He became the first aviator to conquer the North Pole. It was too early to uncork the champagne, because he was simply conducting exploration to implement a more grandiose plan.
At the beginning of the 20th century. many boys dreamed of the sky. The pilot's profession was considered the most romantic. After the epic with the rescue of the expedition of Umberto Nobile, the steering wheel of the plane ceased to be the ultimate dream - if we were to fly, then certainly over the poorly studied areas of the Far North. Pavel Golovin was one of those lucky ones for whom the path of a pioneer was a job.
Childhood
Our hero was born in April 1909. His father was an employee, the family lived in Naro-Fominsk near Moscow. In those days, it was practically a province. Parents did not inspire their son with vain plans for the future, they only wanted to live no worse than others. Pavlik, like all children of that time, was fond of reading the adventure novels of Jules Verne and imagined himself in the place of the heroes of the books, but did not imagine how to become a real traveler.
The teenager graduated from school after the revolution. Times were difficult, so it was necessary to master a working profession. There was an enterprise in his hometown, whose products were always in demand, and the workers earned good money, it was a textile factory. The teenager began to work there.
Dreams Come True
The young Soviet Union was a land of romantics and innovators. A gliding circle of Osaviakhim worked at the factory, thanks to which Pashka's biography made a sharp turn. Pilots, of course, were not trained here, but the opportunity to climb into the sky for a provincial boy was akin to a flight into space. The hobby did not affect the work activity, in which the young man showed diligence. The textile masters convinced him that he should get a decent education, and recommended to enter the Moscow Construction College.
The pragmatism of adults began to weigh on the young man. He studied diligently, but devoted all his free time to gliders. It all ended with the fact that the student himself applied for transfer to the Osaviakhim flight school in Tushino. Here Golovin showed himself - he was not just an excellent student, but the best. Having received a diploma in 1930, the young aviator remained in the educational institution in the status of an instructor, and then a school flight commander.
Fateful meeting
In 1932, a meeting of glider pilots was held in Koktebel. Moscow was represented by Pavel Golovin. The program of the event included both demonstration performances and competitions. Our hero distinguished himself - he set two world and one all-Union records. The champion was promised a brilliant career, he met many pilots, whom he had only heard of before, or read in the newspapers.
2 years have passed since the Crimean triumph. Anatoly Alekseev dropped in to visit one of Pavel's comrades. It was he who, in the crew of the "Red Bear" under the command of Boris Chukhnovsky, participated in the rescue of the balloonists from the "Italy". The famous aviator could not leave the capital until all the guys for whom he became an idol were introduced to him. Pasha Golovin was among those invited to the meeting. Alekseev knew how to talk about adventures in the North. The witty and captivating story delighted Golovin, and he himself expressed a desire to serve in the North. An older friend helped him become part of the winged team of Glavsevmorput.
First over the Pole
Starting from the post of the first pilot of the Dornier-Val amphibious aircraft, Golovin demonstrated the highest class. Colleagues rejoiced at the success of the young pilot, who was entrusted with ice reconnaissance and the evacuation of people from meteorological stations. Pavel was fascinated by the idea of a team of scientists landing at the North Pole.
In 1937, four daredevils were found who were ready to winter on the ice, the question of who would take them there was being decided. This was a task for the best, each pilot wanted to contribute to the great cause of conquering the top of the globe. Golovin was lucky again - he was entrusted with reconnaissance of the Papanin's landing site. Departures fell on the guy's birthday. Maybe he wanted to celebrate the holiday by landing at the pole, and he knew for sure that his commander Mikhail Vodopyanov would not scold him for this trick, but, having made a circle, he returned to the base. His reports allowed vehicles with members of the expedition to take off.
War
Pavel was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for a perfectly completed assignment. Friends hinted that it was time for a prominent gentleman to find a wife for himself, but they rarely managed to take a vacation, fly to Moscow and hit on local girls, there was not enough time for personal life. Soon the news came about the disappearance of Sigismund Levanevsky's plane, which was flying on the route Moscow-North Pole-USA, and Golovin took part in his search, which ended in failure. Literary creativity helped to cope with gloomy thoughts.
Golovin was laying new air routes in the Far North when the war with Finland began. The pilot was sent to the front. The young colonel took up not staff work, but the most dangerous tasks. In 1940, Pavel asked for a test flight. The presentiment of a big war was in the air, and our hero managed to get acquainted with all the shortcomings of Soviet combat aircraft, he wanted to try out the technique that would go into battle with the most dangerous enemy.
Pavel's comrades joked that he had no luck on his birthday. I have never been able to spend this day in the capital with my family. In 1940, the gloomy tradition came to an end. The next day, the aviator flew a new bomber into the sky. During the flight, the car fell into a tailspin. Pavel Golovin could not save her, he and his comrades died.
