In March, Marilynn Miller and Janet Barnard attended a conference of Women in Aviation, held in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of their highlights was meeting two famed women pilots from Russia who were also attending, where they were inducted into the Women in Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame.
During World War II, Dr. Galina Pavlovna Brok-Beltsova served as navigator for Soviet Petylakov Pe-2 bombers, the most sophisticated aircraft in the Soviet fleet at the time. Then-Lieutenant Brok was in the 125th Regiment, bombing German forces along the Western Front, but she, herself, was never a member of the famous "Night Witches" squadron, noted for their daring nighttime raids on German camps. Later, Dr. Brok-Beltsova earned her Doctorate in History, and retired as Head of the History Department at the Moscow Engineering Institute.
Galina Korchuganova, a graduate of the Moscow Aviation Institute, was a former Soviet test pilot and won the 1966 World Aerobatic championship. Since retirement, Ms. Korchuganova has devoted much time and effort to publicizing the roles of women in Russian aviation, and helping to attract young women to aviation careers. Korchuganova is founder and President of Aviatrissa, a Russian women's pilot association.
After the meeting, Marilynn and Janet attended a reception at the home of Robbin Russell in Kettering, held to honor the two Russian pilots.
March 19, 2003
Marilynn Miller, seated with Galina Beltsova-Brok and Galina Korchuganova, at Robbin Russell's home in Kettering, Ohio.