Combat awards of the Russian Federation. Medal of Nesterov

March 2, 1994 on the basis of a presidential decree in Russia, a new military award was established - the Nesterov medal. The Nesterov Medal is a state award of the Russian Federation, which was named after Pyotr Nikolayevich Nesterov, a Russian military pilot, participant in the First World War, one of the founders of aerobatics (one of the most famous aerobatics - Nesterov’s loop, or dead loop, is named so it is in his honor). The brave pilot died in 1914 in an air battle, the first time in the practice of using combat aviation applying an air ram.

The medal is intended to award both military pilots and civilians, as well as all persons related to the aviation and aviation industry. The medal logically complements a number of awards intended for awarding servicemen of different types of armed forces: the Suvorov medal (RF Ground Forces), the Ushakov medal (RF Navy) and the Nesterov medal (RF Air Force). Moreover, this award does not have historical predecessors.

Many experts have questions about the choice of Peter Nesterov’s candidacy to create a personal medal, especially in comparison with Suvorov and Ushakov. In this series, the figure of Nesterov, which has a completely different scale, looks somewhat strange, which in no way detracts from the merits of Pyotr Nikolayevich Nesterov, who was really a famous Russian pilot. Being the founder of aerobatics, he deliberately took risks in the sky.

On 27 of August 1913 in the city of Kiev at Syretsky airdrome for the first time in aviation history he performed a dead loop, which will later be called in his honor. The captain Nesterov died at the very beginning of the First World War, on 8 of September 1914 of the year, having managed to make 28 sorties. The pilot’s last feat was the first ram in the history of aviation. Pyotr Nesterov rammed an Austrian plane engaged in reconnaissance of the movement of Russian troops.

According to the statute of the award, the Nesterov medal can be awarded to military personnel of the Air Force, aviation of other types and families of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, as well as the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the Federal Security Service of Russia, the flight personnel of Russian civil aviation and the aviation industry the interests of the Russian Federation, in the course of combat duty and combat service, with participation in exercises and maneuvers, as well as for excellent performance in air skills and in combat training, for special merits in the development, ex operation and maintenance of aircraft, high professional skills of navigation.

The Nesterov Medal is made of pure silver, it is made in the shape of a circle with a diameter of 32 mm with a convex side on both sides. On the obverse side of the medal there is a bold relief image of Peter Nesterov in military uniform - his cap and jacket. In the upper part of the medal there is a relief inscription “PETER NESTEROV” (all capital letters), in the lower part there is a relief laurel wreath. On the reverse side of the award, in the upper part, there is a relief image of the emblem of the military pilots of Russia - a double-headed eagle with a sword, a propeller and a flaming grenade; in the lower part there is an award number.

With the help of a ring and an ear, the medal is connected to a standard pentagonal pad, which is covered with a blue silk ribbon with two yellow stripes along the edges. The width of the tape is 24 mm, the width of the yellow stripes is 3 mm. The Nesterov Medal is worn on the left side of the chest and, in the presence of other state awards of the Russian Federation, is located immediately after the Ushakov Medal.

In total, since 1994, the Nesterov medal has been awarded more than 1 thousands of awards. The medal does not provide for re-and posthumous award. Among those awarded with the Nesterov medal there is one woman - this is the second pilot of the aircraft of the airline "Krasnoyarsk Airlines" Nina Lityushkina, who received her award in the 2007 year. At the same time, only information on the number of awards for civil merits is available in the public domain. Information about the citizens who were awarded the Nesterov Medal for personal courage and courage, which they showed in defending the Fatherland and the state interests of the Russian Federation, while performing combat service and combat duty, with participation in exercises and maneuvers, for excellent performance in combat training and air training, no.

The first known medal award took place on 29 May 1995. The medal was awarded to Andrei Chernyak, the co-pilot of the airline "Saratov Airlines". The last known award ceremony was 14 January 2014. The medal was awarded to Vasily Esev, an instructor pilot of the flight team of the Abakan-Avia airline, for merits in the development of aircraft, high professional skills and many years of diligent work.

Based on open source materials.

Comments

[ispaniard]

Pyotr Nikolaevich was both the Pioneer of Heaven and Ass, but most importantly he was the Patriot of his country! I am proud that I am a fellow countryman of the HIGHER PILOT SCHOOL SCHOOL Pyotr Nikolayevich Nesterov since I myself am Nizhny Novgorod and was born in Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky under the USSR).

[RoTTor]

The article is fair.
BUT...
Nesterov is a wonderful person and a great pilot. But our aviation, especially Soviet aviation, is so rich in great names that it would be more reasonable to make an aviation award not "named", but simply "Aviation Merit" or something like that. In many countries there are orders with names like the "Aviation Cross".
In the design of the medal - emphasis on pre-revolutionary time, it is a burp of terrible times for both the country and aviation of the Perestroika-Yeltsin era, when everything Soviet was watered with mud.
But it was precisely the Soviet, especially Stalinist period, that was the time of development, formation and the highest prosperity of our aviation.
Therefore, this medal cannot be especially popular and prestigious among aviators.
The artist stupidly fulfilled the order, apparently not knowing and not liking aviation. Otherwise, instead of the royal emblem, I would have placed, for example, the Nesterovsky "Nieuport" and "MiG-29". Do young people now know who Nesterov is? Hardly...
The graves of the pilot heroes of Nesterov and Kruten in Kiev at Lukyanovskrm cemetery, completely abandoned, were found in the late 60s, put in order and put into modest monuments, but with their own money, listeners of the Kiev Air Force VIAVU.
There was also a plaque on the house (more precisely, DOS), where Nesterov lived. Has it survived now? - this house is just not far from government buildings, where there were riot disorders. This is the area where the royal ober officers lived!
Near the Antonov aircraft factory in Kiev - a wonderful monument to Nesterov.

[Andrey77]

In many countries there are orders with names like the "Aviation Cross".
--
A cross or a medal is in the form of a sign. In the US Air Force there is such an award - the Cross of the Air Force, it exactly matches the cross of the Navy - the ribbon is different. Wiki to the rescue.
--
Young people now know who Nesterov is? Hardly...
--
He knows. Those who are fond of aviation know. Moreover, they will analyze the flight on a computer with detailed analysis. Nesterov, Kozhedub, Pokryshkin - anyone. Young people are not of our time, but it is not necessary to think badly about them.

[RUSS]

Quote: RoTTor

The artist stupidly fulfilled the order, apparently not knowing and not liking aviation. Otherwise, instead of the royal emblem, I would have placed, for example, the Nesterovsky "Nieuport" and "MiG-29". Do young people now know who Nesterov is? Hardly...

It's good that you are not a state herald master, otherwise you would have made such a "miracle" from a medal, but about our youth, I think if in Soviet times more information was given about the 1st World War, you would know about Nesterov, and so the majority of course remember -Gastelo, Pokryshkina, Maresyeva, etc.

[Andrey77]

Costs of ideology. Nesterov was from the "tsarist", politically harmful. Now the situation is the other way around - they belittle the merits of the Soviet pilots: Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Angola, South Africa. I generally keep quiet about Korea. It seems like no one fought there. :( A simple test, name it without using Wikipedia, Soviet pilots who fought in Korea. Was it classified? Yes, it was. But now it has been removed.

[Andrey77]

The medal is intended to reward both military pilots and civilians, as well as all persons related to the aviation and aviation industry.
--
This is bad. The medal should be awarded to flight personnel, but not civilians at all (Civil Air Fleet pilots - flight personnel). Otherwise, it will invalidate the medal. The idea is good, but the medal will be received by the managers, not the pilots.

[Cossacks]

The famous Russian pilot Nesterov was strange, and renamed to Russian. This is one zhurnalyuga agreed- in the western regions of Ukraine, including ethnic Russians. They simply came up with a new nation. As at one time the esteemed hero, the political owner created a new community of Soviet people. Why is everyone so contorted by the word Russian.

[Andrey77]

Wrong topic - you above. They don’t discuss politics here.

[capex1]

It is very good that military and civil aviation are now being revived, but at the same time it is necessary to revive the spirit that was inherent in the military of the Russian and Soviet army. And so there should be more such awards.

[ia-ai00]

Yes, a wonderful ball man, HERO with a capital letter.
Under the USSR, all the schoolchildren knew this brave pilot, and now, probably, only a few, it’s a pity ...
Eternal memory to him!

[Andrey77]

And now they know. You have no idea how many students play WOWP and WOT. Belarusians are great for releasing such games.