The Most Famous
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 58.93, Marina Raskova is the most famous Russian Pilot. Her biography has been translated into 32 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 54.23, Vladimir Ilyushin is the 3rd most famous Russian Pilot. His biography has been translated into 20 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 son of Sergey Ilyushin whose career spent mostly as a test pilot for the Sukhoi OKB (a rival of Ilyushin OKB). After retiring from the space program, Ilyushin became a sport 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 to the theory.
4. Pyotr Nesterov (1887 - 1914)
With an HPI of 50.96, Pyotr Nesterov is the 4th most famous Russian Pilot. His biography has been translated into 18 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.
5. Maguba Syrtlanova (1912 - 1971)
With an HPI of 50.94, Maguba Syrtlanova is the 5th most famous Russian Pilot. Her biography has been translated into 21 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.
6. Olga Sanfirova (1917 - 1944)
With an HPI of 50.79, Olga Sanfirova is the 6th most famous Russian Pilot. Her biography has been translated into 20 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.
7. Mariya Dolina (1922 - 2010)
With an HPI of 49.26, Mariya Dolina is the 7th most famous Russian Pilot. Her biography has been translated into 16 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.
8. Vladimir Kokkinaki (1904 - 1985)
With an HPI of 48.54, Vladimir Kokkinaki is the 8th 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.
9. Anna Yegorova (1916 - 2009)
With an HPI of 48.38, Anna Yegorova is the 9th most famous Russian Pilot. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Anna Alexandrovna Timofeyeva-Yegorova (Russian: Анна Александровна Тимофеева-Егорова; 23 September 1916 – 29 October 2009) was a pilot in the Soviet Air Force during the Second World War. She flew a total of 277 sorties that included liaison, reconnaissance and ground-attack missions before she became a prisoner-of-war when her Il-2 was shot down. She was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1965.
10. Nikolai Kamanin (1908 - 1982)
With an HPI of 47.83, Nikolai Kamanin is the 10th most famous Russian Pilot. His biography has been translated into 17 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 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.
Pantheon has 11 people classified as pilots born between 1887 and 1927. Of these 11, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased pilots include Marina Raskova, Valery Chkalov, and Vladimir Ilyushin. As of April 2022, 2 new pilots have been added to Pantheon including Olga Sanfirova and Viktor Talalikhin.
Deceased Pilots
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Marina Raskova
1912 - 1943
HPI: 58.93
Valery Chkalov
1904 - 1938
HPI: 56.97
Vladimir Ilyushin
1927 - 2010
HPI: 54.23
Pyotr Nesterov
1887 - 1914
HPI: 50.96
Maguba Syrtlanova
1912 - 1971
HPI: 50.94
Olga Sanfirova
1917 - 1944
HPI: 50.79
Mariya Dolina
1922 - 2010
HPI: 49.26
Vladimir Kokkinaki
1904 - 1985
HPI: 48.54
Anna Yegorova
1916 - 2009
HPI: 48.38
Nikolai Kamanin
1908 - 1982
HPI: 47.83
Viktor Talalikhin
1918 - Present
HPI: 44.77
Newly Added Pilots (2022)
Go to all RankingsWhich Pilots were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 10 most globally memorable Pilots since 1700.
