Comparisons to Amelia Earhart
Commonly referred to as "one of the most venerated and best-loved women aviators", her record breaking flight launched Raskova into fame and demonstrated that women could be highly skilled pilots.
"In Soviet Russia, Marina and her fellow record-flight aircrew were seen as the equivalent of the USA's Amelia Earhart — heroines of man's quest to conquer the skies" (Oakey).
In addition, Raskova " held the same level of respect and admiration in the USSR as Amelia Earhart held in the USA" (Berman). |
"The early distance-record flights that Raskova did (with others) were analogous to Earhart’s famous long-distance flights, but their wartime flying is in no way comparable. Sure, Earhart did important things for women in aviation, but she also had the full force of a massive propaganda machine behind her" (Green).
"The women pilots worshiped Marina Raskova, some traveling hundreds of miles over many days to beg to be accepted. All the women of the Red Air Force were volunteers. The great fighter ace Lydia Litvyak who learned to fly at fifteen even lied about the number of her flight hours in order to be accepted. " (Berman)
"Marina Raskova helped to raise the profile of women pilots and show that they were capable of world-class achievements, like their men counterparts." - Oakey |
"We viewed [Marina Raskova] as the grandmother of female aviation in Soviet Russia." |