Pyotr Nikolaevich Nesterov, born on February 15, 1887, in Nizhny Novgorod, was a Russian military pilot and staff captain, known as the founder of aerobatics for performing the "Nesterov loop." He died on August 26, 1914, in Zholkva, Austria-Hungary, using a ramming tactic in aerial combat, marking the first instance in the history of military aviation.

Nesterov's interest in aviation began in 1910. In 1912, he successfully passed exams for the titles of aviator pilot and military pilot. By September of the same year, at the age of 25, he made his first solo flight. In 1913, Nesterov completed a course at the aviation department of the Officer Ballooning School in Gatchina and continued his service in Kyiv.

On August 27, 1913, at the Syrets military airfield in Kyiv, Nesterov performed the loop for the first time, which was recorded in the protocol of the sports commissioner of the Kyiv aeronautics society. During World War I, noticing an Austrian plane preparing to drop bombs, he took to the air and rammed the enemy aircraft, preventing losses among his troops. However, Nesterov himself died in this battle. According to captured Austrian officers, his name was well known in the enemy army, and a high reward was offered for his capture. Nesterov died at the age of 27, leaving behind a wife and two children: a five-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. He is buried in Kyiv.