Nikolai Mikhailovich Sokovnin
Sokovnin, Nikolai Mikhailovich
Born 1811; died 1894. Russian aeronautical inventor. Vice admiral (1867).
Upon graduating from the Naval Cadet School in 1830, Sokov-nin served in the Black Sea Fleet. In 1854 and 1855 he participated in the defense of Sevastopol. In 1866 he published a proposal for a dirigible propelled by compressed air. Sokovnin formulated the aerodynamic requirements for a dirigible and was the first to suggest the use of a flat rudder as an altitude control mechanism.