Garakanidze Vladimir

Garakanidze Vladimir [February 29 (March 13), 1900, Tbilisi – March 7, 1971, Zhukovsky, Moscow region] was an aeronaut, a balloon test pilot, and one of the first Georgian constructors of airships (dirigible balloons). In 1922, he was sent from Georgia to study at the Moscow Conservatory. Simultaneously, he studied at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Moscow University. From 1924, he headed the Aeronautics Laboratory at the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy. That same year, he established an air navigation center, which later became known as the “Garakanidze Air Navigation School.” He participated in the construction of the Soviet Union's gliding station, where from 1925, he worked as an instructor in glider sports.

From 1927, he worked at the Zhukovsky Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, where construction of dirigibles was led by A. Tupolev. Tupolev highly valued Garakanidze's dirigible designs. On April 9, 1932, Garakanidze's dirigible “USSR-V-1” made its first flight. Garakanidze became the first in the world to land a dirigible on water, disembark passengers into boats, load cargo, and take off again. In the following years, a series of dirigibles of his design were built, including V-1bis, V-12, and V-12bis. In 1933, during the record-setting launch of the first stratosphere balloon “USSR 1,” Garakanidze led the launch (the balloon reached an altitude of 19,000 meters and set a world record). Garakanidze’s last model dirigible, V-12, was used during World War II.

Garakanidze made significant contributions to space research. He received state awards for his achievements.

R. Kacharava