One hundred years ago the pilot Peter Nesterov died in the implementation of the world’s first air ram on a German aircraft. Peter Nesterov is known as the pilot, who first in the world performed aerobatics “loop”.
Way to aviation Peter Nikolayevich Nesterov (1887-1914) was rapid. In 1910 he - artillery officer – went in for an aviation and in summer 1911 he built a glider. He was flying on this glider. October 1911 he was enrolled in Officer aeronautics school in St. Petersburg. August 29, 1912 P.N.Nesterov was transferred to Gatchina aeronautical schools. September 12, 1912 he made his first solo flight in an airplane. September 28 passed the exam for the title of the pilot-aviator, and October 5, 1912 - exam for the title of a military pilot.
April 26, 1913 Lieutenant Nesterov began to perform the duties of the chief of the 11th Corps Detachment 3rd aviation company in Kiev, which was based on Syretski military airfield (near today's factory "Bolshevik").
Then Kiev was one of the centers of world aviation. Kiev Society of Aeronautics was headed by its founder, the disciple of M.E.Zhukovsky, Professor Kyiv Polytechnic Institute M.B.Delone; members of the society were O.S.Kudashev, D.P.Grigorovich, brothers Andrew, Eugene and Ivan Kasyanenko, I. Sikorsky and other aviation pioneers. P.N.Nesterov became a member of the Kiev Society of Aeronautics. He constantly improved in piloting. 10-11 August 1913 Peter without preparation flew along the route Kiev-Oster-Nizhin Kiev. A few days later, he repeated the flight, but led a group of three aircraft. It was the world's first group flight, with four landings at selected from the air sites. Nesterov was flying with an cameraman Vladimir Dobzhansky, who shot from the aircraft first in a history of aviation half hour documentary.
While still a student of Gatchina aviation school, Nesterov was discussing with colleagues the possibility of flying in circles - so-called "dead loop". None of the aviators on it yet dared. Only a Frenchman Adolphe Pegu, test pilot of the company "Bleriot", performed in the air a shape like the letter "S".
After training, calculations, thought Nesterov realized that he could implement his plan. August 27 (September 9, New Style), 1913 he was on the plane "Nieuport IV" with the engine "Gnome" power of 70 horsepower rose above Syretska military airfield and at an altitude of 600 meters in front of numerous spectators performed the world's first "loop the loop", which subsequently became known as the "Nesterov loop".
That same evening an official telegram, signed by ten witnesses - military pilots, doctors and Commissioner Russia aviation club in Kiev was sent to St. Petersburg. From St. Petersburg correspondent of the Paris newspaper "Matin" immediately telegraphed about events in France. The next day at the same time with the Russian newspaper "Matin" filed a first report of a "loop".
In the article "How I made a loop," published in the "St. Petersburg newspaper" on 4 and 5 September 1913 Nesterov wrote: "... I sat head down for a few moments and did not feel rush of blood to the head, I was sitting tightly, and legs pressed on the pedal ... Tools in the open boxes remained in their places. Gasoline and oil also keeps the centrifugal force at the bottom of the tank, ie, at the top, and normally fed to the engine, which worked perfectly the entire upper half of the loop. In general, all this proves that the airplane made regular rotation, only in the vertical plane, as all the time there was a dynamic equilibrium. With this only turning the air is defeated by man. ... Man mistakenly forgot that in the air the support is everywhere, and he should cease to determine the direction in relation to the earth. "
The message of the "loop the loop" became a worldwide sensation. He continued record flights. In particular, 1 March 1914 Nesterov with mechanic Rudenko on the plane "Nieuport IV" flew from Kiev to Odessa for 3 hours and 9 minutes, and a few days later - in Sevastopol. May 11, 1914 on the same plane with the mechanic Nelidov he completed a one-day flight with three landings for refueling from Kiev to St Petersburg for 18 hours (in the air 8 hours).
... July 28, 1914 the First World War begun. 11th Squadron, commanded by Nesterov, arrived in Radzivilov, and soon - in the city Zhovkva located on thirty kilometers on the north from Lviv. Nesterov made reconnaissance flights and once made the first bombing by adapted for this artillery shells.
Soon the Russian troops began to be molested by Austrian pilot Baron Fredric von Rosenthal, who committed daily aerial reconnaissance on its "Albatross" biplane. Evening of August 25, 1914 Quartermaster General M.D. Bonch-Bruevich at the meeting blamed the pilots for flying with impunity enemy reconnaissance and finally accused them of cowardice. Then Nesterov gave his word that he will stop flying Austrian.
The next morning the enemy "Albatross" again appeared in the sky. Nesterov and Lieutenant Alexander Kovanko rose into the air, but on takeoff the rope with weights, that Peter was hoping to damage the screw "Albatross" and get him to sit down, broke off (this device to combat enemy airplanes he invented himself). Nesterov with Kovanko returned to earth. Peter ordered his mechanic prepare the aircraft for the new flight, and he sat in the car and drove to the army treasury to get money for the 11th squad. When returning back he saw again the Baron aircraft. Nesterov drive right up to his plane, quickly took off, and began to pursue the enemy. He noticed the approach of Nesterov “Moran”, tried to break away from him. But the Russian pilot caught up with the enemy, came from behind and hit the top of the Austrian aircraft, after which both aircraft fell and broke.
.. The body of Peter Nesterov was moved to Kiev and buried in the cemetery near the grave of Askold. Tens of thousands of Kiev inhabitants came to say goodbye to the hero. Nesterov posthumously was awarded the Order of St. George IV degree and promoted to captain. Once in the 1930s, it was decided to set up a park on the site of the cemetery at the grave of Askold, the ashes Peter Nesterov were reburied on Lukyanovsky cemetery.
Over time, "Nesterov loop" has become usual for aircraft aerobatics and air ram was used by Soviet pilots in WWII more than six hundred times.
Kiev keeps the memory of an outstanding pilot. On the facade of the house number 5 on the Moscow street, where in 1914 Nesterov lived, a memorial plaque was installed. Street was named after him in the area of the plant "Bolshevik". Monument P.N.Nesterov was installed before the administrative building of the production plant, "Antonov".