that her father always dreamed of becoming a pilot, but she did not have such a dream. We can say that the dream of the father was embodied in his daughter. In order to get closer to her goal, Mary had to go through a difficult path.

After graduating from an aviation school, Masha flew for several months as a trainee, trained on simulators, and studied theory. It is interesting that Maria does not prefer a Boeing for a flight, like her colleagues, but a Russian Superjet. When asked about the reason for choosing Russian manufacturer Maria replies that it is much more convenient for her to fly on a domestic aircraft, especially since its quality is excellent.

Looking at the photos of female civil aviation pilots in Russia, we often see adult women as well. Maria refutes the prejudice that age affects the professionalism of the pilot. According to her, even greater demands were placed on her than on the rest (again, due to age). But she managed to go through all the stages of training and testing, at the moment she is a full-fledged co-pilot. Despite busy schedule, Maria, according to her, has time for her personal life. However, sometimes, according to her, the schedule is too busy.

Aeroflot pilotess Maria Uvarovskaya about her work

The list of female pilots in Russia has about 30 people. In 2009 proud title Olga Gracheva received the aircraft commander. After 3 years, such a thing as "pilotess" appeared. Maria Uvarovskaya received this proud title in 2014.

Initially, young Maria wanted to be an architect. The understanding that she wants to connect her life with aviation came by chance, during free aviation training at DOSAAF. Then the hobby grew into a goal - to become a professional pilot. The path to the dream was thorny - I had to earn hours of flight on my own (and this is very expensive), practice on a small six-seater plane, while simultaneously working as an architect.

After graduation educational institution the girl was not immediately taken to Aeroflot, they offered to practice at another airline, which she did. After all the efforts made, Maria Uvarovskaya nevertheless fulfilled her dream and was accepted into the ranks of the Aeroflot pilots. According to her, it was not difficult for her to change the company, because the work of a pilot involves retraining for another equipment every 3 years, therefore, changing places is not the most difficult thing in this work.

As always, in cases where a pilotess is flying an aircraft, passengers are very surprised when they hear a greeting from a female pilot. But contempt or panic fear, according to Maria, she never noticed. As for working in a male team, she quickly got used to such an environment. Uvarovskaya claims that when you work for male work then over time you start to think like a man.

Not once did Maria notice any contempt, or a condescending attitude, or rudeness in her address. But there is, of course, an assumption that the male part of the Aeroflot team is discussing pilotesses (in good sense this word).

Women at all times have made an invaluable contribution to the history of Russian aviation. in the military and Peaceful time The fair sex operated the helm of the aircraft at a high level, in no way inferior to male aviators. In the twentieth century, society actively got rid of gender prejudices that dictated to a woman what to do and how to live. Now, thanks to this, women are full members of society, making their full contribution to the development of the world economy. And in our time, the fair sex can be a doctor, play football, drive a car and even fly an airplane. And this will not cause ridicule and misunderstanding, because a woman who has chosen such a profession is an example of a formed, strong personality worthy of respect and admiration.

The list of typically male professions is very long. For example, you will not find a woman - a miner, a fireman, a machinist ... But there are pilots! And not only in America (in the homeland of militant feminism), but also here. Who are these beauties and was their fate thorny?

"Nuuu, pilot ..." - you say. - “There, we even had Tereshkova, the first woman cosmonaut” ...

Yes, in our country no one will forbid a young girl to learn and get a job at Aeroflot. Another thing - will she want to do it? In addition to the skills to control a winged machine, the pilot is required to be well versed in the technical part, in the "nuts", in a word. Well, besides, the pilot must always be in good physical form(not to mention the ability to cope with stress and high level internal discipline). It's easier to go to the teacher, well, or to the manager!

Where are pilots trained? In Ulyanovsk or St. Petersburg, in flight universities. And also in schools located in smaller cities (Sasovo, Omsk, Kaluga, Buguruslan, Krasny Kut).

What do you need to submit upon admission?

• Data on overall school performance.
• Tests that confirm the excellent state of health.
• Pass psychological tests.

During study in classes reigns almost army discipline. Absenteeism is not tolerated here and no one will give marks for “eyes” or a short skirt.

So how many pilots do we have? For 2016, 450 women received a flight license. Of these, 30 women successfully pilot passenger aircraft. More than half, namely 20, are in Aeroflot (five of these ladies became first pilots, that is, crew commanders).

Why so few? The fact is that having received a certificate, the pilot must pilot only cargo aircraft for some time, improving his skills. Only after that he can be trusted with passengers (and then after retraining at the flight base - which, by the way, is also not cheap).

And do not think that the steering wheel is issued once and for all. Women (like men) constantly improve their skills, train on simulators and pass a medical commission. This moment, in particular, is shown in the Soviet film "Crew".

How about over the ocean? There are many more pilots in the country of victorious feminism. 27 thousand ladies received the license. About 1000 girls pilot civil aircraft.

When did women first take the helm?

The war acted as the engine of progress (as is the case with the development of many other male specialties). During the First World War, the number of men fell sharply, and the authorities of many countries allowed women to sit in the cockpit of winged vehicles, if only there was someone to fight.

Thus, the Frenchwoman Elisa De Laroche became the first female pilot (you can see her in this retro photo). She first took to the skies over a hundred years ago - in 1910.

IN Russian Empire there were also such revolutionaries - the most famous example can be called Princess Shakhovskaya (1915). By the end of the war, dozens of military pilots could be counted in many countries. In World War II, this figure increased even more (remember at least the “winged witches” that German soldiers were so afraid of).

As for civil aviation, even after the Second World War, it was dominated exclusively by representatives of the strong half of humanity. And only in the 21st century this "fashion" has changed.

Of course, in fairness, we note: in the 70s, courses for future pilots consisting of only girls were recruited twice in the USSR (90 graduates graduated from them). But then this practice died out on its own.

Names of modern "heavenly ballerinas"

As they say in our country, "heroes need to be known by sight." Such heroines - for sure! Moreover, their faces are beautiful, their characters are strong, their fate is unusual and more than interesting. Of course, we cannot tell about each of the thirty. But we can shed some light on the biography of women who communicate with the press more often than others.

Maria Uvarovskaya

Since 2014, he has been the commander of the Airbus A320 of Aeroflot.

She claims that in Russia it is not a problem to learn to be a pilotess. However, getting a job and piloting an airplane is still difficult. Firstly, many passengers are more than wary of pilots in a skirt, and secondly, it is not easy to work with every male colleague (and the “complete set” of crews changes all the time, as the management believes: if the pilots are not familiar, they they will not trust each other, which means they will more carefully check the indicators of devices, controlling each other).

It is also difficult with relatives who do not always let their daughters or wives go to heaven. For example, the first thing Maria does after every landing is to call her mother. Although she let her daughter go to conquer the skies, she is terribly worried about her during each flight.

Pilotess A-320.

This is not just the owner of a flight license, but the continuer of the family business (all the men in Olga's family were aviators).

For this woman, the biggest problem in her work turned out to be going on maternity leave. She was forced to hide her interesting position to the last, retraining for another model of the aircraft already with a decent tummy. Before giving birth, the authorities, having learned about the upcoming decree of the woman, fired her with shouts. Fortunately, everything ended well - when the baby grew up, Olga was accepted into Aeroflot.

Children are the hardest part of the job of a female pilot. It’s good when there is someone to look after them (for example, Olga’s son lives with her mother, her grandmother).

The youngest pilot in our country (and throughout the world too), who received the helm of a passenger ship at only 23 years old. He has been piloting Superjet since the end of 2016.

And then there is Olga Gracheva (since 2009 - Boeing 767 commander), Tatyana Rymanova (Boeing 737 commander), Elena Novichkova (Airbus A320 FAC), Daria Sinichkina (piloting the Sukhoi Superjet-100 since 2015), Larina Evmurzaeva (the first pilot among Chechen women) and many others.

Well, this video will tell about another living legend, with whom we were lucky to be born. Svetlana Kapanina was named the seven-time absolute champion in aerobatics (and this title was given to her not by other "heavenly swallows", but by harsh male pilots). Yes, this woman is probably the only one in the sports federation ... And at the same time the best! As her fans say, "ace in a skirt." So, "Wings of Parma", performance for 2017. It's really beautiful!