Tag Archives: Russia

Like Amelia: But Only 19, She Successfully Circled the Globe

Leave a reply

An ultralight plane piloted by a young woman from Belgium took off from Albuquerque (ABQ), New Mexico, in the United States, on September 10, 2021, headed northward. But it was no ordinary flight. ABQ was but one of many stops on 19-year-old Zara Rutherford’s record-breaking attempt to fly solo (“Zolo” in urban slang) around the world.

It turns out that she succeeded, now holding the title of the youngest woman to achieve this feat in a single-engine aircraft, taking over from Shaesta Waiz, an American from Afghanistan, who circumnavigated the globe solo at age 30 in 2017.

Rutherford, who also holds British nationality, will dramatically cut the gap to the youngest male holder, Travis Ludlow, who was 18 years (and 150 days) old when he accomplished the same thing in July 2021.

The first woman to fly solo around the world was Geraldine ‘Jerrie’ Mock, a housewife from Columbus, Ohio. Mock completed the 23,103-mile flight in 29 days 11 hours 59 minutes, landing at Port Columbus Airport on April 17, 1964.

Rutherford’s aim with her solo circumnavigation flight in the two-seater Shark Aircraft was to reduce the gender gap in aviation, as well as in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.

“With this flight, I want to encourage girls and young women to pursue their dreams,” the aviatrix wrote on her website, Flyzolo.com. 

The 19-year-old pilot cites her inspirations as Lillian Bland, Bessie Coleman, Valentina Tereshkova, and Amelia Earhart. Not content with flying solo around the world, another one of Rutherford’s dreams is to become an astronaut.

Becky Lutte, Associate Professor in the Aviation Institute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, noted that women represent less than 20% of the aviation workforce in most occupations, including only 5% of airline pilots and 2.5% of maintenance technicians.

“Outreach to young women is essential to closing the gender gap in aviation,” Lutte said.

The below composite video is 6:34 minutes long.

Here are some of the interesting data that summarizes here flight’s accomplishments.:

Aircraft used: The Shark, an Ultralite built-in Slovakia, Czech Republic.

Total distance covered in flight: 52,080.3 Miles (over twice the distance of Jerry Mock’s flight!)

Total time in flight: 200 hours

Landings: 71

Number of stops: 69, including 10 diversions to airfields other than planned

Returns to the same airfield from which departed: 2

Longest Leg: 2000 KM, or 1080 Nautical Miles (NM)

Longest Leg over water: 1861 KM or 1005 NM

Highest Altitude Flown: 13,800′ (Over Greenland)

Continents into which flown: 5

Countries into which flown: 31

Highest Temperature Experienced: 31 Degrees Celsius (87.8 Fahrenheit) in Indonesia

Lowest Temperature: -34 Celsius (- 29.2 degrees F)

MAKS-2021 (Russia’s) International Aviation and Space Salon

Leave a reply

The MAKS International Aviation and Space Salon is the official title of Russia’s annual International Air Show . . . just per chance the name, “Salon” threw you off the headline’s meaning.

Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, lauded his nation’s new entry into the Air Power world of their new SU 35 5th Generation Fighter.  It was manufactured by the country’s renown aircraft maker, Sukhoi.  The annual event opened Tuesday (July 20, 2021) in Zhukovsky, outside of Moscow.

Several Russian aircraft manufacturers unveiled other prototypes and currently operational aircraft, including new fighter jets, one that features stealth capabilities and other advanced characteristics, which, like the U.S. F-35, will be offered to foreign buyers.

The event also included competitions and air demonstrations by other visiting countries as well as by the host nation.

The following are some insights into the big Air Show events by way of several videos produced by Russian’s International Television platform, RT.  RT’s sister News agency, available via the Internet, also with International distribution, is known as RUPTLY or Daily Motion (streaming TV).

Stay posted for our usual coverage of the world’s largest Airshow event, held each year in Oshkosh, WI, AirVenture 2021, which is occurring simultaneously with this Russian MAKS “Salon” 2021.  AirVenture is usually personally covered by a number of FASF members, who are also active members of the event’s host, the EAA.

The below MAKS video is only 2:06 long and is summary of Rotary and Fixed Wing as well as Fighters doing their aerobatic maneuvers on air show day 2.

And, here below, are some clips of the opening day’s Air Show, 23:16 long, including various airborne ships strutting their capabilities:

And for those of you who love Rotary Wing Aircraft, here is a 8:22 long Russian Helicopter manufacturer, Rosoboronexport’s, pitch for these novel ships, including the latest offshore Mi-171A3; multipurpose (including fire-fighting) Ka-32A11M; and Ansat-M, passenger Ka-62 and the military combat ship, the Ka-52K:

The Great 2019 Paris Air Show – This Past Monday June 17th

Leave a reply

Oshkosh (in Wisconsin) is the biggest Air Show here in the States, but in Europe, it’s the bi-annual Paris Air Show, held at Paris’ famed Le Bourget every other Spring.  It’s billed as the world oldest show, having been first held in 1909.

Here is the great aviation videographer, Sam Chui’s, BEST OF THE 2019 PARIS AIR SHOW.  It is 23:25 long. Sam shows us all of the very latest in both business jets and regular airline equipment.  He’ll even give you a quick peek at some futuristic automated air taxi designs during his tour.

Remember to go full-screen on both of these videos to more fully appreciate their high resolution photography.  And don’t forget your sound, too.  Here you’ll see the arrival of French President Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron  and other dignitaries, as well.  Mr. Chui will also bring the viewer to the inside displays, where you’ll bear witness to a WWI fighter aircraft, not just the most recent flying machines.  You’ll even get a sales talk from some of the manufacturer’s reps and a few of the well-informed Flight Attendants, too.  Also a cockpit tour of a brand new glass panel LCD display by a female Aircraft Captain.

Next is a video of last Monday’s opener, and some highlights of the opening day of the Show captured by Airailimages on Monday, 17 June 2019. The Russian Beriev jet seaplane air tanker is a must-see.

Also, the Rafale fighter put on a great show, as did Airbus and Boeing large jetliners. It’s a sprawling event with acres of aircraft and vendors. The first part of the week is for business attendees only, but later on the show grounds are available to the public. The show provides a good media platform for photography, which happens to be near a staging area for aircraft in the show. This occasionally has the unintended effect of masking the sounds of the flying aircraft with other sounds on the ground, but the spectacular view offsets that disadvantage.

 

Watch the One-And-Only Svetlana Showing Off Over Russia

2 Replies

Svetlana Kapanina

      Svetlana exits her plane after a show.

Kapanina was born on December 28, 1968 in Shchuchinsk,  Kazakhstan.   And, now at 50, she remains active in the European and American Air Show circuit.

She dedicated herself to a number of different sports at school and always enjoyed motorcycles – and  other motor vehicles, as well. She enrolled at medical school in Tselinograd, where she graduated in medical support sciences. She started flying at 19, in 1988, in a Sukhoi Su-26M3,  (see below right) while working as a technician at the Kurgan Sports Aviation Club.

The Sukhoi S-26M in which Svetlana learned aerobatics.

By 1991 she was already an instructor pilot at DOSAAF‘s (Volunteer Society for Cooperation with the Army, Aviation, and Navy) Irkutsk Club, and then went back to Kurgan. In 1991, she became a member of the Russian national aerobatic team. In 1995 she graduated from Kaluga Aeronautical  Technical School.

She is now lives in Moscow with her husband and two children.

in aerobatics Kapanina was World Aerobatic Champion in the women’s category in 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2011 and has won the title more times than any other pilot in that (women’s) category.  In addition, she was overall World Air Games Champion in 1997 and 2001.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, poses with Svetalna after awarding her National Order of Courage

Together with Mikhail Mamistov and Oleg Spolyansky, she won the team gold medal in the 16th FAI European Aerobatic Championships in 2008 in Hradec Králové (Czech Republic). She placed fourth overall and was best female participant.

In 1997, she received the Paul Tissandier Diploma by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).  In 2005 she was awarded the Sabiha Gökçen Medal[2] and the Centenary Medal by the FAI. She was awarded Russia’s Order of Courage by President Vladimir Putin on December 22, 2014 (see photo immediately above to the left), just 6 days before her 46th birthday.

Watch Svetlana run through one of her Airshow routines over her home country, after greeting the crowd over the loudspeakers.  This video is about 17 minutes long.  Turn your sound up and go to full screen to fully appreciate the excellent high-resolution videography.

And also, below, watch her airplane cavorting through the sky with her hallmark precision in one of her World Aerobatic Competitions.  You will witness Svetlana performing some extremely difficult manuevers with astounding accuracy. It’s a short clip, only 3:57 in length.  Like an accomplished Prima Donna ballerina, this woman aviator may make these manuevers look easy, but they are, as you might expect, extraordinarily difficult – often involving Svetlana pulling fairly severe positive and negative “G’s” (Gravity Forces).