Elizaveta Shahkhatuni facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizaveta Shahkhatuni
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| Born | 22 December 1911 |
| Died | 28 October 2011 |
| Other names | Yelyzaveta Shahatuni; Jelysaweta Schachatuni |
Elizaveta Shahkhatuni (born December 22, 1911 – died October 28, 2011) was a brilliant engineer. She was from Armenia. Elizaveta became famous for designing airplanes. She worked in the Soviet Union and Ukraine. She was also a university teacher. Elizaveta was married to Oleg Antonov, another famous aircraft designer.
Life and Work
Elizaveta Avetovna Shahkhatuni was born in Armenia in December 1911. Her mother was a teacher. Her father was a politician. Elizaveta loved learning about engineering. She studied at Yerevan State University. Then, in 1930, she joined the Moscow Aviation Institute. She was very good at flying gliders. After finishing her studies in 1935, she started working in the aviation industry.
By 1937, Elizaveta was a specialist. She worked with aircraft weapons and equipment. She worked at the Ilyushin aircraft plant in Moscow. Soon, she moved to a smaller factory in Tushino. There, she worked with Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov. He was the chief designer.
In 1941, Oleg Antonov asked Elizaveta to join his design team. They were building gliders in Kaunas. Elizaveta and Oleg got married. This was before the German-Soviet war began. When the war started, their team moved to Moscow. Elizaveta worked on important projects. She helped design a special glider. It could carry armored vehicles by air.
Later, in 1946, Elizaveta worked with Antonov again. This was at the Novosibirsk aircraft plant. She led a team there. Her team did important calculations. These calculations were for the SChA-1 biplane. This plane was the first version of the famous Antonov An-2.
Elizaveta Shahkhatuni became a professor. She also earned a doctorate in technical science. She taught at the Kiev Institute of Civil Aviation Engineers. She kept working on Antonov's airplane designs. She even helped invent a new way to weld and bond parts. This new method made airplanes last much longer.
Elizaveta Shahkhatuni passed away on October 28, 2011. She had an Armenian funeral service. She was buried in the Baikove Cemetery in Kiev.
Awards and Recognition
Elizaveta Shahkhatuni received several important awards for her work:
- Lenin Prize (1962) – This was for her work on the Antonov An-22 airplane.
- Order of Lenin
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour
- Order of the Badge of Honour
