In the early August morning, together with a familiar engineer, Mikhail Nikiforovich Efimov left the house and headed for the city. At the boulevard they were suddenly stopped by a White Guard patrol and demanded their documents. The naval officer, flipping through the passports, threw to the engineer: “You are free. And you, Mr. Efimov, come with me."
He was led down the stairs to the port. There, at dawn, a Denikin destroyer, commanded by Captain 2nd Rank Kislovsky, docked at dawn. "What to do with him?" the officer accompanying Efimov asked Kislovsky. "Shoot!" - was the reply of the captain.
Efimov was put in a longboat and taken to the center of the bay. “I give a chance for salvation,” suggested the officer in charge of the boat. "If you get to the shore, I won't shoot." “I'll try,” Yefimov agreed and, having estimated a decent distance to the coast, added. - Although the chances are slim. But I believe your promise. " His hands were untied and he threw himself into the sea. For some moments he was under water, but barely emerged, a shot rang out. Then he was not yet 38 years old.
So, according to an eyewitness, he told about the last minutes of the life of the first aviator of Russia V. G. Sokolov, to whom his documents were handed over after the death of the pilot.
Efimov was loved by millions of spectators, he was admired in Russia, France, Italy, Hungary, he was idolized by those who watched bold flights in the blue sky. He was called the king of aviation, the flight god. “The name of M. N. Efimova is inscribed in the history of aeronautics in large letters, - the magazine "Vozduhoplavanie" enthusiastically wrote. - Not only in time he is the first Russian aviator, he is the first in the sense that he is the most popular in Russia, and that he is best known abroad, and that he is the most experienced of all the already quite numerous Russian flyers. He masters the art of flying to the extent that it is accessible to natural talent. And he certainly has this aviation talent. That is why he moved forward at once, and therefore flies with invariable success. With his striking beauty, courage and duration of flights abroad and now in Russia he acquired the name of the first in Russia and the third in the world aviator."
Efimov was born in the Smolensk region on November 1, 1881. The family lived very modestly. In search of a better life, they moved to Odessa, where the adopted son of Efimov the elder, Polievkt, lived. His father, a retired non-commissioned officer, went to work as locksmiths in the port workshops, Mikhail began to study at a railway technical school.
At this time, the Odessa youth was passionately fond of motor vehicles. This hobby did not pass by young Efimov. Together with other fellow countrymen, he participates in competitions, wins prizes and awards. In 1908 and 1909, Mikhail became the champion of Russia in motorsport.
And yet he is drawn to the nascent aviation. First, he climbs on a glider, which was designed by the Odessa engineer A. Tsatskin. All his free time from work, and Mikhail at that time worked as an electrician at the telegraph office of the Odessa branch of the South-Western Railway, he spends either in the hangar where the glider stands, then in the field, preparing the device for flight. But he can't wait to master the airplane, to learn the art of flying. Then an opportunity turned up.
Odessa banker Baron I. F. Xidias decided to buy an airplane in order to arrange commercial flights in Russian cities. But this required a pilot. Proposed the already well-known aviator Sergei Utochkin. However, the conditions were so onerous that Sergei Isaevich refused. Then Xidias turned to Efimov. He did not know anything about the refusal of the contract of his fellow countryman and agreed.
The contract was tough. Ksidias pays for Efimov's studies at Anri Farman's flight school in France at 30,000 francs, and Mikhail was obliged to show flights in various Russian cities for three years. Efimov signed the contract and left for France.
It was not easy for the Russian guy at Farman's. "At school, they only taught to fly, but I had to figure out the rest myself. But what about when I don't know a word in French? I somehow figured out the plane - I was already assembling the glider, but the engine, the heart of the airplane It was not easy for me. The "Gnome" motor is rotative, complex. At school, no one shows anything, I don't know how to ask anything - just cry, "wrote Mikhail.
And nevertheless, the success of the Russian guy is amazing. Henri Farman and his brother Maurice are not overjoyed with a smart and persistent student. Mikhail flies with Henri, deserves his praise. “Good,” Farman assesses the success of his beloved student more and more often, “good!”
Russian pilots N. Popov and M. Efimov on training in France
At the end of December 1909, Efimov performed his first independent flight. He said about this event: “The newly launched airplane was first inspected and tested by Farman himself, who made a journey of three miles on it. I did not believe that I would make an independent flight that day. But my teacher believed and suddenly, after the test, he told me: "Sit down!" I boarded the airplane, waiting for Farman to sit with me as before. But, to my amazement, he jumped aside from the apparatus, let those around him know to step aside and shouted to me: "Give it a go!" I was worried, but at the same moment I restrained myself, concentrated, grabbed the rudder handle and raised my left hand, giving the signal to release the airplane. Having made a takeoff run of 30 meters, I steeply soared up to a height of ten meters. In the first minutes I was confused by the fast movements of the airplane flying at a speed of 70 miles per hour. On the first lap, I had not yet had time to get used to the apparatus and tried mainly to keep my balance. But after a few minutes I was already fully oriented and then continued to fly with confidence. And so I stayed in the air for forty-five minutes. The motor worked fine, but it was very cold."
In the second half of January 1910, graduation took place at the Farman flight school. Under the conditions of the exams, Mikhail rises 30 meters three times with a wind of 10 m / s. In total that day, he stayed in the air for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Efimov became the first Russian citizen to receive a pilot's diploma and 35th in the world.
Then there were new flights. The Sport and Science magazine wrote about this: “M. N. Efimov, the first pilot-aviator of the Odessa Aero Club, made a number of brilliant flights on the Shalonsky field in France. One of his last flights is considered to be the most outstanding. When he rose more than two hundred meters and at this height he flew for an hour over trees and forests."
Mikhail Farman's successes amaze him so much that he instructs him to teach aerobatics to four French officers, entrusting him with testing his airplane. At this time, among the designers and firms there was a sharp struggle for primacy on the ground, in the air - for records and victories. And Efimov joined in this struggle. First with Farman's help. Henri decided to break the record set by Orville Wright for the duration of a flight with a passenger. He entrusted this important task to Efimov. On a cold dank day on January 31, 1910 M. N. Efimov with the publisher of the magazine "Sport and Science" Ambros on board took off.
“We are flying at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour,” wrote Ambros. - I get tired of looking ahead, I start looking around: here is a fatal forest in the middle of the field, where young aviators are dying. We go around it in a wide circle. Suddenly from behind him "Antoinette" takes off. Efimov does not like this. Steering and we go higher. Efimov should circle over the field. We fly to the neighboring field, where the shooting is taking place. Straining my eyes, the commissars warningly hung a lantern on the pole, and in front of it, oh joy, a red flag flutters - there is no Wright record! On condition, I weighed Efimov with all my strength three blows flat on the neck. Efimov nods his head, I understand, now he is a world record holder."
The pilot and his passenger were in the air for 1 hour and 50 minutes, covering 115 kilometers during this time. The Odessa public, members of the local flying club, who closely followed the success of Efimov in France, were looking forward to seeing the flights of their compatriot in his native Odessa. The newspapers were interested in: will Efimov's flights take place and how soon? What does the management of the Odessa flying club think about this? Mikhail receives letters to France with an offer to return.
In February 1910, in the name of the new president of the Odessa flying club A. A. Anatra Mikhail Nikiforovich sent a telegram. “Need from childhood tormented me,” he wrote with pain. - Came to France. It was hard and painful for me: I did not have a single franc. I endured, I thought: if I fly, they will appreciate it. I ask Ksidias to give his sick father 50 rubles, he gives 25. I cut short, I ask for an advance payment of 200 rubles, gives 200 francs (which is 2.5 times less than 200 rubles). My father died without money and without money I set a world record with a passenger. Who will appreciate our art! Here lovely students paid for me, thanks to them. It hurts and ashamed to me, the first Russian aviator. Received an offer to go to Argentina. I will earn - I will pay everything to Xidias. If the contract is not destroyed, I will not see Russia soon. Please excuse me."
Anatra replied: “Everything will be settled. Leave immediately. Efimov sent an airplane on a steamer and himself went by train to Odessa.
On March 8, 1910, there was a real holiday in Odessa. The first Russian aviator demonstrated his skills in front of an audience of thousands. He took off, made turns, ups and downs, landed, took off again. The audience was jubilant. As a reward, the brave fellow countryman was presented with a laurel wreath with the inscription: "To the first Russian aviator."
When the holiday was over, it was necessary to decide the fate of the contract. For his early termination, Ksidias demanded a penalty of 15,000 rubles! The aero club councilors asked Xidias to waive the penalty. He resisted. His last words: "I agree with 10 thousand rubles."
And then, to the amazement of those present, this shameful bargaining was unexpectedly interrupted by Efimov. He took out 26 thousand francs and threw Xidias. Stunned by this turn of events, everyone froze. "Where did you get that kind of money?" - asked one of the friends. “I borrowed it from Farman,” Mikhail sighed bitterly. - So, he appreciates, since he borrowed such a sum.
But the debt must be repaid, and Efimov again goes to France. Before leaving, he sent a telegram to Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, who oversees aeronautics in Russia. “Nominated by fate into the ranks of first-class aviators,” he wrote, “I look forward to the moment when, freed from all kinds of contracts and moral obligations in relation to the company and some persons who gave me the opportunity to take my current position among aviators, I will offer my services my dear homeland. It pains me to hear that Farman has been summoned to St. Petersburg to hand over the apparatus and train officers in aerobatics. Meanwhile, as I, the son of Russia, did the same in France free of charge."
It took more than two months for an answer. In May 1910, Efimov received a letter from General Alexander Matveyevich Kovanko, who headed the Aeronautical Committee of Russia. "The Minister of War," the general wrote, "suggested that I ask you on what conditions you could enter the military service, mainly for the purpose of training officers of the Russian army."
Therefore, there, in the capital, they nevertheless became interested in his proposal. Efimov was summoned to Petersburg, to the Grand Duke. The conversation was not so long, but the result made him happy: he will receive the position of chief pilot of the aviation school opening in Sevastopol. He is entrusted with training officer pilots for the Russian army.
But it will be later, but for now Efimov is forced to “work off” the contract with Anri Farman abroad. He flies in France, Italy, Hungary. In Nice, Efimov wins all four prizes - for the total distance, for speed, for the smallest take-off run with and without a passenger. He is ahead of everyone in the competition for distance range and duration of flight in Aviation Week in Budapest.
In Italy, in Verona, he again won prizes. And it is no coincidence that the newspapers exclaim: “This man is poured from steel. Neither strong wind nor rain can stop him. Russia should be proud of the aviator Efimov."
In September 1910, the All-Russian Aeronautics Festival took place in St. Petersburg. Naturally, along with other aviators, Efimov also participates in them. He is “in a leather jacket and a gray cap, of the simplest kind. And it was not for nothing that yesterday the district police officer did not want to let him in to the hangar, demanded a document and even wrote down his name and rank on paper. He's amazingly mobile. He will make a turn - and suddenly with his posture and posture, with his shoulders and even with the play of his face, he will remind Chaliapin …”- the Petersburg newspaper testified.
The weather on the first day of the holiday was gloomy and rainy. Aviators seem to be hesitant to start flights. And the first to rise into the slightly clearer sky is Efimov in "Farman". His flight is about landing accuracy. The result is exactly in a circle. Soon he is back in the sky. Bends, descents, ascents. Then a flight in a racing Bleriot …
At this holiday, Efimov won two first prizes for flying in a wind of 10 meters per second, all the prizes of the military department for lifting the largest load, the first prize of the maritime department for the accuracy of landing on the conditional deck of the ship.
After this holiday, the Niva magazine will write: “The famous Efimov really showed the miracles of flying on the bulky Farman … He made extraordinary intricate kunshtuk: either he fell like a stone, straightening up and delaying the descent only at the very ground, or he described figure eights and loops. He dived, almost immediately took off from the surface of the earth and landed on the ground with an unprecedented accuracy. The huge airplane made in his hands the impression of an obedient, light and graceful animal."
Moreover, Efimov flew at night, as evidenced by the magazine "Vozduhoplavanie": "There were very interesting flights of Efimov and Matsievich in complete darkness, and the first even in heavy fog, and Efimov flew with two passengers."
The first Russian pilot, like no one else, understands and realizes the role of young aviation in modern warfare. “Here is reconnaissance - you can see everything from above - roads, forests, rivers, lakes, buildings, groups of people, troops, and targeting artillery at the enemy, and bombing, which should be learned. Perhaps you can not be afraid of shelling, keeping at a height inaccessible for bullets and shells. It is easy to dodge bullets by maneuvering the apparatus. " And the conclusion: "Whoever has better airplanes and more experienced pilots will get the victory easier."
He was very happy when his students were invited to take part in the military maneuvers of the Petersburg military district. Everything was here: reconnaissance, destruction of enemy balloons, bombing and even air combat. Efimov liked the maneuvers. “All tasks were carried out simply, accurately and easily,” he confessed to the capital's correspondent. - From above you can see everything, you notice, you return and inform. Somehow, examining the enemy forces, I found myself above their heads. I see rifle muzzles aimed at the airplane. I had to take over the pen and go into the clouds … Another time I did not calculate the amount of gasoline, I had to sit between my own and the “enemy's” camps. The cavalry galloped up to me and announced that I was in captivity. In general, the maneuvers were extremely successful, they flew at any time, day and night, in calm and windy conditions, there were no accidents."
The moment of separation of the biplane from the ground for control - pilot M. N. Efimov with a passenger
Together with the students of the Sevastopol Aviation School, Efimov flies on the maneuvers of the Kiev Military District and the Black Sea Squadron. For the first time in the history of the Russian fleet, the actions of the ships were covered by airplanes - they guarded the squadron from the air, kept in touch.
And the very remarkable results of the maneuvers, which were discussed at the high meeting. "We have to come to the conclusion that with their skill and heartfelt attitude the pilots have fully proved that aviation has already gone beyond the realm of simple fun and is currently a combat weapon capable of rendering invaluable services in skillful hands."
Efimov dreams of creating his own airplane. He gets acquainted with various designs of airplanes, engines, reads special literature. He delves into the design and operation of engines in detail. While studying in France for a month, secretly from Farman, pretending to be sick, he works as an apprentice at a motor plant where the Gnome engine is produced.
He told his friends and acquaintances about his dream more than once. Arriving at the Moscow Technical School, he confessed to the students: “I will come to Sevastopol, and now I will build an apparatus of my own design. Multi-seat, for two or three passengers. I think to make it lighter and more robust than others. There are opportunities for this. Some of the parts can be removed, others can be lightened in weight without compromising the strength of the entire apparatus. It is necessary, of course, and a good motor. Now it is not the airplane that flies, but the motor."
However, later, having visited the front, Efimov decides to design a two-seater fighter with two 100 hp engines. each. The aircraft must reach speeds of up to 180 km / h and have an armored cabin. The designer brought the chassis forward.
In the beginning, the development of the combat vehicle seemed to be going well. Efimov got a business trip to Kiev. There, in the workshops of the Polytechnic Institute, he develops individual units and parts, successfully tests them. And then - a nuisance … He needs to go to Sevastopol on business related to the construction of the plane. He is not allowed to go, the business trip is not extended. Leaves without permission - a scandal. “In wartime! - the bosses are indignant. - Under his tribunal!.
The case is taking an extremely serious turn. Fortunately, the Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich intervened. The court was replaced by seven days of arrest. And - to the front.
Even before he was sent to the front, Efimov telegraphed the Grand Duke: an English company was interested in his plane. I agree to build it myself. What to do? The Grand Duke reasoned: why would anyone transfer the documentation, ordered to send the drawings. Delighted that the dream can come true, Efimov sends the drawings to their destination. And Efimov never saw them again. As if they had sunk into the water. Subsequently, the researchers, having found only an explanatory note without drawings in the funds of the military-historical archive (RGVIA), concluded that the project was transferred or sold to the allied England.
The Russian fighter designed by Efimov never appeared. How original planes and dozens of other talented Russian designers-nuggets did not appear. And here it is appropriate to recall one very remarkable, in a certain sense, the speech of the Grand Duke, the curator of Russian aviation at the opening of the Air Fleet Department. This speech sheds light on the then attitude of the tsarist authorities towards domestic aircraft designers.
“Most of all, the committee should not get carried away with the idea of creating an air fleet in Russia according to the plans of our inventors and certainly from Russian materials,” warns the Grand Duke. I wonder why not build our own, domestic airplanes from our own materials? But no. A relative of the tsar proposes to buy only ready-made airplanes from Farman, Bleriot, Voisin. “The committee only has to take advantage of these results,” sums up the prince. No more, no less.
With the outbreak of World War I, Efimov volunteered for the front. He fights as part of the 32nd Aviation Squadron on the Western Front. Conducts reconnaissance, bombing enemy positions. He is desperate, brave, courageous, receives the St. George's Cross. But he does not get along with the arrogant aristocratic bosses, he finally quarreled. And he writes a report with a request to transfer him to another detachment, to his student, Captain Berchenko.
Yefimov showed his abilities as the first aviator of Russia at the front a little later. The Germans began to use airplanes more and more actively in battle. Their number at the front was constantly growing. With them it was necessary to fight, so fighter pilots were required.
Mikhail was also summoned to the front. Moreover, the order emphasized: "in view of the outstanding abilities of citizen Efimov to control high-speed aircraft, send him to the 4th detachment of fighters." Here he takes part in air battles every day, shooting down enemy airplanes. He was always lucky in flying. Dozens and hundreds of take-offs, landings, sharp turns, long flights, descents, air battles - and everything is fine.
Only once did he have a difficult test. It was during Aviation Week in Budapest. Once he took off, made a circle over the airfield, the second. Climbed higher. I felt that something was wrong with the motor. I tried to plan - the airplane did not obey, began to fall quickly … Mikhail woke up in the hospital. Fortunately, he recovered from a bruised head and kidneys relatively quickly. I even made it to the final competitions here, in Budapest.
Throughout his short life, Efimov, a purely national man, was haunted by his "low" peasant origins. He could not get an officer rank, although, of course, none of the other aviators deserved it. He is presented to the military rank. The head of the Sevastopol Aviation School wrote upstairs: “Mr. Efimov, represents the largest magnitude for Russian aeronautics and, according to his knowledge of aeronautics on vehicles heavier than air, is very useful at the OVF school. He is interested in military affairs and, in my opinion, will be very useful in wartime. I would think to award M. N. Efimov with the rank of lieutenant of the aviation troops. " But this time he did not become an officer either.
However, he was singled out. Appreciating the special works and services rendered to the Imperial All-Russian Aero Club, "the Emperor most graciously deigned on April 10, 1911 to grant the title of an honorary citizen to a full member of the All-Russian Aero Club, a peasant of the Smolensk province and district, the Vladimir volost, the village of Dubrov, Mikhail Efimov."
As for the next military rank, non-commissioned officer Mikhail Efimov was awarded it only on October 30, 1915 - "for military distinction he was promoted to warrant officer of the engineering troops." The war was still going on, and Efimov was sent to the hydro-aviation detachment in Sevastopol. There the revolution found him, to which he reacted sympathetically. “Efimov joined the Bolsheviks even earlier. He turned out to be an excellent agitator, did a lot of propaganda work among pilots and sailors. Everyone loved and respected him. Then we flew in operations against various white gangs. Efimov also took part in these hostilities”, - recalled the former naval pilot Ye. I. Pogossky.
When the Germans occupied Sevastopol, Efimov was arrested, accused of “killing officers by Bolshevik sailors,” and put in prison. The Red Army liberated, but again the city was threatened by the interventionists. I had to leave for his native Odessa, where his tragic death overtook him.
