PILOTS from Russia

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Russian Pilots of all time. This list of famous Russian Pilots is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Russian Pilots.

1. Marina Raskova (1912 - 1943)

With an HPI of 58.23, Marina Raskova is the most famous Russian Pilot.  Her biography has been translated into 36 different languages on wikipedia.

Marina Mikhaylovna Raskova (Russian: Мари́на Миха́йловна Раско́ва, IPA: [mɐˈrʲinə mʲɪˈxajləvnə rɐˈskovə]; née Malinina; 28 March 1912 – 4 January 1943) was the first woman in the Soviet Union to achieve the diploma of professional air navigator. Raskova went from a young woman with aspirations of becoming an opera singer to a military instructor to the Soviet's first female navigator. She was the navigator to many record-setting as well as record-breaking flights and the founding and commanding officer of the 587th Bomber Aviation Regiment, which was renamed the 125th M.M. Raskova Borisov Guards Dive Bomber Regiment in her honor. Raskova became one of over 800,000 women in the military service, founding three female air regiments, one of which eventually flew over 30,000 sorties in World War II and produced at least 30 Heroes of the Soviet Union.

2. Valery Chkalov (1904 - 1938)

With an HPI of 56.97, Valery Chkalov is the 2nd most famous Russian Pilot.  His biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Valery Pavlovich Chkalov (Russian: Валерий Павлович Чкалов; IPA: [vɐˈlʲerʲɪj ˈpavləvʲɪtɕ ˈtɕkaləf]; 2 February [O.S. 20 January] 1904 – 15 December 1938) was a test pilot awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union (1936).

3. Vladimir Ilyushin (1927 - 2010)

With an HPI of 54.94, Vladimir Ilyushin is the 3rd most famous Russian Pilot.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Vladimir Sergeyevich Ilyushin (Russian: Владимир Серге́евич Ильюшин; 31 March 1927 – 1 March 2010) was a Russian military officer and a test pilot in the former Soviet space program. Ilyushin was a son of the famous aviation designer Sergey Ilyushin, and whose career was mostly as a test pilot for the Sukhoi OKB (a rival of Ilyushin OKB). After retiring from the space program, Ilyushin became a sports administrator and was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame (then known as the IRB Hall of Fame) in 2013. In 1961, Ilyushin was the subject of a conspiracy theory that he, rather than Yuri Gagarin, was the first cosmonaut in space. There is no evidence and no support for the theory.

4. Olga Sanfirova (1917 - 1944)

With an HPI of 52.12, Olga Sanfirova is the 4th most famous Russian Pilot.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Olga Aleksandrovna Sanfirova (Russian: Ольга Александровна Санфирова; 2 May [O.S. 19 April] 1917 – 13 December 1944) was a captain and squadron commander in the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment during World War II. She was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 23 February 1945, making her the first Tatar woman awarded the title.

5. Pyotr Nesterov (1887 - 1914)

With an HPI of 51.56, Pyotr Nesterov is the 5th most famous Russian Pilot.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Pyotr Nikolayevich Nesterov (Russian: Пётр Николаевич Нестеров; 27 February [O.S. 15 February] 1887 – 8 September [O.S. 26 August] 1914) was a Russian pilot, an aircraft designer and an aerobatics pioneer.

6. Vladimir Kokkinaki (1904 - 1985)

With an HPI of 51.11, Vladimir Kokkinaki is the 6th most famous Russian Pilot.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Vladimir Konstantinovich Kokkinaki (Russian: Владимир Константинович Коккинаки; 25 June [O.S. 12 June] 1904 – 7 January 1985) was a test pilot in the Soviet Union, notable for setting twenty-two world records and serving as president of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

7. Nikolai Kamanin (1908 - 1982)

With an HPI of 49.53, Nikolai Kamanin is the 7th most famous Russian Pilot.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin (Russian: Никола́й Петро́вич Кама́нин; 18 October 1908 – 11 March 1982) was a Soviet Air Force general and a program manager in the Soviet space program. A career aviator, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1934 for the rescue of SS Chelyuskin crew from an improvised airfield on the frozen surface of the Chukchi Sea near Kolyuchin Island. In World War II he successfully commanded an air brigade, air division, and air corps, reaching the rank of Airforce Colonel General and Air Army commander after the war. It was at this time that his son, Arkady Kamanin, became a fighter pilot at the age of 14, the youngest military pilot in world history. From 1960 to 1971, General Kamanin was the program manager of the cosmonaut training in the Soviet space program. He recruited and trained the first generation of cosmonauts, including Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova, Gherman Titov and Alexei Leonov. Kamanin was the Soviet Air Force representative to the space program, a proponent of crewed orbital flight and air force influence over the Space Race. His diaries of this period, published from 1995 to 2001, are among the most important sources documenting the progress of the Soviet space program.

8. Maguba Syrtlanova (1912 - 1971)

With an HPI of 49.16, Maguba Syrtlanova is the 8th most famous Russian Pilot.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Maguba Guseynovna Syrtlanova (Russian: Магуба Гусейновна Сыртланова, Tatar: Мәгубә Хөсәен кызы Сыртланова; 15 July [O.S. 2 July] 1912 – 1 October 1971) was a senior lieutenant and deputy squadron commander in the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment (nicknamed the "night witches") during the Second World War. She was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on 15 May 1946 for having completed 780 sorties during the war.

9. Nikolai Gastello (1907 - 1941)

With an HPI of 48.95, Nikolai Gastello is the 9th most famous Russian Pilot.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Captain Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello (Russian: Николай Францевич Гастелло, April 23, 1907 – June 26, 1941) was a Russian aviator and a Hero of the Soviet Union. He is one of the best known Soviet war heroes, being the best known Soviet pilot to conduct a "fire taran" – a suicide action by the pilot of an aircraft on fire, flying into a target with the intention of setting it alight.

10. Mariya Dolina (1922 - 2010)

With an HPI of 48.85, Mariya Dolina is the 10th most famous Russian Pilot.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Mariya Ivanovna Dolina (Ukrainian: Марія Іванівна Доліна, Russian: Мария Ивановна Долина; 18 December 1922 – 3 March 2010) was a Pe-2 pilot and deputy squadron commander in the women's 125th “Marina M. Raskova” Borisov Guards Bomber Regiment. She was active primarily on the 1st Baltic Front during World War II. On 18 August 1945 she was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.