Women have no place in aviation. Marina Popovich has heard this phrase many times in her life. But showing perseverance and determination, she proved in practice that she has every right to realize her dreams.
Childhood and youth
In the vast sky, in the immense sky, a girl flies over her country. These are lines from a popular song that sounded on the radio in the 50s of the last century. Yes, those were the years when there were no barriers for the Soviet people either at sea or on land. Marina Lavrentievna Popovich was born on July 21, 1931 in a large family. Parents by that time lived on the Leonenki farm, on the territory of the Smolensk region. Father, Lavrenty Vasiliev, worked as a raft raft along the Western Dvina. Mother, Ksenia Shcherbakova, was engaged in housekeeping and raising children, of whom five grew up in the house.
In his spare time, the head of the family was engaged in the manufacture of violins and other musical instruments. Relatives often gathered in the house and sang folk songs. Uncle played the button accordion, father played the violin, and Marina played cymbals. Friends and neighbors were sure that the girl would be a professional musician and make a brilliant career in this field. However, the war began, and all plans had to be canceled. The family was evacuated to the distant city of Novosibirsk. Echelon with refugees was bombed by enemy planes several times. Marina will remember these moments for the rest of her life.
Road to sky
In Novosibirsk, the girl graduated from high school and entered the aviation technical school. From the first time, Marina did not pass the medical examination due to her small stature. Then she found a technique and simulators to remove this obstacle. And literally in a year has grown by more than ten centimeters. With a height of 161 cm and at the age of 16, she was accepted to study. Simultaneously with classes on the program, Popovich was trained at the flying club. For the first time, she sat at the helm of an airplane in 1948. But this was not enough for her - she wanted to become a military pilot.
It is impossible for a woman to enter a military flight school. But not for Marina Popovich. She achieved an appointment with the chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers and received permission to enroll in cadets. In the early 60s, Marina Leontievna mastered the technique of piloting jet aircraft. At that time, she was the only female test pilot in the Soviet Union. On the MiG-21 jet fighter, she was the first woman to break the sound barrier. In newspapers and on television, she began to be called "Madame MiG".
Recognition and privacy
Marina Popovich was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner of Labor and the "Badge of Honor" for her multifaceted activity in the development of aeronautical engineering. After retiring, she devoted a lot of effort to work on the patriotic education of young people.
In the personal life of the test pilot, there were two marriages. The first time she married the pilot-cosmonaut Pavel Popovich. They have lived together for over 30 years. Raised and raised two daughters. But the family broke up in the 80s.
Marina's second husband was a military pilot Boris Zhikharev. With him she lived the rest of her days. Marina Popovich passed away in November 2017.
