Array ( => Array ( => Administration => /about/administration/ => => R => Array () => D => 0 => Array () => Array ( => Administration) => 1 => ) => Array ( => History => /about/history/ => 1 => R => Array () => D => 1 => Array () => Array ( => History) => 1 => ) => Array ( => Partners => /about/partners => => R => Array () => P => 2 => Array () => Array ( => Partners) => 1 =>) = > Array ( => Social responsibility => /about/social-responsibility/ => => R => Array () => D => 3 => Array () => Array ( => Social responsibility) => 1 = > 1) => Array ( => social facilities=> /about/social-responsibility/social-objects-ciam => => R => Array () => P => 0 => Array () => Array ( => Social Responsibility => Social Objects) => 2 =>) => Array ( => Young professionals => /about/social-responsibility/the-council-of-young-specialist/ => => R => Array () => D => 1 => Array () => Array ( => Social responsibility => Young professionals) => 2 =>) => Array ( => Veterans => /about/social-responsibility/the-council-of-veterans/ => => R => Array () => D => 2 => Array () => Array ( => Social Responsibility => To Veterans) => 2 =>) => Array ( => Trade Union Committee => /about/social-responsibility /the-trade-union/ => => R => Array () => D => 3 => Array () => Array ( => Social Responsibility => Trade Union Committee) => 2 =>) => Array ( => Purchases => /about/zakupki/ => => R => Array () => D => 4 => Array () => Array ( => Purchases) => 1 => 1) => Array ( => Contact information => /about/zakupki/contact-information/ => => R => Array () => D => 0 => Array () => Array ( => Purchasing => Contact information) = > 2 =>) => Array ( => Procurement Policy => /about/zakupki/purchasing-policy/ => => R => Array () => D => 1 => Array () => Array ( => Procurement => Procurement Regulation) => 2 =>) => Array ( => Disclosure => /about/disclosure-of-information/ => => R => Array () => D => 5 => Array () => Array ( => Disclosure) => 1 =>) => Array ( => Competitions for scientific positions => /about/jobs/ => => R => Array () = > D => 6 => Array () => Array ( => Competitions for scientific positions) => 1 =>) => Array ( => Anti-corruption policy => /about/anti-corruption-policy/ => => R => Array () => D => 7 => Array () => Array ( => Anti-corruption policy) => 1 =>) => Array ( => Special assessment of working conditions => /about/working -conditions => => R => Array () => P => 8 => Array () => Array ( => Special assessment of working conditions) => 1 =>) => Array ( => CIAM 90 => /about/ciam90/ => => R => Array () => D => 9 => Array () => Array ( => CIAM 90) => 1 =>))

• Administration
• Story
• Partners
• Social responsibility
  • social facilities
  • Young professionals
  • Veterans
  • Trade Union Committee
• Procurement
  • Contact Information
  • Procurement Regulation

During non-stop flights: Moscow - about. Udd ( Far East) and Moscow - North Pole - Vancouver (USA).

Valery Pavlovich Chkalov was born on February 2 (January 20, O.S.) 1904 in the village of Vasilevo, Nizhny Novgorod province (now the city of Chkalovsk), in the family of a boilermaker of the Vasilevsky state-owned workshops - Pavel Grigorievich Chkalov. Mother died early, when Valery was 6 years old.
At the age of seven, Valery went to study at Vasilevsky primary school and then to the school.
In 1916, after graduating from school, his father sent him to study at the Cherepovets Technical School.
In 1918, the school was closed and Valery had to return home. He began to work as an assistant to his father, as a hammer in the forge, and with the beginning of navigation he went to work as a stoker on an excavator.
In the navigation of 1919, Valery Chkalov worked as a stoker on the steamer "Bayan" on the Volga and then for the first time he saw the plane. After that, he made a decision and, having retired from the ship, in the same year he left to serve in the Red Army. He was sent as an aircraft fitter to the 4th Kanavinsky Aviation Park in Nizhny Novgorod.
In 1921, Chkalov obtained a referral to study at the Yegorievsk Air Force Military Theoretical School, after graduating in 1922 he was sent for further study at the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation Pilot School, graduating from it in 1923.
In 1923-1924, in accordance with the then-established practice of training military pilots, he also studied at the Moscow Military Aviation School of Aerobatics, and then at the Serpukhov Higher Aviation School of Shooting, Bombing and Air Combat.

In June 1924, military fighter pilot Chkalov was sent to serve in the Leningrad Red Banner Fighter Squadron named after P.N. Nesterov. During his service in the squadron, he proved himself to be a daring and courageous pilot. He made risky flights, for which he received penalties and was repeatedly suspended from flying.
In 1927, Chkalov married a Leningrad teacher, Olga Orekhova. In March 1928 he was transferred to serve in the 15th Bryansk Aviation Squadron, his wife and son Igor remained in Leningrad.

Cadet V.P. Chkalov, far right, at the U-1 training aircraft.

V.P. Chkalov with his wife and son.

In Bryansk, Chkalov made an accident, was accused of aerial recklessness and numerous violations of discipline. By the verdict of the military tribunal of the Belarusian Military District of October 30, 1928, Chkalov was convicted under article 17, paragraph "a" of the Regulations on military crimes and under article 193-17 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR to 1 year in prison, and was also dismissed from the Red Army. He did not serve his sentence for long, at the request of Y.I. Alksnis and K.E. Voroshilov, less than a month later, the sentence was replaced with a suspended sentence and Chkalov was released from the Bryansk prison.

Being in the reserve, at the beginning of 1929 Chkalov returned to Leningrad and until November 1930 he worked in the Leningrad OSOAVIAKhIM, where he led the school of glider pilots and was an instructor pilot.

In November 1930, Chkalov was reinstated in military rank and sent to work at the Moscow Research Institute of the Red Army Air Force.

For two years of work at the research institute, he made more than 800 test flights, having mastered the technique of piloting 30 types of aircraft. On December 3, 1931, Chkalov participated in the tests of the "Link" (aircraft carrier), which was a heavy bomber that carried up to five fighter aircraft on its wings and fuselage.

Since January 1933, Valery Chkalov was again in reserve and transferred to work as a test pilot at the Moscow Aviation Plant No. 39. He tested the latest fighter aircraft of the 30s I-15 and I-16 designed by Polikarpov. He also took part in the testing of tank destroyers VIT-1, VIT-2, as well as heavy bombers TB-1, TB-3, a large number of experimental and experimental vehicles of the Polikarpov Design Bureau. The author of new aerobatics is an ascending spin and a slow roll.

On May 5, 1935, aircraft designer Nikolai Polikarpov and test pilot Valery Chkalov were awarded the highest government award, the Order of Lenin, for creating the best fighter aircraft.

V.P. Chkalov with his son Igor. 1936

The exceptional importance of this flight for that time is evidenced by the fact that the plane returning to Moscow came to personally meet I.V. Stalin at the airfield. From that moment on, Chkalov gained national fame in the USSR.

V.P. Chkalov and I.V. Stalin.

Chkalov continued to seek permission to fly to the United States and in May 1937 permission was received. The launch of the ANT-25 aircraft took place on June 18. The flight took place in much more difficult conditions than the previous one (lack of visibility, icing, etc.), but on June 20 the plane made a safe landing in the American city of Vancouver (Washington, USA). The length of the flight was 8504 kilometers.

A.V. Belyakov, G.F. Baidukov, V.P. Chkalov after landing in North America.

A.V. Belyakov, V.P. Chkalov, G.F. Baidukov after landing in North America.

For this flight, the crew was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

December 12, 1937 Valery Chkalov was elected to the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from the Gorky region and the Chuvash ASSR. At the request of the residents of Vasilyov, their village was renamed Chkalovsk.

Chkalov was offered to take a public position, but he continued to engage in test work. On December 1, 1938, he was urgently called back from vacation to test the new I-180 fighter.

Valery Chkalov died on December 15, 1938 during the first flight on the I-180 aircraft at the Central Airfield. This was the first flight of a new fighter designed by Polikarpov.

A stone installed at the site of the death of V.P. Chkalov.

Awards:
- the title of Hero of the USSR (07/24/1936);
-2 Orders of Lenin (05/05/1935, 07/24/1936);
-Order of the Red Banner (July 1937);
-Medal "XX years of the Red Army" (February 1938).

The following are associated with the name of Chkalov:

Settlements:
- the city of Chkalovsk in the Nizhny Novgorod region,
- the city of Chkalovsk in the Sughd region of Tajikistan.
- the village of Chkalovo in the North Kazakhstan region of Kazakhstan,
- urban-type settlement Chkalovskoye in the Kharkiv region,
- from 1938 to 1957 the city of Orenburg bore the name "Chkalov".
-Island in the Sakhalin Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. On this island, formerly called Udd, Chkalov's crew landed on July 22, 1936.
- Peak Chkalov (4150 m) - Bogossky Range, Greater Caucasus (Dagestan).
Streets in many cities, in particular:
-Chkalovsky prospect in St. Petersburg,
- Chkalova street in Ishimbay,
as well as streets in a number of other cities:

in Russia - in Azov, Borisoglebsk, Bryansk, Vladivostok, Voronezh, Gatchina, Gorno-Altaisk, Yekaterinburg, Zhukovsky, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Kolomna, Miass, Kanavinsky district of Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Petrozavodsk, Perm, Rybinsk, Samara , Tomsk, Kharkov, Khimki, Cherepovets, Yaroslavl;
abroad - in Vancouver (USA)), in Minsk (Belarus), in Nikolaev and Kherson (Ukraine).
- The name of Chkalov was previously borne by the Moscow street Zemlyanoy Val (part of the Garden Ring), where there is a house in which Chkalov lived. This house has a plaque with the words “In this house lived the great pilot of our time, the Hero Soviet Union Valery Pavlovich Chkalov.

Educational establishments:
-Cherepovets Forestry Mechanical College named after. V.P. Chkalov.
-Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots in Borisoglebsk, Voronezh Region. (Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of December 28, 1938). There is also a bronze bust of the hero.
-Egorievsk Aviation Technical College civil aviation them. V.P. Chkalov.
- School No. 1397 named after V.P. Chkalov, Moscow.
- School No. 3 named after V.P. Chkalov, Arzamas, Nizhny Novgorod region.
-Medium comprehensive school them. Chkalov in the working settlement of Shugurovo (Tatarstan).
-Secondary school named after. Chkalov in Naryn (Kyrgyzstan).
- Chkalovskaya metro station: in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Tashkent and Yekaterinburg.
- District of the city - Chkalovsky administrative district in Yekaterinburg.

Neighborhoods of cities:
- Village them. Chkalov in Kamensk-Uralsky Sverdlovsk region;
- the village of Chkalovsk as part of Kaliningrad;
-Chkalovsky microdistrict in Omsk.
- Settlement Chkalovsky as part of the city of Rostov-on-Don.

Enterprises:
- Airport "Chkalovsky".
-Aviation plant in Novosibirsk. (NAPO named after V.P. Chkalov).
- Aviation plant in Tashkent. (Tashkent aviation Production Association named after V.P. Chkalov).
- Memorial Museum of V.P. Chkalov in the city of Chkalovsk, Nizhny Novgorod region.
-Palace of Culture named after V.P. Chkalov in Novosibirsk.

Monuments have been erected in many settlements:
-In Dnepropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kstovo, St. Petersburg (two busts on Chkalovsky Prospekt and a memorial plaque on the house where Chkalov lived), Novosibirsk, Khimki.
-Memorial plaque in Gatchina, at house number 4 on Krasnoarmeisky Prospekt, in which Chkalov lived in 1926-1928.
- A memorial stone at the site of Chkalov's death - Moscow, the intersection of the Khoroshevsky highway and the Khoroshevsky dead end, the Polezhaevskaya metro station.
- Several monuments were erected in Nizhny Novgorod: a monument on the Volga slope near the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin and on the street. Zemlyachki, where the ancestors of the pilot lived.
-Bust in the park "Wings of the Soviets" Aircraft Building District of Kazan.
-Bronze bust at the entrance to the Boeing Air Museum in Seattle.
- A six-meter bronze sculpture on a seven-meter pedestal stands on the embankment of the Ural River in Orenburg.
- May 20, 1974 in Vancouver (Washington, USA) the Chkalovsky Committee for Transpolar Flight was created - a public non-profit organization, which included representatives of the business community and the local elite. On June 20, 1975, in this city, “as a sign of respect for the great Russian people,” a monument was opened, called the Chkalovsky monument.
-Boris Grebenshchikov wrote the song "Under the bridge, like Chkalov."
- The well-known Nizhny Novgorod rock band is named Chkalov.
-Valery Pavlovich Chkalov is the only real character in the musical Nord-Ost. The creators of the play portrayed the great pilot as strong and sympathetic person who agreed to help the main character - Sanya Grigoriev in the implementation of the expedition to search for the ship "Saint Mary".
- The Bank of Russia issued commemorative coins: in 1995 - "Transarctic flight of V.P. Chkalov"; in 2004 - "100th anniversary of the birth of V.P. Chkalov."
- Russian Post in 2004 issued the stamp "Test Pilot V.P. Chkalov".
- The Volga three-deck motor ship bears the name of Chkalov.
- The name "V. Chkalov" is one of the Il-96-300 (RA-96005) aircraft of Aeroflot - Russian Airlines.
-The asteroid (2692) Chkalov was named after V.P. Chkalov.

Il-96-300 named after Valery Chkalov.

List of sources:
Chkalov, Valery Pavlovich. Site "Heroes of the Country".
M.V. Vodopyanov. Pilot Valery Chkalov.

Exactly 80 years ago, on June 18, 1937, an ANT-25 aircraft with a crew of pilot Valery Chkalov, co-pilot Georgy Baidukov and navigator Alexander Belyakov took off from the airfield in Schelkovo near Moscow. He headed for the North Pole and further to the USA, covering 8504 km in 63 hours of flight. This was not the first flight distance record Soviet pilots at that time, but the first one was to America, which was clearly convinced of the superiority of Russian aviation technology and the courage of its pilots. Today you will not surprise anyone with the range of that flight, the route of which is now regularly operated by Russian airlines. Strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces capable of “hanging” in the sky for days when performing combat duty tasks, refueling in the air with fuel. But then, 80 years ago, such a flight was a real feat and a test not only for pilots, but also for the aviation equipment of the country, which quite recently “became on the wing”, but has already declared itself world records. That 1937 flight was prepared for a long time and postponed for a long time. The first attempt to fly an ANT-25 aircraft to America, in San Francisco, piloted by Sigismund Levanevsky, was made in early August 1935. It turned out to be unsuccessful: already over the Barents Sea, the engine began to “drive” oil, and a command was received from Moscow to return. Stalin, who closely followed all long-range aviation flights, especially when setting records, ordered the plane to be turned around so as not to embarrass himself in front of the Americans. Apparently, it was not in vain: when landing between Moscow and Tver, the aircraft, the wings of which were soaked with kerosene when dumping fuel, caught fire. The pilots were also almost injured. But the idea to fly to the USA, as they say, was up in the air. Now its initiator was Valery Chkalov, a pilot from God, whose authority was recognized even by Joseph Stalin, who singled him out among other pilots and listened to his opinion. Such an arrangement of the "father of peoples" allowed Chkalov, together with members of his crew, to apply to the government with a request to make such a flight. The aircraft designer Tupolev also actively supported this idea, after whom the best aircraft of that time ANT-25 (Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev) was named. Stalin gave permission for the flight, but changed its route: instead of America, the pilots flew from Moscow to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which was also a very difficult test - 56 hours of non-stop flight, during which they covered 9375 km and landed on an unequipped sand spit on the island. Then the inscription "Stalin's route" appeared on board the aircraft. - Valery Pavlovich Chkalov and his comrades were pioneers in this business and tried not only to set records, although they also played on the image of the country. This was, first of all, the experience of the combat use of aircraft, and the pilots were precisely military pilots, for whom the possibility of long-range use of aviation was the main thing. Already on the first day of the Great Patriotic War Soviet bombers attacked the capital of the aggressor country, Berlin, and oil fields in Romania. When aircraft were delivered under lend-lease from the United States, American fighters and bombers from Alaska were flown across the entire territory of the country to the front line, which was comparable to military exploits.
The current aerobatic teams, in the creation of which I participated in 1991-1992, were also built on the principle of training the most experienced pilots, who later trained young pilots. At that time, Air Force pilots had to be kept at the expense of colonel posts, some other privileges, because people left the army due to underfunding, lack of housing. Many managed to be saved, and it was they who then taught the youth the art of aerobatics. Chkalov's flight to Vancouver was also important from a political point of view. The Americans were convinced of the reliability of Soviet aviation technology, the flight aroused great attention and ordinary citizens of this country. Contacts were established, some understanding of each other arose, which probably contributed to allied relations during the Second World War. If such flights continued, then, it seems to me, the current relations would be much better. But not everything works out. So it was in 1987, when, as part of the 50th anniversary of Valery Chkalov's flight to the United States, we planned a similar non-stop flight of our then newest Su-27 fighters. But understanding was not found at the political level, and our light combat aircraft flew with two in-flight refueling to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and then successfully returned back. Chkalov nevertheless managed to convince Stalin of the need to fly across the North Pole to the shores of America, and on June 18, 1937, the ANT-25 aircraft took off from the airfield near Moscow, which is now called Chkalovsky, along the planned route. The course lay to the North, to Franz Josef Land, to the North Pole, then along the 123rd meridian to the south. It was not possible to fly to California due to lack of fuel: the flight had to change the route and make a significant detour. With minimal navigation equipment, in which for astronomical orientation there was a sextant and an accurate marine chronometer, as well as a solar heading indicator with a rather complex optical system, Chkalov's crew did not stray off course even in the absence of visibility. Plus, the constant sub-zero temperature on board, and it was possible to keep warm only due to warm clothes. For the sake of extra fuel, the pilots saved on food - instead of the planned 350 kg, they took only 100 with them. But they flew. Largely due to the reliability of the aircraft itself.
ANT-25 at that time was a very original aircraft - it is an all-metal monoplane with a wingspan of 34 m and a record elongation of 11 m. The wing of an air machine performed not only aerodynamic functions, but was also used as a fuel storage for the first time in the world - more than seven tons . Initially, the aircraft wing was covered with corrugated duralumin sheets over the entire area, but during tests it turned out that such a skin creates a high level of resistance, which affects the flight range. Designer Tupolev got rid of this by having the wing covered with percale, painted and polished, which made it possible to increase the flight range. However, the fire hazard increased: the percale absorbed gasoline and could ignite from a spark from the exhaust pipes from the engine.
The Arctic version of the ANT-25, on which Chkalov flew, was improved and prepared specifically for operation in the especially cold conditions of the North. On this modification, the dimensions of the radiator of the engine water cooling system were reduced, the end of the oil tank drain pipe was moved beyond the radiator to prevent it from icing. A three-bladed metal propeller was installed on the engine with an in-flight control system for the angles of attack of the blades, which made it possible to more accurately select the optimal flight mode. The blade de-icing system was also designed, which was a technical victory for the designers who ensured the flight of the aircraft in clouds. There was also a combat modification of this aircraft - ANT-36 with the military designation "The first long-range bomber" - DB-1. It was released in a small series and entered service with the Air Force. A significant drawback was considered a low speed of 240 km / h and a bomb load of 300 kg. Nevertheless, this aircraft became the platform for the creation of a whole generation of military bombers, which were distinguished by their flight range. And then, in 1937, the Americans enthusiastically wrote that Chkalov's flight announced to the whole world that Soviet aviation was really capable of catching up and overtaking the countries of the West, that The Soviet Union not only has excellent pilots and designers, but Soviet factories have mastered the technique of building first-class aircraft. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of this fact, not only from an economic or purely industrial point of view, but also from the point of view of international relations.
At home, where the Chkalovsky crew returned in early August 1937, Comrade Stalin personally met them, and Moscow showered the heroes-pilots with flowers and enthusiastic greetings. The entire crew - Valery Chkalov, Georgy Baidukov and Alexander Belyakov - were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But Valery Pavlovich did not manage to receive his Star, introduced in 1939: on December 15, 1938, he died during the first test flight of the new I-180 fighter.
The memory of Valery Chkalov remained in the names of the city of Chkalovsk in the Nizhny Novgorod region, many towns, villages, streets, schools, military units and businesses that bear his name. And today, a bust of the famous aviator will be unveiled on the territory of one of the schools in the Shchelkovo district of the Moscow region, and a memorial plaque dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the flight of Chkalov's crew over the North Pole to the USA will be unveiled near the regional Palace of Culture.

Natalia KISELYOVA, Member of the Russian Military Historical Society

June 20, 2012 The American city of Vancouver. Early on a foggy morning, the Air Pierson Museum hosted an official ceremony dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the First Transpolar Flight from Moscow to Vancouver, pc. Washington, made by Russian pilots on a single-engine propeller-driven aircraft ANT-25 under the control of the crew commander Valery Chkalov, co-pilot Georgy Baidukov and navigator Alexander Belyakov.

Many were engaged in the problem of the development of the North. Let us recall the expeditions of our compatriots Brusilov, Rusanov, Sedov, the Swede Andre, the Norwegian explorer Amundsen, the American Richard Byrd, the Italian balloonist Nobile, the Canadian explorer Williamour Stefanson, the heroic epic in 1934 of our scientists on the Chelyuskin ship in the Arctic Ocean. In 1935, the attempt of the Soviet crew, led by pilot S.A., ended in failure. Levanevsky, to make a non-stop flight across the Arctic on an ANT-25 aircraft. It took the experience, authority, assertiveness of Valery Chkalov for such a flight to take place.

With the development of aviation in Russia, the question arose of laying air routes that could connect hard-to-reach areas in the North and the Far East. Creation of A.N. Tupolev aircraft with high technical specifications prompted enthusiasts to the idea of ​​flying through the North Pole to America. In the spring of 1936, Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov approached the government with a proposal to organize a record-breaking flight from the USSR to the USA via the North Pole.

Stalin did not agree with this route and suggested: "Here is my route for you: Moscow - Petropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka."

The government commission, chaired by Sergo Ordzhonikidze, decided: the first non-stop flight of the ANT-25 should be considered a test flight and made within the USSR. At the same time, the composition of the crew was approved: commander - Valery Chkalov, a famous test pilot by that time, who was 32 years old. The co-pilot is also test pilot Georgy Baidukov. He was three years younger. His track record includes flights from Moscow to Warsaw and Paris. Navigator Alexander Belyakov was in his 40s. He was a prominent specialist in air navigation, head of a department at the Air Force Academy, flag-navigator of the Special Forces Aviation Detachment.

Valery Chkalov and members of his crew moved to an airfield near Moscow and devoted themselves entirely to preparing for a difficult flight. On the map, most of the way they laid through the Arctic Ocean over completely unexplored areas. In the ANT-25 aircraft, the latest aviation technology was concentrated. He was the first machine on which they put retractable landing gear with oil shock absorbers and electrified lift, an anti-icing device, devices for orientation in the absence of visibility. The AM-34R motor of the talented designer A.A. was installed. Mikulin. Aircraft ceiling - 7 thousand meters, maximum speed - 210 km per hour.

The start for the flight to the Far East was given on July 20, 1936 at 05:45. At the end of the first day, we encountered a cyclone, and when it was bypassed, the path of the aircraft changed several times. Weather conditions worsened. The frontal wind was blowing at a speed of 70 km per hour! Soon the car began to be covered with a crust of ice. It shook with such force that it seemed that the wings could collapse. I had to urgently descend to 900 meters. But now the rain has come down. According to the calculation below was Severnaya Zemlya. The crew was very tired, affected by the lack of oxygen. Chkalov and Baidukov alternately flew the plane. Navigator Alexander Belyakov constantly kept watch over the flight map and instruments. The path of the aircraft when bypassing the cyclone changed 19 times. But difficulties did not frighten them. Chkalov assessed this situation as follows: “In a stubborn, intense struggle a lot of time was lost with cyclones, a lot of fuel and even more physical strength, but we are the first to fly. History will not judge us."

July 22, the plane was over Petropavlovsk. A small town on the coast of the bay, volcanoes and the ocean. Belyakov tore out a sheet of paper from a magazine and wrote: “Vympel. Aircraft ANT-25. July 22, 1936 at 3.00 GMT. time passed Petropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka. Greetings to the residents of Petropavlovsk from the crew of the aircraft. We hope that our suburbs will soon be as flourishing as our capital. Belyakov. Having invested in a small tin box and opened the hatch in the bottom of the aircraft, he dropped the pennant. Having made a circle of honor over the city, the plane headed west across the most stormy sea on our planet - the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The plane went to the eastern coast of Sakhalin. Dense clouds and heavy rain forced us to descend to 30 meters. It is impossible to climb up - the plane began to ice up. In response to an alarming radiogram from the plane, Ordzhonikidze ordered: to sit down at the first opportunity. Throughout the territory of the Khabarovsk Territory, radio stations, both civilian and military, were put on alert. Waves of the Tatar Strait raged under the plane. The pilots saw several islands. On one island there were a small number of houses, for some reason Chkalov liked him and he shouted: Chassis to release!

On July 22, the plane landed on the coastal strip of the small island of Udd (now Chkalov), washed by the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bay of Schastya. The car touched the ground softly, with three points - two pairs of wheels on the right and left landing gear and a tail pipe. Then incredible deceleration, a strong blow and the ANT-25 stopped, literally dug into the ground. When landing in the sea sand, the landing gear got bogged down and the wheel flew off.

A radio message with a message about a safe landing left the board.

By a decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of July 24, 1936, Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The crew had to think about how to take off from the dirt strip. It is necessary to build a wooden runway 500 meters long and 30-50 meters wide. The leadership of the Khabarovsk Territory, the Special Far Eastern Army and the Lower Amur Region sent a landing force of builders to the island. While in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the Kamchatka border ship "Dzerzhinsky" received a radiogram asking for assistance. In the early morning of July 24, 1936, the Dzerzhinsky PSKR arrived on Udd Island and delivered lumber there, from which the runway was built. The ship's mechanics and fitters carved an axle for a broken monoplane landing gear. Sailor Alfimov made the inscription "Stalin's route" on the fuselage of the aircraft.

In this non-stop flight, 9,374 kilometers were covered in 56 hours and 20 minutes, moreover, more than 10 hours of blind flight. The plane successfully withstood the most difficult flight! In August 1936, sailors erected a memorial sign on Udd Island: a simple metal pipe, and an airplane and an inscription at the top. In 1986, on this island, which already bore the name of Chkalov, a 6-meter-high stele was erected, and at the top was a model of the legendary red-winged aircraft.

The flight of Chkalov's crew to Kamchatka and to Udd Island in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk became a dress rehearsal before throwing over the North Pole.

For the flight, Chkalov's crew chose the same Tupolev ANT-25 aircraft, equipped with modern aviation technology. An autopilot and air-vacuum oil-heating pumps were installed in the car, as well as oil heating in the main tank and the bottom of the cab.

On June 18, 1937, the crew of V.P. Chkalov, for the first time in the history of aviation, began a non-stop transarctic flight from Moscow over the North Pole to America.

Their route passed through the following points: Moscow - Kola Peninsula - Barents Sea - Franz Josef Land - North Pole - Banks Island - Queen Charlotte Islands - Vancouver - Portland. Radio signals were broadcast on the air to the winterers of the polar stations, including the Papaninites who had landed on the ice floe. Every three hours they transmitted weather reports along the flight path.

This flight was a great test for Soviet pilots and for the Soviet engine. Many hours of blind flight through the clouds. “Porcelain” icing began over the Kola Peninsula, which is considered dangerous, because the ice is unusually strong and lasts for 16 hours. Shaking, cyclones, water pipe damage…

Soon the pole brought surprises to the pilots. The navigator's compass needle began to rotate wildly almost in a circle. I had to change to a solar heading indicator. Everyone has a huge physical fatigue, rapid pulse. Pilots replace each other more often. Chkalov's nose is bleeding. Oxygen is over, and the plane is forced to descend.

The landing was made on June 20 in Vancouver pcs. Washington at 4:20 p.m. GMT at Pearson Field military airfield. Traveled 8,582 km in 63 hours 16 minutes.

For this flight, the crew members were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. .

America met them enthusiastically and cordially.

US President Franklin Roosevelt was preparing to receive Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov at the White House. He asked the bodyguard to pick him up (his legs were paralyzed): "I must meet the Russian heroes standing."

British Air Marshal John Salmond said: “The flight of Chkalov and his companions strikes the human imagination with its grandiosity. The miraculous power of aviation technology, which allows you to overcome such colossal spaces without stopping, moreover, clearly inaccessible to another mode of transport. The flight was made by Soviet pilots in a Soviet car with a Soviet engine. This demonstrates to the whole world the brilliant technical equipment of the Soviet country.

At the reception of the ANT-25 crew, hosted by the Explorers Club and the Russian-American Institute on June 30, 1937 in New York, Soviet pilots were asked to sign on a large globe, which marked their flight route.

Polar explorer V. Stefanson said: “Before them, the Earth seemed cylindrical in its communication routes. They truly turned her into a ball."

The admiring Americans in 1974 in Vancouver created the Transpolar Chkalovsky Committee, which supervised the construction of a monument at the landing site of the ANT-25 aircraft. Every year on June 20, Pearson Field celebrates this famous date.

8 hours 22 minutes. A rally and a flower-laying ceremony began at the Pearson Field airfield. The ceremony was opened by Laureano Mier, manager of the Museum. V.P. Chkalov. He briefly reminded the audience about the historic flight, spoke about the importance of this event for the entire world community and demonstrated a small model of the aircraft on which the flight was made.

Consulate General Consulates Russian Federation in Seattle, Yuri Gerasin, also attended the official ceremony. “This feat was like a symbol of the desire to have good relations,” he said of the courageous act of the crew and its significance for the history of Russian-American relations.

Then they gave me the floor. Expressing heartfelt gratitude for the memory of the feat of Russian pilots, she conveyed greetings to the people of Vancouver from the Government of the Kamchatka Territory and the administration of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Rose Parade Queen Kate Sinnot laid three roses at the foot of the monument, one for each pilot. I also laid a huge bouquet of dark red roses.

The planes flying at that time in the sky made a circle over the field in honor of the feat of Valery Chkalov, Georgy Baidukov and Alexander Belyakov.

Chkalov's name has become a symbol of courage, fearlessness and ardent love for the Motherland. His thoughts were inextricably linked with the sky, with the protection of the Fatherland.

People's love for Valery Chkalov was expressed in the assignment of his name to the streets and parks of many cities, including Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Vancouver (USA). On one of the houses in Vancouver on Chkalov Street there is a huge panel depicting the landing of the ANT-25 aircraft and two signs in Russian and English with the words of Chkalov:

"Like the waters of the Volga and Columbia rivers,

flowing peacefully across this planet

and flowing into one world ocean,

and the peoples of Russia and the USA

should live peacefully on this planet

and their joint work

decorate the world ocean of human life. 1937".

Chkalov's crew completed a responsible task: they accomplished a feat that surpassed all others in the history of aviation. Their triumph was the triumph of Russia!

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Vancouver, USA

Natalya Sergeevna Kiseleva was born in the city of Chkalovo (now Orenburg) in the family of a military pilot. Mother and brother were pilots. While in Vancouver, Washington, USA, received an invitation to a solemn ceremony in honor of the 75th anniversary of the transarctic flight of the ANT-25 aircraft in 1937 from Moscow over the North Pole to America, where she was given the floor.

N.S. Kiseleva in given time lives in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. In 2012, in Kamchatka, N.S. Kiseleva published a book about the Hero of the Soviet Union Valery Pavlovich Chkalov called "The Call of Heaven".

On June 18, 1937, the crew of Valery Chkalov began a non-stop flight from Moscow over the North Pole to America.

In the early 1930s, Soviet aviation progressed rapidly. Pilots and aircraft designers were ready to take aim at the most prestigious world records, including flight distance records.
In December 1931, the Council of Labor and Defense of the USSR instructed the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) to start developing an RD (range record) aircraft specially designed for making a record flight.
The concept of the aircraft was developed by aircraft designer Andrey Tupolev, and the study of all the details of the project was entrusted to a team of engineers led by Pavel Sukhy. For the aircraft, a new AM-34R engine was developed, the creator of which was the designer Alexander Mikulin.
The first achievement of ANT-25.


Pilot Mikhail Gromov was engaged in testing the new machine, which in its final form was called ANT-25. In total, two such machines were built, which were tested almost simultaneously. The ANT-25, which made its first flight in 1933, was an experimental, "raw" machine, and it still had to be brought to perfection in order to carry out record flights.
On September 10, 1934, the crew of Mikhail Gromov, Alexander Filin and Ivan Petrov began an experimental closed route. The flight lasted 75 hours, during which the ANT-25 covered 12,411 km. In terms of range, this was a world record, but it was not counted, since the USSR was not yet a member of the International Aviation Federation (FAI).


But the main thing is that the flight was carried out along a closed route, that is, in fact, the pilots did not move to a critical distance from the base, making, figuratively speaking, "circles around the stadium." The most prestigious category among distance records was considered to be flying in a straight line. In order to achieve a result in this form, in fact, the ANT-25 was built.
Nevertheless, for this flight, the crew members were awarded the Order of Lenin, and the commander of the ANT-25, Mikhail Gromov, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The failure of Sigismund Levanevsky.


The question arose about the implementation of a record flight to a distance in a straight line. Among the options were flights Moscow - Australia, Khabarovsk - Morocco. The route Moscow - South America proposed by Mikhail Gromov.
Gromov's version had only one, but a very serious minus - it required coordination of the right to overflight with a number of countries, and the refusal of even one of them could destroy all plans.
However, the pilot Sigismund Levanevsky offers an ambitious, albeit extremely risky option - a flight over the North Pole to America. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, who favored Levanevsky, approves of his plan. He was given the ANT-25, and the flight itself was scheduled for August 1935.


On August 3, 1935, the ANT-25 aircraft with a crew of Sigismund Levanevsky, Georgy Baidukov and Viktor Levchenko begins flying along the route Moscow - North Pole - San Francisco. However, after 2000 km, oil began to leak into the cabin. Levanevsky decided to stop the flight and lie down on the return course. ANT-25 landed near Novgorod.
As it turned out, the oil leak was caused by the fact that it was poured too much, and it began to foam. There was nothing fatal in this, but Levanevsky declared the ANT-25 an unreliable machine, and refused to fly Tupolev's planes in the future, declaring the designer a "pest". To Andrei Tupolev, these statements by Levanevsky cost a heart attack.
Moscow - Udd Island.


Georgy Baidukov, who disagreed with Levanevsky, said that the ANT-25 could complete the task. But after Levanevsky's refusal, he needed the first pilot in the crew. Baidukov managed to persuade his friend, one of the best test pilots in the country, Valery Chkalov, to become one.
The third member of the new crew was navigator Alexander Belyakov.
In the spring of 1936, Chkalov's crew asked for permission to fly across the North Pole to America. However, Stalin, remembering the failure of Levanevsky, appoints another route: Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
July 20, 1936 ANT-25 starts. After 56 hours and 20 minutes, the plane landed on the sandbar of Odd Island. Chkalov landed the car in the most difficult conditions on a small patch. In order for the plane to take off from the island, the military who arrived to help had to build a wooden runway 500 meters long.
In Moscow, the pilots were met personally by Joseph Stalin. The entire crew was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Who will be the first to fly to America?


The question of flying across the North Pole to America arose again. But the Soviet leadership decides that such a flight can be carried out during the operation of the drifting polar station "North Pole". Polar explorers will have to provide pilots with accurate data on weather conditions in the Pole region, which will increase the chances of success.
The work of the polar station "North Pole-1" under the leadership of Ivan Papanin began on June 6, 1937. By this time, everything was ready for the flight to America.


At the preparation stage, the question again became - who will fly first? The crews of Valery Chkalov, Mikhail Gromov and Sigismund Levanevsky were considered as candidates.
Levanevsky was the author of the flight plan, Chkalov had a flight to Udd Island behind his back, and Gromov knew best of all the ANT-25, on which he set a record for the distance of a flight along a closed route.
Levanevsky again confirmed that he would not fly on Tupolev's cars. As for Chkalov and Gromov, it was decided to send two crews on two ANT-25s with a difference of half an hour.
Comrade Alksnis' precaution.


But a few days before the flight, the engine was suddenly removed from Mikhail Gromov's ANT-25. The crew was told that it had to be transferred to Chkalov's plane, where problems were discovered. Instead, a new engine ordered from the factory was to be installed on Gromov's plane.
This meant that Gromov would not fly with Chkalov. Experts doubt that the engine from Gromov's plane could really be rearranged to Chkalov's car. Rather, it was an excuse to detain Gromov's crew.


According to Gromov himself, Yakov Alksnis, Deputy People's Commissar of Defense for Aviation, who oversaw the flight, could have made the decision. He was worried about possible competition between the two crews, which threatened to lead to excessive risk during the flight.
As a result, it became completely clear that Valery Chkalov's crew would make a new flight attempt.
Flight to the edge.


At 04:05 on June 18, 1937, the ANT-25 aircraft with a crew of Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov took off from the Shchelkovsky airfield.


The flight took place in very difficult conditions. The plane often entered the zone of cyclones, clouds, as a result of which it was covered with a layer of ice. While one pilot was at the controls, the other had to almost continuously pump anti-icing fluid. In addition to the severe frost (the temperature in the cabin dropped below minus 20), the crew had to face oxygen starvation. Scientists believed that the height of the clouds in the region of the pole would not exceed 3500 - 4000 meters, which means that the pilots would not need to rise higher. In practice, everything turned out differently, and I had to fly at altitudes where you can not do without an oxygen mask. This led to an oxygen deficiency, which became acute in the second part of the flight.


It was not possible to receive a weather report from the station "North Pole-1". Just during the passage of this area on the ANT-25, the radio antenna failed.
Georgy Baidukov's feat.


For a very long time, the plane had to be piloted almost blindly, and the experience of Baidukov, who was a master of such flights, came in handy here. Of the more than 60 hours of flight, two thirds were at the helm.


Departing from the next cyclone, the ANT-25 was forced to overcome the Rocky Mountains at an altitude of over 6000 meters, that is, almost at the maximum altitude for this aircraft. Chkalov and Belyakov gave the rest of the oxygen to Baidukov, who was at the helm, and they themselves lay down on the floor, trying to save strength in conditions of oxygen starvation.


June 20, 1937 at about 15:15 Moscow time, in conditions of low cloud cover and rain, ANT-25 reached the American Portland. The crew decided to land on the northern bank of the Columbia River, at a military airfield in Vancouver. Despite the fact that the runway was a bit short for the ANT-25, the landing was successful. And after a few minutes, the Soviet pilots were surrounded by enthusiastic Americans, who were not stopped by the fact that the airfield was a military one, and the entrance to its territory was closed to outsiders.


The first of the officials who met Chkalov's crew in the United States was the head of the garrison, General George Marshall. This is the same person whose name will be named after the plan for the post-war reconstruction of Europe.
The world record was set by Mikhail Gromov.


In the 1930s, Soviet-American relations were on the rise, and hero pilots were greeted with enthusiasm throughout America. The flight over the Pole was indeed an outstanding event, and the Americans appreciated it at its true worth. In Washington, Chkalov's crew was personally received by US President Franklin Roosevelt.
At home, Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov were greeted as winners. Behind these stormy celebrations, one fact remained almost unnoticed - it was not possible to achieve a world record in the flight distance in a straight line. The indicator of 8582 km was the record of the USSR, not the world.


This gap was eliminated by Mikhail Gromov. On July 12, 1937, the second ANT-25 with a crew of Gromov, Andrei Yumashev and Sergei Danilin began its flight. Gromov tried to take into account all the shortcomings identified in Chkalov's flight.
After 62 hours and 17 minutes of flight, Mikhail Gromov's ANT-25 landed on a field near San Jacinto, California. The flight range in a straight line was 10,148 km, and this was an unconditional world record. Having calculated the remaining fuel after landing, the pilots found out that they could even reach Panama, since there was still fuel in the tanks for another 1,500 km.


In the history of the American city of Vancouver, even after 80 years, the arrival of Soviet pilots in June 1937 remains the main event. One of the streets of the city bears the name of Valery Chkalov.