Barsy's first female pilots in 2014 archival photos

The all-female aerobatic group «Barsy» from Surgut has released archival footage from 12 years ago. It shows the first lineup of female pilots. The photos were taken in October 2014, just four months after the aerobatic group was formed.

As the photographer Yekaterina Khodyreva recalls, the weather that day was damp and windy, with snow already on the ground in places. The five pilots took part in their first photo shoot, for which they had to take off their heavy flight jackets. The women shivered from the cold but continued to pose.

«We went out to the «teshka», the first plane the cadets had to master. Later they would switch to the Yak-52, more sporty and agile. But that was later. For now, they stood along the wing of the Yak-18T and huddled from the cold. A small group in light blue summer flight suits,» explains the Surgut resident.

The strong wind at the airfield would either gust from all sides or rise upward like a whirlwind, giving no rest to the pilots« hair. Yekaterina recalls that it was a «wonderful, mesmerizing sight».

«Restless, defiant, devastating and sharp. There, in the clouds, it would show them its true power… But it was clear: it was simply envying their youth and beauty. Beauty and youth, as well as future victories in the infinite cosmos of the blue sky.»

Earlier, we showed how the «Barsy» flew with portraits of war heroes on the sides of their aircraft over Surgut and Nefteyugansk — video.