Lydia Zvereva facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lydia Zvereva
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Lidiya Zvereva in 1911
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| Born |
Lydia Vissarionovna Zvereva
13 August 1890 |
| Died | 1 May 1916 (aged 25) |
| Known for | First female licensed pilot in Russia |
Lydia Vissarionovna Zvereva (born August 13, 1890 – died May 1, 1916) was a brave Russian pilot. She was the very first woman in Russia to get a pilot's license! Even though she lived only to age 25, Lydia Zvereva is famous for her amazing achievements as a female aviator. She flew in exciting air shows across Eastern Europe. Later, with her husband Vladimir Victorovich Slusarenko, she even ran a factory that built airplanes in Riga.
Early Life and Inspiration
Lydia Zvereva was born in Saint Petersburg in 1890. Her family was involved in the military. She went to school at the Czar Nicholas I Institute for Girls.
Around 1910, many exciting aviation shows happened in Russia. French and German pilots came to fly, making people very excited about airplanes. One of these pilots was Raymonde de Laroche, a French pioneer. She was the first woman in the world to get a pilot's license. Her success encouraged other women, like Lydia, to dream of flying.
Becoming a Pilot
Just one year later, on August 22, 1911, Lydia Zvereva earned her pilot's license. She got certificate No. 31 from the Russian Aviation Association Flying School in Gatchina. This made her the first Russian woman to become a licensed pilot! She was also the eighth woman in the world to achieve this.
For a while, Lydia flew with a sportsman named E. Spitzberg. They performed in air shows all over Eastern Europe. Lydia flew a Farman IV plane in competitions where pilots tried to fly as high as possible.
Sometimes, events would not let Lydia participate, or they asked for very high entry fees. Because of these challenges and the constant travel, she started thinking about building airplanes instead.
Building Airplanes
Lydia decided to open an airplane factory with her husband, Vladimir Victorovich Slusarenko. He had been her flight instructor. With help from a motorist named Fjodor Kalep, Lydia and Vladimir signed a contract with the government. They planned to create a workshop to repair planes and a school to train pilots in Riga. By mid-1914, their company was building ten Farman XVI airplanes!
When World War I started, their factory moved and grew bigger in Saint Petersburg. They began mass-producing Farman and Morane-type aircraft. Lydia would sometimes test fly the new planes. She checked how the updated models worked.
On May 19, 1914, Lydia Zvereva performed an amazing show in a Morane monoplane in Riga. A huge crowd watched her at the hippodrome. She performed a "loop" – flying the plane in a complete circle in the air! She was the first female pilot ever to do this, and the crowd was absolutely amazed.
Sad End
Sadly, in April 1916, Lydia Zvereva became very sick with typhoid fever. She passed away on May 1, 1916, at the young age of 25. She was buried in Alexander Nevski Monastery. As a tribute to her, a group of airplanes flew over the cemetery during her funeral.
See also
In Spanish: Lidia Zvéreva para niños
