The legendary man Pavel Soloviev is the founder of gas turbine engine building in Russia. He is called "the last of the greats." Until now, the developments of the Perm Design Bureau, which he headed for 35 years, remain at the leading positions in the industry.
Biography
Pavel Soloviev was born on June 26, 1918 in the Ivanovo region. This is the famous textile region of Russia, so the life of his family was subject to the then established routine. The factories in the town of Kineshma, where the Solovievs later moved, worked according to a special schedule. In winter and spring, workers worked in factories, and in summer and autumn they went out into the fields, where everyone had their own allotment.
Paul's family had five children, he was born middle. The elders are brother Nikolai and sister Lydia, the younger ones are brother Vitaly and sister Galina. According to Pavel's recollections, mother Maria Stepanovna was the main one in the family. She adhered to strict, but not arbitrary, rules of upbringing. She monitored the observance of family traditions, she had all the main agricultural work - father Alexander Andreevich did not really like to do this. Pavel has been actively helping to work in the field since the age of eight.
But Paul was not at all drawn to the village life. He was very fond of reading, for which he often got from his parents. After completing all the household chores, there was no time left for books, I had to hide at night in the attic with a candle. Therefore, his parents periodically scolded him - an open fire in a wooden house is a dangerous business.
Pavel graduated from high school, for classes he had to cross the Volga on his own boat. After graduation, he entered the Rybinsk Aviation Institute, it was in 1934.
student life
As it turned out later, Pavel Soloviev added a year to his real age, and entered the institute at the age of 16. Therefore, all sources indicate the year of his birth in 1917, although in the church metric the birth mark was made in 1918. He mastered the program of the 10th grade of the school himself. By that time, Pavel's father had died, and his mother asked him to find a job or study in order to "get rid of household expenses."
Soloviev was a diligent student. Since by age he did not fit into the general team and rarely participated in entertainment, he devoted all his free time to education - he read, solved problems, drew some schemes. In 1937, an aeroclub was organized at the institute, where Pavel immediately applied.
All students who passed by age were later taken into the army. Soloviev was offered to start teaching, he talked about the design of the M-11 engine and training aircraft. I even received a decent salary, which was 5 times the scholarship.
Pavel Soloviev graduated from the Institute with honors. To start his working career, he was offered a choice of three cities: Zaporozhye, Ulan-Ude, Perm. At that time, the Ural city was the most modern - so Soloviev ended up in Perm in 1940 in OKB-19.
The chief designer then was A. Shvetsov, who at first sent Pavel to the test bench. Solovyov did not like this, and he stubbornly asked to be a designer. Shvetsov appreciated the graduate's persistence, and the first project was work on centrifugal compressors.
Career
In 1948, Soloviev was appointed deputy chief designer. After the death of A. Shvetsov in 1953, the leading role in the design bureau passed to Soloviev. He held this post for 35 years.
During the war, Pavel Alexandrovich remained in the city. Organized the work of young people, continued to work on engines. The working day was increased to 12 hours, although this was not enough, they often stayed overnight right at the factories. It was during the war period that Soloviev met A. Tupolev.
Soloviev became the founder of a new direction in the development of aircraft engines. The first by-pass gas turbine engine D-20P is the brainchild of Solovyov, and this development has significantly outstripped all Western analogues.
Later, the world's first gas turbine engines for helicopters appeared - they were used to equip the Mi-6 and Mi-10. And in 1964, a "heart" appeared for a passenger liner. The D-30 engine was installed on the Tu family, it was the most economical and perfect for that time.
For a long time, Soloviev taught at the Perm Polytechnic, and in 1961 he was awarded the title of professor of the Department of Aircraft Engines. In 1967 he became a doctor of technical sciences, in 1981 he became a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
The last project of the famous designer was the D-90 engine, which was later renamed in his honor (PS-90). Pavel Soloviev died suddenly in November 1996.
Awards
Soloviev was a recognized specialist in the development of engines for aircraft engineering, therefore his contribution to this industry is highly appreciated. His first awards appeared back in 1945. For extensive work on the development of piston engines, he and 40 other people received their commemorative signs. Solovyov was awarded the Order of the Red Star.
In 1949, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor appeared - this is how P. Solovyov was noted for his work on the engine for the Il-14.
All the awards make up an impressive list, here are just a few of them:
- four Orders of Lenin
- Order of the October Revolution
- medal for labor valor
- two certificates of honor from the Presidium of the RSFSR Armed Forces, etc.
In addition, Soloviev was an honorary citizen of Perm, was recognized as a hero of Socialist Labor, had a badge "Honorary aircraft builder", a laureate of the State and Lenin prizes.
Personal life
In his youth, Soloviev was fond of football, was a member of the institute's team. I also went in for boxing.
He was very fond of photography and video filming. He called himself a gambling photographer. He could climb into the cockpit of an airplane or helicopter and capture an official delegation from above.
Solovyov has three daughters. The two elders - Irina and Nadezhda - followed in the footsteps of their father. We worked and taught in a technical direction. The youngest Lyudmila chose medicine and became a surgeon.
