Who is Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky? Mozhaisky Alexander Fedorovich: biography, achievements and interesting facts. The steamship "Gremyashchiy" and the Khiva expedition

Mozhaisky Alexander Fedorovich is a Russian inventor, the first in the world to create a life-size airplane capable of lifting a person into the air.

Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky was born on March 9, 1825 in the family of a hereditary sailor, admiral of the Russian fleet Fyodor Timofeevich Mozhaisky. A.F. Mozhaisky was educated in the Naval Cadet Corps, which he graduated brilliantly on January 19, 1841. In 1863 he was dismissed due to the forced reduction in the size of the fleet after the Crimean War, but in 1879 he re-enlisted in military service with the rank of captain 1st rank and was sent to the Naval Cadet Corps, where he taught a course in maritime practice.

Back in 1876, Mozhaisky began working on a project for a heavier-than-air aircraft that he had long planned. Having carried out a large number of calculations, research and experiments, in September 1876 Mozhaisky built the first flying model of an aircraft. He was advised by major Russian scientists. Mozhaisky discovered one of the laws of aerodynamics: for the possibility of flight, “there is a certain relationship between gravity, speed and the size of the plane.” This was later substantiated mathematically by N.E. Zhukovsky. After successful flights of the model, the inventor began developing a project for a life-size aircraft. While working on a model of the aircraft, Mozhaisky used his own savings, but the construction of a full-size aircraft required significant amounts of money, which the designer did not have.

In 1876, Mozhaisky built a kite glider, on which he took off twice (the glider was towed by three horses). In 1876-1877 he successfully demonstrated flights of a model of his aircraft powered by a clock spring. A speed of 15 km/h was reached, and a load (dagger) was raised into the air. At the end of 1876, he turned to the War Ministry with a petition to provide him with funds to carry out further experiments on larger models. The proposal was approved by a commission headed by D.I. Mendeleev and allocated funds in the amount of 3,000 rubles. In June 1977, new flight demonstrations of the aircraft model took place.

Mozhaisky received only part of the promised amount, but built a new model of the aircraft. In the spring of 1878, he turned to the Main Engineering Directorate with a request to allocate about 19 thousand rubles for the construction of an airplane. The commission was presented with detailed drawings of the aircraft, calculations and an explanatory note. The aircraft, according to Mozhaisky’s plan, was intended for bombing and reconnaissance flights. The commission included foreigners; the commission doubted the usefulness of Mozhaisky’s project and refused to allocate money. However, Mozhaisky continued to work on his device with money from private individuals.

As a result of new research, Mozhaisky at the beginning of 1878 came to the conclusion that it was possible to use air resistance to create lift. This formulation of one of the most important laws of aerodynamics - the importance of speed for creating lift - was given by Mozhaisky 11 years before the publication of similar works by Marey and Lilienthal, who came to the same conclusion only in 1889.

In 1877-1878, Mozhaisky developed an airplane project. On March 23, 1878, he submitted a memo to the Minister of War, in which he asked to be given the opportunity to build a “large apparatus” capable of lifting a person. Attached to the note was a cost estimate, a description of the apparatus with a drawing and calculations. The War Ministry commission headed by General Pauker on June 15 gave a negative opinion on this project, pointing out, among other comments, the insufficient power of the power plant. Mozhaisky continued his work with models and propellers.

In 1880, Mozhaisky achieved a foreign business trip and an allocation of 2,500 rubles for steam engines. In the spring of 1881, he brought 2 steam engines (7.46 and 14.9 kW) with a water-tube boiler and a refrigerator for his aircraft to St. Petersburg from Great Britain and began to prepare materials and parts for it. According to an application dated June 4 (16), 1880, Mozhaisky received on November 3 (15), 1881 the “privilege” for his “aeronautical projectile” - the first patent in Russia for an aircraft.

In the summer of 1882, he began directly building the aircraft on the site of the military field assigned to him in Krasnoye Selo near St. Petersburg. In the summer of 1883, he completed the assembly of the aircraft, which became the first domestic full-scale aircraft brought to the stage of flight testing.

For two years, Mozhaisky refined the design of the aircraft during ground tests. In the second half of July 1885, an attempt was made to get the plane into the air. During the takeoff run on horizontally laid wooden rails, the plane tilted and broke the wing. The possibility of human flight in a heavier-than-air apparatus was practically proven. Invention by A.F. Mozhaisky was declared a military secret, but the inventor still did not receive any help. Mozhaisky worked on improving his apparatus until his last days. After the death of the inventor, his plane stood for many years, collapsing, in the open air in Krasnoe Selo, and then was transported to the Mozhaisky estate near Vologda. The barn in which the plane was parked burned down, and the relic car perished in the fire. The name of Mozhaisky was forgotten in Tsarist Russia, and only Soviet historians remembered him.

The Americans Wright brothers made their flight in December 1903. It is believed that the history of aviation began from that day. But the world's first aircraft was built and tested by Russian designer A.F. Mozhaisky twenty years earlier. A.F. Mozhaisky was born on March 9, 1825 in the family of a hereditary sailor, graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps in 1841 and sailed the Baltic and White Seas. In 1863 he was dismissed due to a forced reduction in the size of the fleet after the Crimean War, but in 1879 he again enlisted in military service with the rank of captain 1st rank and was sent to the Naval Cadet Corps. In July 1882, Mozhaisky was awarded the rank of major general. Mozhaisky was later awarded the rank of rear admiral. Mozhaisky had been working on the project of a heavier-than-air aircraft since 1876.
It all started when he began to carefully observe the flights of birds and kites. Having carried out a large number of calculations, research and experiments, in September 1876 Mozhaisky built the first flying model of an aircraft. He was advised by major Russian scientists. Mozhaisky discovered one of the laws of aerodynamics: for the possibility of flight, “there is a certain relationship between gravity, speed and the size of the plane.” This was later substantiated mathematically by N.E. Zhukovsky. After successful flights of the model, the inventor began developing a project for a life-size aircraft. While working on a model of the aircraft, Mozhaisky used his own savings, but the construction of a full-size aircraft required significant amounts of money, which the designer did not have.
At the beginning of 1877, Mozhaisky turned to the aeronautical commission of the War Ministry with a request to allocate him the necessary funds for further experiments. To consider Mozhaisky’s project, a special commission was formed, which included the largest representatives of Russian science and technology. Thanks to the support of D.I. Mendeleev, it was decided to give the inventor 3,000 rubles for further work. Mozhaisky received only part of the promised amount, but built a new model of the aircraft. In the spring of 1878, he turned to the Main Engineering Directorate with a request to allocate about 19 thousand rubles for the construction of an airplane. The commission was presented with detailed drawings of the aircraft, calculations and an explanatory note. The aircraft, according to Mozhaisky’s plan, was intended for bombing and reconnaissance flights. The commission included foreigners; the commission doubted the usefulness of Mozhaisky’s project and refused to allocate money.

Mozhaisky continued to work on his apparatus with money from private individuals who understood the significance of these experiments, and in 1881 he patented it. It was a patent (as it was called, a privilege) for the world's first aircraft. Several times Mozhaisky appealed to the government for financial assistance, but he was refused. And yet, in the summer of 1882, the device was ready for testing. Tests of Mozhaisky's aircraft were carried out in great secrecy in Krasnoe Selo near St. Petersburg on July 20, 1882. The aircraft, having gained the required speed, took off, flew for a few seconds and landed, while the wing was damaged. The possibility of human flight in a heavier-than-air apparatus was practically proven. Invention by A.F. Mozhaisky was declared a military secret, but the inventor still did not receive any help. Mozhaisky worked on improving his apparatus until his last days.
After the death of the inventor, his plane stood for many years, collapsing, in the open air in Krasnoe Selo, and then was transported to the Mozhaisky estate near Vologda. The barn in which the plane was parked burned down, and the relic car perished in the fire. The name of Mozhaisky was forgotten in Tsarist Russia, and only Soviet historians remembered him.
A.F. Mozhaisky was buried in St. Petersburg at the Smolensk cemetery (you need to walk along the Kazan path to its intersection with Blagoveshchenskaya and, standing with your back to the church, take 50 steps to the right).

Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky(March 9 (21), 1825, Rochensalm, Vyborg Governorate, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire - March 20 (April 1), 1890) - Russian military (naval) figure - rear admiral, inventor - aviation pioneer.

Biography

Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky was born on March 9, 1825 in the family of a hereditary sailor, admiral of the Russian fleet Fyodor Timofeevich Mozhaisky. A.F. Mozhaisky was educated in the Naval Cadet Corps, which he graduated brilliantly on January 19, 1841. A year later he was promoted to midshipman.

After seven years of sailing on various ships in the Baltic and White Seas, Mozhaisk in 1849. received the rank of lieutenant.

In 1850-1852. Mozhaisky sailed in the Baltic Sea. In 1853-1855. He took part in the long voyage Kronstadt - Japan on the frigate "Diana".

At the end of 1855, Mozhaisky was assigned to the brig Antenor, which cruised in the Baltic Sea and guarded the approaches to the Gulf of Finland from sabotage raids by Anglo-French ships.

In 1858, Mozhaisky took part in the Khiva expedition, organizing its movement by water on ships specially built for this purpose. He compiled the first description of the water basin of the Aral Sea and the Amu Darya River. Upon returning from the expedition, Mozhaisky was appointed senior officer of the 84-gun ship Orel.

On September 8, 1859, Mozhaisky received the next rank of captain-lieutenant. After the launch of the clipper "Vsadnik" he was appointed its commander and sailed on it in the Baltic Sea until 1863.

In 1863, Mozhaisky was dismissed due to the forced reduction in the size of the fleet after the Crimean War, but in 1879 he was re-enlisted in active military service with the rank of captain 1st rank and sent to the Naval Cadet Corps, where he taught a course in maritime practice.

Back in 1876, Mozhaisky began working on a project for a heavier-than-air aircraft that he had long planned. While serving in the Naval Corps, Mozhaisky, using the advice of major Russian scientists, continued to improve his project.

In July 1882, Captain 1st Rank Mozhaisky was awarded the rank of major general with dismissal from service “due to domestic circumstances.” Subsequently, Mozhaisky was awarded the rank of rear admiral.

After leaving service, A.F. Mozhaisky, without any help from the tsarist government, continued to improve and improve his aircraft, tested in the air in July 1882, and only his death on March 19, 1890 prevented him from completing the construction of a new aircraft.

All works on the history of aviation, written in the second half of the last and the beginning of this century, hid or distorted the true meaning and significance of Mozhaisky’s works.

Meanwhile, archival documents and statements by Mozhaisky’s contemporaries prove with complete conviction that the path of his scientific research from beginning to end was correct, deeply thought out and ended with the construction of the world’s first aircraft and testing it in the air.

The idea of ​​​​creating a heavier-than-air aircraft appeared to Mozhaisky back in 1855, when he began to carefully observe the flights of birds and kites.

Building the world's first airplane

In 1872, after a series of painstaking studies and experiments, Mozhaisky established the relationship between lift and drag at various angles of attack and thoroughly illuminated the issue of bird flight.

The German explorer and glider pilot Lilienthal did similar work 17 years later than Mozhaisky.

Testing his conclusions and observations in practice, Mozhaisky carried out experiments in two directions: on the one hand, he worked on propellers that were supposed to create thrust for the aircraft in the air, on the other, on aircraft models.

In 1876, Mozhaisky, according to engineer Bogoslovsky, “took off twice and flew comfortably” on a kite. Thus. Mozhaisky was the first in the world to fly kites, ten years ahead of the French tester Maillot (1886), eighteen years ahead of the Englishman Baden-Powel (1894) and twenty years ahead of the Australian Hargrave (1896).

In addition to experiments with kites, A.F. Mozhaisky worked on creating flying models of his future aircraft.

Mozhaisky made a large number of various calculations, studies and experiments, as a result of which in September 1876 he built the first flying model of an aircraft.

This model, which he called “flying,” consisted of a small boat-fuselage, to which one rectangular load-bearing surface was attached at an angle of 3°. The model's thrust was generated by three propellers, one of which was located in the bow of the boat, and the other two in specially made slots in the wing. The screws were driven by a wound clock spring. The steering surfaces (horizontal and vertical) were moved back. For takeoff and landing, the model had four wheels located under the fuselage. The model made stable flights at speeds of over 5 m/sec with an additional load of about 1 kg.

Famous shipbuilding engineer, member of the Marine Technical Committee, Colonel P.A. Bogoslovsky wrote about this: “The inventor very correctly solved the long-standing issue of aeronautics. The device, with the help of its propulsion projectiles, not only flies and runs on the ground, but can also swim. The speed of flight of the device is amazing; it is not afraid of gravity, there is no wind and is capable of flying in any direction... Experience has proven that the obstacles to floating in the air that existed until now have been brilliantly overcome by our gifted compatriot.”

After model flights showed that the path the inventor was taking was correct, he began detailed development of the design of his life-size aircraft.

However, if Mozhaisky could carry out the previous work with his own limited funds, then the construction of a full-size aircraft required the expenditure of significant sums of money, which he did not have at his disposal.

Therefore, at the beginning of 1877, he decided to “subject his invention to the court of scientific criticism, inviting the War Ministry to use his project for military purposes in the upcoming war with Turkey.”

At the beginning of 1877, Mozhaisky turned to the chairman of the aeronautical commission of the War Ministry, Count Totleben, with a request to obtain the necessary funds “for further research and experiments both on the movement of the designed ... projectile, and to determine the various data necessary for a rational and correct design all components of such a projectile."

On January 20, 1877, by order of the Minister of War, Count Milyutin, a special commission was formed to consider Mozhaisky’s project. This commission included the largest representatives of Russian science and technology: D.I. Mendeleev, N.P. Petrov (author of the world famous hydrodynamic theory of friction), Lieutenant General Zverev, Colonel Bogoslovsky and military engineer Struve.

After two meetings, the commission presented a detailed report on the Mozhaisky project to the Main Engineering Directorate. The report stated that the inventor “based his project on principles that are now recognized as the most correct and capable of leading to favorable final results.”

Thanks to the support of D.I. Mendeleev, it was decided to give the inventor 3,000 rubles for further work and oblige him to present a program of experiments on the apparatus.

On February 14, 1877, Mozhaisky presented his program of experiments on aircraft models to the Main Engineering Directorate. It included the study of propellers, determination of the sizes and shapes of the steering and lifting surfaces, the specific load on the wing, and the resolution of the issue of controllability and strength of the aircraft.

One of the points in the program talked about testing the actions of “small areas on the back of the wings, for turning the device,” i.e. it was planned to test the ailerons or, in other words, the lateral stability and controllability of the aircraft.

The colossal significance of these tests will become clear if we remember that Mozhaisky studied the actions of ailerons 31 years before the Frenchman Farman, who allegedly invented them in 1908, and the Wright brothers, who built their first airplane in 1903, had no idea about them .

Mozhaisky's experiments on a large propeller driven by a steam engine were the first experiments of this kind in the world.

Having received only part of the promised amount (2192 rubles), the inventor set about implementing his program. He had to work in very difficult conditions. His financial situation was extremely difficult.

Despite difficulties and extreme need, Mozhaisky built a new model of an airplane. This model, according to contemporaries, “flyed completely freely and descended very smoothly; the flight also occurred when a dagger was placed on the model, which represents a load of very significant size. Mr. Mozhaisky’s invention was already tested by several well-known specialists and earned their approval. .. the invention itself is kept secret."

As a result of new research, Mozhaisky at the beginning of 1878 came to the conclusion that it was possible to use air resistance to create lift.

On this occasion, he wrote: “...for the possibility of soaring in the air, there is a certain relationship between gravity, speed and the size of the area or plane, and it is certain that the greater the speed of movement, the greater the weight the same area can carry.”

This formulation of one of the most important laws of aerodynamics - the importance of speed for creating lift - was given by Mozhaisky 11 years before the publication of similar works by Marey and Lilienthal, who came to the same conclusion only in 1889. The mathematical justification for the emergence of lift, as is known, was first given in 1905 by Russian scientist N.E. Zhukovsky in his work “On Associated Vortexes,” in which he derived a theorem on the lifting force of a wing.

In the spring of 1878 A.F. Mozhaisky decided to move on to building a life-size aircraft. On March 23, 1878, he addressed the Main Engineering Directorate with a memorandum in which he indicated that “the data required to resolve the issue can only be obtained on an apparatus of such dimensions that a person could control the force of the machine and the direction of the apparatus” and asked for release of funds for the construction of an airplane, the cost of which was determined by him at 18,895 rubles.

Mozhaisky’s proposal was considered by a special commission, which was presented with detailed drawings of the aircraft, substantiated by calculations, and an explanatory note containing a description of the device. The description said that the plane consisted of:

1) from a boat used to accommodate vehicles and people;
2) from two fixed wings;
3) from the tail, which can rise and fall and serve to change the direction of flight up and down, and through the vertical area moving in it to the right and left, receive the direction of the apparatus to the sides;
4) from the large front screw;
5) from two small screws on the back of the device;
6) from a cart on wheels under the boat, which serves so that the apparatus, positioned with the area of ​​​​its wings and tail obliquely, about 4 degrees to the horizon, with its front part upward, can first run along the ground against the air and obtain the speed that is necessary for steaming it;
7) of two masts, which serve to strengthen its wings and connect the entire apparatus along its length and to lift the tail.

The engines provided for the installation of two steam engines with a total power of 30 hp. One of the machines was supposed to work on the nose pulling propeller, and the other - through a transmission on the two rear pushing propellers.

The device, according to the inventor's plan, could land on water, for which the fuselage was shaped like a boat.

From the presented description it is clear that Mozhaisky intended to create a monoplane type aircraft with a thin wing profile mounted at an angle of 4°, modern controls and a spring-damped landing gear.

Now that the history of the development of aviation has been sufficiently well studied, we can appreciate the merit of the Russian sailor-inventor, who in 1878 proposed the design of an aircraft, all the main elements of which are inherent in modern aircraft.

Having developed the fuselage type of aircraft for the first time, Mozhaisky was more than 30 years ahead of Western European and American designers, who only in 1909-1910. began to build similar aircraft.

The idea of ​​using a fuselage-boat for landing on water was first brought to life in 1913 by another Russian designer and inventor D.P. Grigorovich - the creator of the first boat hydroplane.

In addition to developing the project, Mozhaisky described in detail the take-off technique of his aircraft and provided for the installation of aeronautical equipment on it: a compass, a speed meter, a barometer-altimeter, two thermometers, three inclinometers and a sight for bombing.

The aircraft, according to Mozhaisky's plan, was intended for bombing and reconnaissance purposes.

At the end of his explanatory note to the project, Mozhaisky indicated that “the construction of the apparatus from the technical side does not present any difficulties or impossibilities.”

The expert commission, which this time included foreigners who had little interest in the development of Russian aviation - General Pauker, General Gerya and Colonel Walberg - believed that if the problem of building a heavier-than-air aircraft was solved, it would not be in Russia , and in Western Europe.

At the first meeting, which took place on April 12, 1878, the commission doubted that the device would be able to hover in the air using propellers, and invited the author of the project to provide new additional data and calculations on this issue.

To satisfy the commission’s demands, Mozhaisky, after consultation with Academician Chebyshev, drew up an additional note in which he gave a detailed and thorough analysis of the operation of the propellers in the air and supported them with reasonable calculations.

Mozhaisky was confident that the propellers he proposed “will undoubtedly produce the work expected from them, because their dimensions are determined in relation to the strength of the machine by calculations and theories, confirmed by experiments.”

Having considered Mozhaisky’s explanatory note at the second meeting, the commission made a decision that was astonishing in its ignorance, stating that it “does not find guarantee that experiments on Mr. Mozhaisky’s projectile, even after various possible changes in it, could lead to useful practical results, unless he builds a projectile on completely different bases, with movable wings that can change not only their position relative to the gondola, but also their shape during flight."

“The amount currently requested by Mr. Mozhaisky is so significant,” the experts wrote in their decision, “that the commission does not dare to welcome its allocation...”

In other words, the commission pushed the inventor onto the wrong path and nullified the results of his many years of work and research.

Mozhaisky, protesting against this decision of the commission, turned to Minister of War Vannovsky with a request to cancel it. However, Vannovsky, without even familiarizing himself with the merits of the case, approved the commission’s decision.

Then Mozhaisky addressed a letter to the head of the Main Engineering Directorate, General Zverev, in which he indicated that “the commission, discussing and conducting the matter in a clerical and private way, deprived me of the opportunity to present to it my final conclusions about the size of the parts of the apparatus, the strength of its machine and other conditions and from the very beginning she did everything to... kill my confidence in the possibility of implementing my project." General Zverev did not respond to Mozhaisky’s letter. Government organizations refused to fund the inventor. Only the advanced Russian intelligentsia and the ordinary workers who worked with Mozhaisky supported him and provided him with all possible assistance. Mozhaisky's closest assistants - Golubev, Yakovlev, Arsentyev and others - continued to work under his leadership.

Leading Russian scientists also provided great moral support. So, for example, Professor of the Maritime Academy I. Alymov wrote: “Mr. Mozhaisky’s apparatus... constitutes, in our opinion, a huge and, perhaps, even a final step towards resolving the great question of man floating in the air in the desired direction and with the desired, within certain limits, speed... A.F. Mozhaisky, in our opinion, has the great merit of, if not completely solving this problem in practice, then at least getting extremely close to this solution, and therefore to the solution of everything issue of aeronautics."

And Mozhaisky continued to work on his invention. After two years, when working drawings were prepared and a number of additional studies were carried out to clarify the calculations, Malaysky, in order to protect himself from numerous “businessmen” from the ministry seeking to appropriate someone else’s achievement or sell it abroad, decided to patent his invention.

On June 4, 1880, he applied to the Department of Trade and Manufactures with a request for a patent for the “aircraft” he had invented and received it on November 3, 1881. This was the world’s first patent for an aircraft, and it was issued to a Russian sailor inventor Captain 1st Rank A.F. Mozhaisky.

After receiving the patent, Mozhaisky began manufacturing individual parts of the future airplane.
Quite confident in the reality of his invention, having decided to complete the work he had begun, Mozhaisky turned to the Minister of the Navy S.S. Lesovsky (his former commander on the frigate "Diana") in order to obtain funds for the construction of steam engines, the drawings of which were developed by him.

Lesovsky, knowing the inventor personally, petitioned the Minister of Finance to grant Mozhaisky 5,000 rubles, but was refused.

Then Mozhaisky turned to the military department to Adjutant General Greig and obtained a promise of support from him, provided that the naval minister also petitioned for this.

Lesovsky, “in view of the truly militarily important results that can be expected from a successful solution to the issue of aeronautics,” asked for Captain 1st Rank Mozhaisky to be given 2,500 rubles (instead of the previously requested 5,000 rubles). This time the request of the Minister of the Navy was granted. With the money received, Mozhaisky gave an order for the production of two steam engines according to the project he developed. In 1881 the machines were manufactured.

These were two-cylinder vertical steam engines of lightweight compound construction. One of the cars developed a power of 20 hp. at 300 rpm. Her weight was 47.6 kg. Another car had a power of 10 hp. at 450 rpm. Her weight was 28.6 kg. Steam was supplied to the machines from a once-through boiler weighing 64.5 kg. The fuel was kerosene.

The crankshafts and piston rods of the machines were made hollow to reduce weight. Having received the cars, Mozhaisky began assembling the aircraft.

To carry out some work, the inventor turned to the Baltic Plant for help. But the plant management, having learned that the inventor had no money, refused him.

Then Mozhaisky turned to the tsarist government with a request to give him 5,000 rubles to assemble and test the aircraft. By “highest command” Mozhaisky’s request was rejected.

The inventor had no hope of government support, and it seemed that all the work done would fail at the last stage. But nevertheless, Mozhaisky completed the construction of the aircraft.

With money raised from the sale of personal belongings and borrowed from relatives and interested parties, Mozhaisky completed the assembly of the aircraft in the spring of 1882.

According to contemporaries, Mozhaisky’s finished apparatus was a boat with wooden ribs. Rectangular wings, slightly curved upward, were attached to the sides of the boat.

The boat, wings and tail of the aircraft were covered with thin silk material impregnated with varnish. The wing bindings were wooden (pine). The device stood on a chassis with wheels. Both of his cars were located at the front of the boat.

The plane had three four-bladed propellers and two rudders - horizontal and vertical.

The wingspan of the aircraft was about 24 m with a length of 15 m. The area of ​​the load-bearing surfaces was 371.6 sq.m. With a flight weight of about 950 kg, the aircraft's payload was 300 kg.

The estimated flight speed did not exceed 40 km/h with a total power of 30 hp. With.

In the summer of 1882, the aircraft was ready for testing. For the take-off run of the aircraft, Mozhaisky built a special runway in the form of an inclined wooden flooring. He decided that this inclined track would make it possible to develop additional speed during the take-off run of the aircraft, thereby increasing its lift.

Tests of Mozhaisky's aircraft were carried out in conditions of great secrecy.

On July 20, 1882, representatives of the military department and the Russian Technical Society gathered on the military field in Krasnoe Selo.

Mozhaisky himself was not allowed to fly, since he was already 57 years old at that time. Testing the aircraft in the air was entrusted to Mozhaisky’s assistant, mechanic I.N. Golubev.

The plane piloted by Golubev, having gained the required speed at the end of the takeoff run, took off and, having flown some distance in a straight line, landed. The plane's wing was damaged during landing.

Despite this, Mozhaisky was pleased with the results of the test, since for the first time the possibility of human flight in a heavier-than-air apparatus was practically proven. It seemed that universal recognition and support from the government were now assured.

However, in reality it turned out completely different. Invention by A.F. Mozhaisky was declared a military secret, and it was strictly forbidden to write anything about the aircraft. The inventor still received no help. Tsarist officials and foreigners in Russian service did everything to ensure that not only the successes of the Russian inventor, but also his name were forgotten.

True to himself and his homeland, a science enthusiast and a tireless worker, Mozhaisky immediately after the first tests began to improve the aircraft design he had created and designed new, more powerful machines for it.

These vehicles were ordered to the Baltic Shipyard. At that time, these were the lightest and most powerful steam engines with an air surface cooler for steam. Their total power (i.e. the power of two cars) was 50 hp. with a specific gravity of 4.9 kg per 1 hp. Only 20 years later the Wright brothers managed to assemble a gasoline engine with approximately the same specific gravity of 1 hp.

Nowadays, even with vast experience and a large stock of theoretical knowledge, the work of an aircraft designer is still separated from the work of an engine designer. Mozhaisky had to be both at the same time. Nevertheless, he managed to build and test the aircraft, creating engines for it that, in terms of technical indicators of that time, were superior to similar engines from foreign companies that were specially engaged in their design and manufacture.

While the machines were being manufactured, Mozhaisky clarified the calculated data for his aircraft. Calculations showed that the aircraft’s structure needed to be lightened and some of the old parts needed to be replaced with new ones.

After the calculations were refined and a new aircraft design was developed, Mozhaisky presented it to the VII (aeronautical) department of the Russian Technical Society on January 21, 1883. At a specially convened meeting. meetings, chaired by M.A. Rykachev, Mozhaisky made a report about his new aircraft design and all the work he had done.

For a detailed consideration of the new works of retired Rear Admiral Mozhaisky, a commission was created, which, in addition to representatives of the aeronautical department, included representatives from the II (mechanical) department of the Russian Technical Society. The commission, having familiarized itself with the results of the inventor’s work, recognized it as desirable “for the VII department to assist A.F. Mozhaisky - to complete his device and carry out interesting experiments on an aircraft of such a large size.” But the VII Department could not provide material assistance, and Mozhaisky was forced to turn to the War Ministry again.

The ministry told him that “the continuation of the testing of the apparatus he invented was taken over by the Imperial Russian Technical Society, which was assigned a certain amount for this subject.”

However, neither the inventor nor the Russian Technical Society received this amount.

As it has now become known, the appropriations were not issued due to the intervention and machinations of the general staffs of foreign states, to which the tsarist government so diligently curried favor.

In 1885, Mozhaisky submitted an application to the Main Engineering Directorate, in which he indicated that he had received new practical conclusions, “representing the opportunity to make the presentation of the theory clearer, and the calculations more definite,” and asked not to refuse to release funds for the work he was doing.

The commission, having considered the inventor’s application at its meeting on June 29, 1885, noted that it “sees no reason to apply for benefits to Mr. Mozhaisky.”

A.F. Mozhaisky, using his insignificant means, continued to work on improving his apparatus until the last days of his life.

After the death of the inventor, his plane stood in the open air in Krasnoe Selo for many years and, after the military department refused to buy it, it was subsequently dismantled and transported to the Mozhaisky estate near Vologda.

And if in France Ader’s Avion III (an airplane with folding wings built in 1897) was preserved as a relic, Russian officials, under pressure from foreigners, did everything to ensure that not a trace remained of Mozhaisky’s invention. Even the name of the inventor turned out to be unnoticed and unrecognized in Tsarist Russia.

Based on the experiments of A.F. Mozhaisky, Russian design engineers created the Russian Knight heavy aircraft in 1913 at the Baltic Plant in St. Petersburg. Following it in 1914, a series of aircraft of the Ilya Muromets type with an improved design was built. It was the world's first heavy multi-engine bomber with engines located in the wing. The giant aircraft “Svyatogor”, designed in 1915 by designer V.A., turned out to be exceptional in its qualities. Slesarev.

Our people sacredly preserve the memory of A.F. Mozhaisk - the founder of aviation. His name is written on the pages of history next to the names of the most talented people in our country who have won the priority of national thought in various fields of science and technology.

Memory

1. Order No. 0812 of the NKO USSR announced the creation of the Leningrad Air Force Academy of the Red Army (since 1955 - named after A.F. Mozhaisky) on the basis of the Leningrad Institute of Civil Air Fleet Engineers.
2. The Historical and Memorial House-Museum of A.F. Mozhaisky was opened in the Vologda region.
3. The monument to A.F. Mozhaisky was erected in Krasnoe Selo.
4. The Military Engineering Red Banner Institute in St. Petersburg is named after A.F. Mozhaisky
5. the formula named Equation of existence of an aircraft (Mozhaisky formula)

Rear admiral, aviation pioneer, talented artist, discoverer of the basic law of aerodynamics, strong leader. All these qualities were combined by one person - Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky. A brief biography of him will be presented to your attention in the article.

Childhood and youth

In 1825, a son, Alexander, a future aviation pioneer, was born into the family of the admiral of the Russian fleet, Fyodor Timofeevich Mozhaisky. The inventor's hometown, Rochensalm, a former possession of Finland, went to Russia as a result of the war and was in desolation. Hereditary sailor Fyodor Timofeevich insisted on the need to train his son in the famous St. Petersburg Naval Cadet Corps. After graduating from the educational institution with brilliant results, Alexander Fedorovich entered the naval service, sailed around the Baltic and White Seas, and just a year later was promoted to midshipman. He was well versed in the exact sciences, was interested in naval and military technology, and was an excellent painter. During his trip to Japan, he made many sketches, which, according to experts, are of ethnographic and historical value.

"Diana"

All this time he dreamed of long voyages. In 1853, having learned about the upcoming Japanese voyage of the frigate Diana, he began to apply for enlistment in the crew. His reputation as an experienced sailor, as well as excellent recommendations, played a role. In December 1854, the ship became a victim of a sea earthquake off the coast of Japan. The frigate was carried onto the reef, the resulting cracks allowed an uncontrolled sea flow inside. The whole team worked as a single organism, without sleep or rest, but the water did not decrease. After a long struggle to save the ship, the decision was made to abandon it. Having reached the shore on boats, the crew was forced to wait for help in a foreign country. It is unknown how long the wait would have lasted if not for Mozhaisky’s enthusiasm, supported by a sharp mind and a magazine he saved describing the dimensions of the ship. Under his leadership, the crew was able to build a schooner and sail back home. After 20 days, the anchor was dropped off the coast of Kamchatka, where Lieutenant Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky boarded the Argun steamer to proceed to the Nikolaev post.

The steamship "Gremyashchiy" and the Khiva expedition

The year 1857 was marked by an appointment to the steamship "Gremyashchiy", plying the routes Kronstadt - Estonia, Kronstadt - Germany. Service here gave Alexander the opportunity to gain practical experience in studying the steam engine. In 1858, Mozhaisky again became a member of a long-distance expedition, but this time on land. Participants will have to explore the basins of the Aral Sea and Syr Darya, get acquainted with the culture and traditions of local residents. For his contribution to the study and description of the Amur Basin, Alexander Fedorovich was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree.

"Rider"

Despite resistance to everything new, the pillars of Russian navigation recognized the advantage of steam engines. It was decided to build the first steam screw clipper “Horseman” on the Finnish Björneborg. It fell to Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky to manage the construction. The choice was not accidental; his experience on the Gremyashchy, excellent organizational skills, and engineering knowledge played a role. In the summer of 1860, Mozhaisky began work. He had a hard time, because, in addition to management, he had to train the workers, because no one except him was familiar with the structure of steam engines. Thanks to his talent, in just a year the ship was ready and successfully passed all tests.

Personal life

At the end of the Crimean War, like many naval officers, he was sent on indefinite leave. This period was marked by his marriage to eighteen-year-old Lyubov Dmitrievna Kuzmina. The couple met in the spring of 1859, when Alexander Fedorovich came to visit his friends in Vologda. Lyubov Dmitrievna had a good education, was known as a deeply religious person and played excellent music. After getting married, the family settled in Kotelnikov, their house is now a museum. Lyubov Dmitrievna gave birth to heirs, sons Alexander and Nikolai. But family happiness did not last long - at the age of 23, Lyubov Dmitrievna died from a transient illness. Alexander Fedorovich never married again, devoting his life to children and his dream - designing the first aircraft.

First experiments

The year 1876 marked the beginning of serious work on the development of the first experimental model of a heavier-than-air aircraft. The thought of him tormented the inquisitive mind of Alexander Mozhaisky (the biography of the designer is full of interesting facts and events) since his service on the Diana. In those years, newspapers often published articles on aeronautics, claiming that the hour was near when people would be able to fly like birds. Once, while on duty on the Diana, Mozhaisky witnessed how a strong gust of wind hit a seagull against the mainmast. Alexander Fedorovich took the bird that had uttered its last cry to his cabin. With its help, he tried to find properties that help birds fly.

Mozhaisky consulted with the best Russian scientists, made many calculations, and conducted thousands of experiments to create the world's first flying machine. More than a decade earlier than Lilienthal, he discovered one of the basic aerodynamic laws about the existence of a relationship between speed and the weight of an object and the plane. The test of the model was successful: the kite glider he designed (towed by horses) was able to lift it into the air twice. And already in 1877, Mozhaisky successfully demonstrated a model driven by a clock spring. Its speed reached 15 km/h, and a load was even attached to the prototype.

Financial questions

If Alexander Mozhaisky, whose brief biography became the subject of our review, spent his personal savings on the creation of small experimental models, his funds were not enough to develop a full-fledged aeronautical vessel. For this reason, Mozhaisky drew up a petition to the War Ministry to provide funding for the construction of a life-size model. The commission headed by D.I. Mendeleev decided to allocate funds to him in the amount of 3,000 rubles. In 1878, the designer provided drawings of the aircraft, with detailed calculations and explanations, to the Main Engineering Directorate. Hoping to get funding, he proposed using the plane for military purposes. The management refused to provide funds, questioning the benefits of the project. This did not stop the inventor; he continued his experiments, attracting private investors.

Airplane plan

Having developed an aircraft project, in the spring of 1878 he presented it directly to the Minister of War, asking for support for the development of the aircraft. His plan called for the aircraft to consist of the following elements:

• boats where people will be accommodated;
• two fixed wings;
• tail, the main purpose of which is to change the direction of movement due to the ability to rise and fall;
• three screws: one large in front and two small behind;
• a trolley on wheels located under the boat, its purpose is to give the aircraft the speed necessary for takeoff;
• two matches for strong fixation of the wings and lifting of the tail section.

The engine was supposed to be two steam engines: one drives the bow propeller, the second drives the two pushing rear ones. The attached cost diagram, drawings, calculations and descriptions did not convince the ministry commission: citing insufficient capacity of the installation, the application was rejected. In 1880, financing was agreed upon and a business trip abroad was organized, from where Mozhaisky delivered 2 steam plants equipped with a water-tube boiler and a refrigerator. In the fall of 1881 he became the owner of the country's first patent.

Construction of the aircraft and its testing

Since 1882, Alexander Mozhaisky (Studianrussian) began constructing the apparatus. He was allocated a plot in Krasnoye Selo, right on the military field. 1883 marked the completion of many years of work - the assembly of the first Russian aircraft was completed, which reached flight tests. Ground tests showed the viability of the prototype, and it was decided to carry out the first flight. However, during the takeoff run on wooden rails, the unexpected happened: the plane lost its wing due to a roll. The development was declared a military secret, but assistance was never provided. Until the last years of his life, A.F. Mozhaisky worked on his invention. After the death of the designer on April 1, 1890, a prototype of the first aircraft of Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky (briefly about it in the article) was delivered to his estate, where it burned down a few years later.

Turbohod

On December 1, 1914, the passenger ship Patria was laid down, which made its first voyage in 1919. During 16 years of operation by foreign companies, the ship traveled hundreds of thousands of miles between the Netherlands and Indonesia, and in 1935 it was sold to the USSR. The Soviet Union used it as a training ship, changing its name to “Svir”. With the outbreak of World War II, the ship entered military service, and in 1942 it sank during a bombardment near Leningrad. After a year of peaceful life, it was raised and sent for repairs. After a long restoration, the ship acquired a modern look and was modernized into a cargo-passenger liner. The turboprop was given a new name - “Alexander Mozhaisky”. His life continued on the passenger line of the Far East of the country until the spring of 1970. It is interesting that the turbo ship “Alexander Mozhaisky” was transferred to the village of Wrangel as a hostel. After 8 years, the ship was sold to Hong Kong for scrapping.

Memory of Mozhaisky

The name of Alexander Fedorovich continues to live. Streets and passages in many Russian cities are named in his honor. The Military Space Academy named after A. F. Mozhaisky proudly bears its name, the graduates of which are outstanding scientists, military figures and Hero of the Soviet Union M. V. Avdeev. The equation for the existence of an aircraft is named in honor of Alexander Fedorovich, and International Youth scientific and technical readings named after. Mozhaisky.

The name of the inventor was also embodied in culture - the film “Zhukovsky” contains an episode of Alexander Fedorovich testing his aircraft. The experiments of the famous inventor formed the basis of the fantastic novel “Airplanes over Mukden” by A. E. Matvienko and “The Lamps of Methuselah” by Victor Pelevin.
Having devoted his life to working on the creation of the first aircraft, A.F. Mozhaisky provided the basis for future Russian design engineers. Based on his experiments, in 1913 the first domestic aircraft, the Russian Knight, was developed and constructed. His name is forever inscribed in the history of Russia.

In the seas Mozhaisky received the rank of lieutenant in 1849.

From 1850 to 1852 Alexander Mozhaisky on the Baltic Sea. In 1853-1855, he took part in the long-distance Kronstadt-Japan voyage on the frigate Diana. In 1855, he was assigned to the brig Antenor, which sailed the Baltic Sea and guarded the approaches to the Gulf of Finland from sabotage raids by Anglo-French ships.

In 1863, Mozhaisky resigned due to the forced reduction in the size of the fleet after the Crimean War. From 1869 to 1876 Mozhaisky lived in the village of Voronovitsa, Podolsk province, located 20 km from Vinnitsa.

In 1879, Mozhaisky was re-enlisted for active military service with the rank of captain 1st rank and sent to the Naval Cadet Corps, where he taught a course in maritime practice.

In 1876, Alexander Mozhaisky began working on a project for a heavier-than-air flying machine he had long planned. While serving in the Naval Corps, Mozhaisky, using the advice of major Russian scientists, continued to improve his project.

In July 1882, Captain 1st Rank Mozhaisky was promoted to major general with dismissal from service “due to domestic circumstances.”

...Produced:

to major general:

Captain 1st rank Mozhaisky 1st, with dismissal from service due to domestic circumstances, with uniform and pension according to position.

Chief Head of the Fleet and Maritime Department

Adjutant General Alexei

TsGAVMF, department of scientific and reference literature, no. 820, l. 36

Mozhaisky was subsequently promoted to rear admiral.

On July 20, 1882, an aircraft of its design was tested, but many researchers consider the date and the very fact of the test to be fictitious by Soviet historians.

Construction of the first Russian aircraft

Mozhaisky's plane is the first in Russia and one of the first in the world aircraft designed to lift a person. It was designed and built by A.F. Mozhaisky at his own expense in the last quarter of the 19th century. No documents have been preserved that directly recorded the progress of testing Mozhaisky’s aircraft. Later sources from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries indicate that it crashed while attempting to take off. Some of them claim that the device took off from the ground for a short time. In the USSR, attempts were made repeatedly, based on scant information about the technical appearance of Mozhaisky’s aircraft, to establish (theoretically or experimentally) its probable flight performance data and answer questions about the possibility of it making a steady flight and about the conditions under which it could take off. These studies produced varying results. According to recent studies conducted at TsAGI, the power developed by the power plant of Mozhaisky’s aircraft was insufficient for steady horizontal flight.

Awards

• In 1859, for participation in the Khiva expedition and the campaign to Bukhara, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree.
• During the Crimean War, Alexander Fedorovich commanded the Amur flotilla of small ships and the 10-gun transport "Dvina", for which he was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav, II degree, as well as a bronze medal on the St. Andrew's ribbon "In memory of the war of 1853-1856."

Mozhaisky in culture

Memory of A. Mozhaisky

• Order No. 0812 of the NKO USSR announced the creation of the Leningrad Air Force Academy of the Red Army (since 1955 - named after A.F. Mozhaisky) on the basis of the Leningrad Institute of Civil Air Fleet Engineers. Nowadays it is the A.F. Mozhaisky Military Space Academy in St. Petersburg.
• In the Vologda region, the Historical and Memorial House-Museum of A.F. Mozhaisky was opened in the village of Mozhaiskoye
• Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics Pioneers named after A.F. Mozhaisky (Krasnoe Selo, St. Petersburg)
• Monument to A.F. Mozhaisky erected in Krasnoe Selo

• Streets in the cities of Vologda, Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, Stavropol, Tver, Ulyanovsk, Cherkassy, ​​Ussuriysk and a number of other cities of the former USSR are named after Mozhaisky.

• A passage and a square in the city of Kirov are named after Mozhaisky. An AN-8 aircraft monument is installed on the square
• The formula is named after A.F. Mozhaisky - Equation of existence of an aircraft:

$m\_0=\; \backslash frac(m\_\backslash text(equipage)+m\_\backslash text(fuel)+m\_\backslash text(cargo)+m\_\backslash text(engines))(1-(\backslash xi\_\backslash text(fuselage)+\backslash xi\_\backslash text(\; wing)+\backslash xi\_\backslash text(tail)+\backslash xi\_\backslash text(cockpit)+\backslash xi\_\backslash text(fuel\; system)+\backslash xi\_\backslash text(chassis)+\backslash xi\_\backslash text(equipment)))$

In Ukraine, International Youth Scientific and Technical Readings named after A.F. are held annually in Zaporozhye. Mozhaisky, in which representatives of aviation industry enterprises take part.

Other aviation pioneers

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Notes

Literature

Links

• Shavrov V. B.− 3rd ed., corrected. - M.: Mechanical Engineering, 1985.

Excerpt characterizing Mozhaisky, Alexander Fedorovich

Suddenly everything began to move, the crowd began to speak, moved, moved apart again, and between the two parted rows, at the sound of music playing, the sovereign entered. The master and hostess followed him. The Emperor walked quickly, bowing to the right and left, as if trying to quickly get rid of this first minute of the meeting. The musicians played Polskoy, known then by the words composed on it. These words began: “Alexander, Elizabeth, you delight us...” The Emperor walked into the living room, the crowd poured to the doors; several faces with changed expressions hurriedly walked back and forth. The crowd again fled from the doors of the living room, in which the sovereign appeared, talking with the hostess. Some young man with a confused look stepped on the ladies, asking them to move aside. Some ladies with faces expressing complete obliviousness to all conditions of the world, spoiling their toilets, pressed forward. The men began to approach the ladies and form Polish pairs.
Everything parted, and the sovereign, smiling and leading the mistress of the house by the hand, walked out of the living room door. Behind him came the owner with M.A. Naryshkina, then envoys, ministers, various generals, whom Peronskaya kept calling. More than half of the ladies had gentlemen and were going or preparing to go to Polskaya. Natasha felt that she remained with her mother and Sonya among the minority of ladies who were pushed to the wall and not taken in Polskaya. She stood with her slender arms hanging down, and with her slightly defined chest rising steadily, holding her breath, her shining, frightened eyes looked ahead of her, with an expression of readiness for the greatest joy and the greatest sorrow. She was not interested in either the sovereign or all the important persons to whom Peronskaya pointed out - she had one thought: “is it really possible that no one will come up to me, will I really not dance among the first, will all these men who are now not notice me?” It seems that they don’t even see me, and if they look at me, they look with such an expression as if they were saying: Ah! it's not her, there's nothing to watch. No, this cannot be! - she thought. “They should know how much I want to dance, how great I am at dancing, and how much fun it will be for them to dance with me.”
The sounds of the Polish, which continued for quite a long time, were already beginning to sound sad - a memory in Natasha’s ears. She wanted to cry. Peronskaya moved away from them. The Count was at the other end of the hall, the Countess, Sonya and she stood alone as if in a forest in this alien crowd, uninteresting and unnecessary to anyone. Prince Andrey walked past them with some lady, obviously not recognizing them. Handsome Anatole, smiling, said something to the lady he was leading, and looked at Natasha’s face with the same look as one looks at the walls. Boris walked past them twice and turned away each time. Berg and his wife, who were not dancing, approached them.
Natasha found this family bonding here at the ball offensive, as if there was no other place for family conversations except at the ball. She did not listen or look at Vera, who was telling her something about her green dress.
Finally, the sovereign stopped next to his last lady (he was dancing with three), the music stopped; the preoccupied adjutant ran towards the Rostovs, asking them to step aside somewhere else, although they were standing against the wall, and the distinct, cautious and fascinatingly measured sounds of a waltz were heard from the choir. The Emperor looked at the audience with a smile. A minute passed and no one had started yet. The adjutant manager approached Countess Bezukhova and invited her. She raised her hand, smiling, and placed it, without looking at him, on the adjutant’s shoulder. The adjutant manager, a master of his craft, confidently, slowly and measuredly, hugging his lady tightly, set off with her first on a glide path, along the edge of the circle, at the corner of the hall, he picked up her left hand, turned it, and because of the ever-accelerating sounds of the music, only measured ones were heard the clicks of the spurs of the adjutant’s quick and dexterous legs, and every three beats at the turn, his lady’s fluttering velvet dress seemed to flare up. Natasha looked at them and was ready to cry that it was not she who was dancing this first round of the waltz.
Prince Andrei, in his colonel's white (cavalry) uniform, in stockings and shoes, lively and cheerful, stood in the front rows of the circle, not far from the Rostovs. Baron Firgof spoke with him about tomorrow's supposed first meeting of the State Council. Prince Andrei, as a person close to Speransky and participating in the work of the legislative commission, could give correct information about the meeting tomorrow, about which there were various rumors. But he did not listen to what Firgof told him, and looked first at the sovereign, then at the gentlemen who were getting ready to dance, who did not dare to join the circle.
Prince Andrei observed these gentlemen and ladies timid in the presence of the sovereign, dying with desire to be invited.
Pierre walked up to Prince Andrei and grabbed his hand.
– You always dance. There is my protegee [favorite], young Rostova, invite her,” he said.
- Where? – asked Bolkonsky. “Sorry,” he said, turning to the baron, “we’ll finish this conversation somewhere else, but we have to dance at the ball.” “He stepped forward in the direction that Pierre pointed out to him. Natasha’s desperate, frozen face caught the eye of Prince Andrei. He recognized her, guessed her feeling, realized that she was a beginner, remembered her conversation at the window and with a cheerful expression on his face approached Countess Rostova.
“Let me introduce you to my daughter,” said the countess, blushing.
“I have the pleasure of being an acquaintance, if the countess remembers me,” said Prince Andrei with a polite and low bow, completely contradicting Peronskaya’s remarks about his rudeness, approaching Natasha and raising his hand to hug her waist even before he finished the invitation to dance. He suggested a waltz tour. That frozen expression on Natasha’s face, ready for despair and delight, suddenly lit up with a happy, grateful, childish smile.
“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” as if this frightened and happy girl said, with her smile that appeared behind the ready tears, raising her hand on Prince Andrei’s shoulder. They were the second couple to enter the circle. Prince Andrey was one of the best dancers of his time. Natasha danced superbly. Her feet in ballroom satin shoes quickly, easily and independently of her did their job, and her face shone with the delight of happiness. Her bare neck and arms were thin and ugly. Compared to Helen's shoulders, her shoulders were thin, her breasts were vague, her arms were thin; but Helen already seemed to have a varnish on from all the thousands of glances sliding over her body, and Natasha seemed like a girl who had been exposed for the first time, and who would have been very ashamed of it if she had not been assured that it was so necessary.
Prince Andrei loved to dance, and wanting to quickly get rid of the political and intelligent conversations with which everyone turned to him, and wanting to quickly break this annoying circle of embarrassment formed by the presence of the sovereign, he went to dance and chose Natasha, because Pierre pointed him out to her and because she was the first of the pretty women to come into his sight; but as soon as he embraced this thin, mobile figure, and she moved so close to him and smiled so close to him, the wine of her charm went to his head: he felt revived and rejuvenated when, catching his breath and leaving her, he stopped and began to look on the dancers.

After Prince Andrei, Boris approached Natasha, inviting her to dance, and the adjutant dancer who started the ball, and more young people, and Natasha, handing over her excess gentlemen to Sonya, happy and flushed, did not stop dancing the whole evening. She did not notice anything and did not see anything that occupied everyone at this ball. She not only did not notice how the sovereign spoke for a long time with the French envoy, how he spoke especially graciously to such and such a lady, how prince such and such did and said this, how Helen was a great success and received special attention from such and such; she did not even see the sovereign and noticed that he left only because after his departure the ball became more lively. One of the merry cotillions, before dinner, Prince Andrei danced with Natasha again. He reminded her of their first date in the Otradnensky alley and how she could not sleep on a moonlit night, and how he involuntarily heard her. Natasha blushed at this reminder and tried to justify herself, as if there was something shameful in the feeling in which Prince Andrei involuntarily overheard her.
Prince Andrei, like all people who grew up in the world, loved to meet in the world that which did not have a common secular imprint on it. And such was Natasha, with her surprise, joy and timidity and even mistakes in the French language. He treated and spoke to her especially tenderly and carefully. Sitting next to her, talking with her about the simplest and most insignificant subjects, Prince Andrei admired the joyful sparkle of her eyes and smile, which related not to the speeches spoken, but to her inner happiness. While Natasha was being chosen and she stood up with a smile and danced around the hall, Prince Andrei especially admired her timid grace. In the middle of the cotillion, Natasha, having completed her figure, still breathing heavily, approached her place. The new gentleman invited her again. She was tired and out of breath, and apparently thought of refusing, but immediately again cheerfully raised her hand on the gentleman’s shoulder and smiled at Prince Andrey.
“I would be glad to rest and sit with you, I’m tired; but you see how they choose me, and I’m glad about it, and I’m happy, and I love everyone, and you and I understand all this,” and that smile said a lot more. When the gentleman left her, Natasha ran across the hall to take two ladies for the figures.
“If she approaches her cousin first, and then another lady, then she will be my wife,” Prince Andrei said to himself quite unexpectedly, looking at her. She approached her cousin first.
“What nonsense sometimes comes to mind! thought Prince Andrey; but the only thing that is true is that this girl is so sweet, so special, that she won’t dance here for a month and get married... This is a rarity here,” he thought when Natasha, straightening the rose that had fallen back from her bodice, sat down next to him.
At the end of the cotillion, the old count approached the dancers in his blue tailcoat. He invited Prince Andrei to his place and asked his daughter if she was having fun? Natasha did not answer and only smiled a smile that reproachfully said: “How could you ask about this?”
- More fun than ever in my life! - she said, and Prince Andrei noticed how quickly her thin arms rose to hug her father and immediately fell. Natasha was as happy as she had never been in her life. She was at that highest level of happiness when a person becomes completely trusting and does not believe in the possibility of evil, misfortune and grief.

At this ball, Pierre for the first time felt insulted by the position that his wife occupied in the highest spheres. He was gloomy and absent-minded. There was a wide crease across his forehead, and he, standing at the window, looked through his glasses, not seeing anyone.
Natasha, heading to dinner, passed him.
Pierre's gloomy, unhappy face struck her. She stopped in front of him. She wanted to help him, to convey to him the excess of her happiness.
“How fun, Count,” she said, “isn’t it?”
Pierre smiled absently, obviously not understanding what was being said to him.
“Yes, I’m very glad,” he said.
“How can they be unhappy with something,” Natasha thought. Especially someone as good as this Bezukhov?” In Natasha’s eyes, everyone at the ball were equally kind, sweet, wonderful people who loved each other: no one could offend each other, and therefore everyone should be happy.

The next day, Prince Andrei remembered yesterday's ball, but did not dwell on it for long. “Yes, it was a very brilliant ball. And also... yes, Rostova is very nice. There is something fresh, special, not St. Petersburg, that distinguishes her.” That's all he thought about yesterday's ball, and after drinking tea, he sat down to work.