Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / Pioneers of Polar Aviation in the Russian Empire in the Early 20th Century

Full text (.pdf)
Issue
Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2025 18 (5)
Authors
Sertakova, Ekaterina A.; Zamaraeva, Yulia S.; Omelik, Anna A.; Koptseva, Maria S.
Contact information
Sertakova, Ekaterina A.: Siberian Federal University Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation; ORCID: 0000-0002-7153-9770; Zamaraeva, Yulia S.: Siberian Federal University Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation; Dmitry Khvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation; ORCID: 0000-0003-1299-6741; Omelik, Anna A.: Siberian Federal University Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation; ORCID: 0000-0002-5278-6469; Koptseva, Maria S. : Siberian Federal University Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation; ORCID: 0009-0004-9363-5749
Keywords
Polar Aviation; Russian Empire; discoverers; Far North; Arctic; Y. Nagursky; E. Kuznetsov; D. Alexandrov
Abstract

For the Russian Empire, the territories of the Arctic were strategically important politically and economically, the state sought not only to be present in the Arctic zones, but also to be able to create ice- free ports, gain access to the Arctic Ocean, and master the Northern Sea Route. Specially organized polar expeditions on ships and schooners could not fully fulfill state strategic tasks, therefore new technical ways of developing the northern polar and Arctic territories of Russia were needed. This article is a study of the period of the origin of polar aviation in Russia and the role of historical figures who stood at these origins. The work focuses on the period from 1914 to 1917 – the historical time when the use of aviation equipment in the Far North was just beginning. The materials for the study were new historical sources, including memoirs of polar aviators, articles and documents that allow us to reveal facts about one of the key episodes in the national history of science, technology, and state-building in the Arctic, which opened the possibility of its aerial conquest. A textual analysis of a number of sources revealed the fundamental importance of the human factor – fearless Russian professionals, dedicated pilots and aircraft mechanics who put a lot of effort into fulfilling specific tasks corresponding to state strategic aspirations and for the first time in the world to create a unique unit of the Russian air fleet – polar aviation

Pages
1011–1021
EDN
GXEIFZ
Paper at repository of SibFU
https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/156128

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