In the beginning there was a parachute

A person’s hobbies quite often determine his profession. Or, on the contrary, the field of activity gives rise to interests that are characteristic of it and continue to be immersed in work. For Galina Koveshnikova, who has been heading the Central Construction Laboratory of Mosmetrostroy for more than 10 years, this principle only partially worked. It is difficult to connect her hobby with her vocation, but it was it that became fateful. In her youth, she was seriously interested in parachuting. In three years, she made exactly 50 jumps and earned II sports category.

Galina Viktorovna remembers this time with warmth, her face breaks into a smile, and her eyes sparkle with a mischievous sparkle when she talks about flying under the D-6 and D-1-5U canopies. Years later, her emotions are also vivid from stories about free fall, about the bird's eye views, the whistle of the wind that accompanies the seconds of descent, and communication with brave people who know how to act and make decisions even in extreme situations. No other sport, and Galina was an active teenager - she played basketball and showed good results in rowing - could attract her so much.

Preparation for parachute jumps took place not far from Chekhov near Moscow - at the Volosovo airfield, which is still functioning. Only those who had successfully mastered the theory and practiced landing skills on special trampolines and towers were strictly allowed to practice. The height of the jumps varied from 800 to 1300 meters, they were performed independently, without the accompaniment of an instructor. Galina Koveshnikova claims that all movements were honed to the point of automatism and were not forgotten. Each athlete could not only make a jump, but also perform a special set of exercises.

The girl trained herself and helped the new students, who were regularly brought to training camps, learn the basics. One of the supervisors of interaction with DOSAAF told her about recruiting employees for the laboratory at Mosmetrostroy. The news for a girl studying in the specialty “Industrial and Civil Engineering” at the Moscow Institute of Civil Engineering (now National Research University MGSU) seemed interesting. She rushed to the interview and passed it successfully. She was hired by the famous metro construction worker, Hero of Socialist Labor Tatyana Fedorova, who was also involved in parachuting.

Galina Koveshnikova became part of the team two weeks after the founding of the Central Laboratory - March 15, 1982. And she devoted most of her working life to the Moscow Metrostroy. Prior to this, she had only two years of experience as a clerk in the USSR Ministry of Defense, where she acquired important skills in handling documents.

Galina Viktorovna began her career in the laboratory as a technician, then became a leading engineer, and after a while received the position of deputy head. And in 2014, she headed the institution herself, becoming its third head.

Initially, the laboratory occupied a small space. Today it has significantly increased in area and is equipped with modern and precise equipment, the supply of which continues. One of the latest acquisitions is instruments for ultrasonic examination of welds and reinforced concrete structures. The staff consists of 14 people, all first-class specialists who regularly improve their skills and expand their knowledge base. In 2023, the laboratory passed a serious inspection and entered the unified national system of the Federal Accreditation Service, confirming its competence in the field of quality control of construction and installation works (CEM).

Galina Viktorovna believes that objectivity and honesty are of paramount importance in her work. Based on the test results, laboratory staff draw up protocols, confirming the quality of construction and installation work.

In 2013, for her great contribution to the development of the construction industry in Moscow and many years of conscientious work, Koveshnikova was awarded the title “Honorary Builder of the City of Moscow.” And most recently, by decree of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Galina Viktorovna was awarded the insignia “For impeccable service to the city of Moscow” for 40 years. Congratulations!