The brave aviator strove to become a pioneer, but fate did not favor him. The military service glorified his name, but everyday life in combat ended in disaster in the literal and figurative sense of the word.
Ambitious people were the first to rise to the sky. They longed for a record, dreamed of becoming pioneers. Not many have succeeded. Our hero was not one of the lucky ones, he was dissatisfied with his modest achievements. The change of citizenship made him an outcast and broke the hearts of his loved ones.
Childhood
In 1888, the teacher Alexander Nikanorovich Agafonov and his wife moved to Baku. Three years later, it was time to replenish the number of family members. Unsettled life forced the lady to leave her husband for a year and move to his relatives in the Samara province. There, in 1891, a woman gave birth to her first child, who was named Alexander. Later, she gave her husband two more sons: Eugene and Nikolai.
From childhood, Sasha showed interest in the exact sciences. At the age of 9, he entered the Baku Real School, which he graduated with good grades. In 1906, his father received the rank of court counselor, therefore he welcomed the heir's desire to continue his education and postpone the search for work. In 1907, the teenager went to St. Petersburg, where he successfully passed the entrance exams to the Technological Institute of Emperor Nicholas I.
Youth
The student of the Faculty of Mechanics was keenly interested in all the novelties that were more reminiscent of the work of science fiction writers. Like most of his peers, he was carried away by the idea of conquering the sky. Our hero in his free time began to attend an aeronautical club. The hobby took up more and more time and opened up tempting prospects. Sasha began to study at the Gamayun school at the Shchetinin plant, which produced airplanes. The famous pilot Yevgeny Rudnev taught here.
A year before graduation from the institute, the young man asked for an academic leave. He received an aviator diploma, joined the First Russian Aeronautics Association and wanted to make a career as a pilot. As soon as all the formalities were settled, the young man moved to Gatchina and plunged into his favorite pastime. There was little time for training - the situation was such that a beginner could try to write his name in the history of aviation.
Hard way
In 1911, Russian aircraft designers and pilots declared that the machines and people were sufficiently prepared to make a record-breaking flight. The two main cities of the empire, St. Petersburg and Moscow, were chosen as the start and finish line of the route. The venture was so dangerous that the military command forbade combat pilots to participate in the competition. Among the brave men who were ready to do the impossible was Alexander Agafonov.
On July 10, our hero's Farman rose from the Commandant airfield and lay down on the course. Technical problems began over Valdai, and we had to land. After the repair, the car took off again, but only reached Novgorod. There, the winged losers were informed that the winner's laurels went to Alexander Vasiliev. Agafonov did not break this. He continued to participate in competitions. To guarantee his success, the aviator was hired by Shchetinin to test new aircraft. However, flying on improved devices did not allow him to take the first prize. Participation in parades and air shows did not count.
War
Disappointed in flying for the sake of science, Alexander Agafonov decided to seek fame on the battlefield. In the fall of 1912, the Balkan War began. Russia supported the anti-Turkish coalition and sent its specialists to Belgrade. Our hero arrived with the Dux airplane specially prepared for combat missions. This bird lived up to his hopes. At the beginning of 1913the pilot returned to his homeland, where his contribution to the common cause of the fight against the Ottomans was awarded the Order of Military Merit.
The veteran wanted to return to the ranks of winged athletes. Once again, he was fascinated by the idea of a range record. By 1914, he completed the preparation of the aircraft, which, in his opinion, was superior to similar models. The plans of the conqueror of the sky were destroyed by the First World War. The owner of combat experience was drafted into the army, and had to forget about the records for a while. Alexander Agafonov carried out reconnaissance to adjust fire and visited aircraft factories, where he received equipment for the front.
Fatal decisions
In March 1915, the airplane of the non-commissioned officer of the Knight of St. George Alexander Agafonov crashed. The wounded pilot was sent to a hospital in Grodno. After recovery, the front-line soldier was found unfit to continue military service. He went to St. Petersburg and tried to find his place in a peaceful life. Agafonov decided to continue his studies, he entered the Polytechnic Institute, which he graduated with a degree in engineering.
The country, which gave all its strength to the war, did not need specialists who were not related to the army. The personal life of our hero was not arranged, nothing prevented him from seeking happiness abroad. Agafonov went to Scandinavia. All this time, he kept in touch with his relatives who lived in Baku.
Alexander's brothers and nephews chose different fields of activity and were able to achieve a lot in the Soviet Union. They had envious people who looked for any flaw in their biographies. Agafonov was hinted that the correspondence with Alexander, who lives abroad, could be presented as evidence of espionage. In the 30s. XX century it was decided to stop communicating, and nothing is known about the further fate of the pilot.
