A pilot from God: how Chkalov convinced Stalin to fly over the North Pole. Track across the pole. How Valery Chkalov made a new discovery of America How Chkalov returned from America

« 80 years of the flight of the crew of V.P. Chkalov through North Pole in the USA»

18.6.-20.6.2017

June 18, 1937 crew consisting of V.P. Chkalov - G.F. Baidukov - A.V. Belyakov on the ANT-25 aircraft began the first-ever non-stop flight from the USSR to the USA via the North Pole. In 63 hours and 25 minutes, a distance of more than 10 thousand kilometers of the earth, or 12 thousand kilometers of the air route, was covered. Of these, 5900 kilometers lay over oceans and ice. Like the flight to Udd Island, the flight across the North Pole took place in the most difficult conditions: fogs, cyclones, icing, oxygen starvation. The pilots landed their car near Portland. During this flight, Chkalov was awarded the order Red Banner ...

The flight to America was invaluable. The New York Herald Tribune called it a "difficult and brilliant feat." And the greatness of a real feat never fades. In 1975, in the city of Vancouver, where Chkalov's plane landed on June 20, 1938, a monument was inaugurated in honor of the historic flight of Soviet pilots. It was built at the expense of the residents of the city. The name of V.P. Chkalovs are also worn by a park, a street and a museum, where souvenirs donated by Russians are carefully kept.

December 12, 1937 V.P. Chkalov was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from the Gorky constituency. There were no "uninteresting" cases for him - thanks to his persistence and authority, not a single issue remained unresolved.

All the more crushing was the news of the death of V.P. Chkalov on December 15, 1938, during testing of the new I-180 fighter designed by engineer N.N. Polikarpov. The whole country experienced a feeling of deepest sorrow. But not only the indelible bitterness remained in the hearts of people. There were also questions: how could this have happened? Yes, testing new aircraft is always a risk. But how justified was he this time? Chkalova's daughter Valeria Valerievna, laureate of the State Prize, candidate of technical sciences, tried to answer these and many other questions. In her book "Chkalov without the" secret "stamp, she cites extracts from recently declassified documents, the comparison of which leads to an incredible at first glance, but quite logical conclusion: Chkalov was removed, deliberately sent to the first experimental flight on an airplane with 48 defects, capable of "threatening a plane crash in the air," as Beria reported in a letter to Stalin on December 12, when the test flight was canceled. But on December 15, it was allowed without eliminating, in fact, even a small part of the more than serious flaws of the tested machine, which, as follows from the documents, was not even an airplane, but just a mock-up ...

“As a result of their tacit unanimous decision, neither Stalin, nor Molotov, nor Voroshilov left Chkalov a chance for life. Why did Stalin do this to a man whom many say he loved? Maybe because this person outgrew the bar, the height of which was determined for him, became too popular and loved by the people and could not live and think the way the leaders demanded? " - asks, answering, V.V. Chkalov.

The reason could be Chkalov's refusal from the government positions offered by Stalin, including the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs. If you remember that it was 1938, then this assumption looks more than realistic ...

But the untimely death of V.P. Chkalova could not cross out everything that he had managed to do in such a short and such a bright life. He turned out to have a lot of followers, thousands of young people tied their fate with aviation, following the example of Chkalov. “His very life made them higher, more beautiful, better, was an inspiring example of serving the Fatherland. Chkalov was a bright man. And almost everyone who ascended into the skies of the 30s after his death walked along his paths, lived in that atmosphere of asceticism that was inconceivable without his flights ", - so the Hero Soviet Union the pilot Maria Chechneva expressed unanimous gratitude to the man who became a legend during his lifetime.

On June 18, 2017, at the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow, solemn events will be held dedicated to the eightieth anniversary of the famous flight of the crew of V.P. Chkalov across the North Pole to the United States. On this day in units and divisions Air force Memorial evenings will be held, during which they will once again remember how important this flight was, about legendary personalities - Baidukov, Belyakov and, of course, about their crew commander Chkalov ...

Valery Chkalov- a real legend of the 30s of the 20th century. In 1924, Chkalov began serving in the aviation. From 1930 he worked as a test pilot. Kombrig, Hero of the Soviet Union, one of the brightest heroes of the USSR aviation. In 1936, Chkalov together with the pilots. Baidukov and Belyakov made the first non-stop flight across the Arctic Ocean from Moscow to Petropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka. For the performance of this flight, Chkalov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1937 he made a non-stop flight from Moscow to the USA, across the North Pole from Moscow to Vancouver (Washington state, USA). He was the commander of the aircraft crew. Chkalov set a world record for a non-stop flight over a distance of over 12,000 km. Back in the fall of 1935, pilot Baidukov suggested that Chkalov organize a record flight from the USSR to the United States through the North Pole and lead the plane's crew. In the spring of 1936, Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov turned to the government with a proposal to carry out such a flight, but Stalin, fearing a repetition of an unsuccessful flight attempt, personally indicated a different route plan: Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. This flight started on July 20, 1936 and lasted 56 hours before landing on the sandy spit of Udd Island. The total length of the record route was 9375 kilometers. Already on the island of Udd, the inscription "Stalin's route" was put on board the plane, which was saved on the next flight - across the North Pole. Chkalov dreamed of implementing the plan he had conceived earlier and continued to seek permission to fly to the United States. In May 1937, permission was obtained. The ANT-25 aircraft was launched on June 18. The flight took place in much more difficult conditions than the previous one (no visibility, icing, etc.), but on June 20 the plane made a safe landing in the American city of Vancouver (Washington state, USA). The length of the flight was 8504 kilometers. For this flight, the crew was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner. Both Chkalov flights officially bore this name until the beginning of the "struggle against the cult of Stalin's personality" and literary erasures. For the flight, the entire crew was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin. The Gold Star medal, introduced in 1939 after Chkalov's death, was awarded only in 2004 to his children. The exceptional importance of this flight for that time is evidenced by the fact that the plane returning to Moscow came to personally meet at the JV Stalin airfield. From that moment on, Chkalov gained nationwide fame in the USSR.

Exactly 70 years ago, Valery Chkalov's legendary non-stop flight across the North Pole to America was successfully completed. The crew also included pilots Georgy Baidukov and Alexander Belyakov.

The ANT-25 aircraft took off from Moscow on June 18, 1937 and landed on June 20 in the American city of Vancouver. The aviators covered a distance of over eight and a half thousand kilometers. The flight took place in the most difficult weather conditions.

"I started the plane on a concrete track. The most difficult, most difficult flight began. The roaring engine carried the plane at full speed. Now, just not to turn. With every second the plane picks up speed. The last hello with my hand in the direction of the people seeing off, and I lift the plane off the ground. . Jumping once or twice, the car remains in the air. Baidukov retracts the chassis. Hangars, factory chimneys flash. We fly. At the bottom of the forest, fields, rivers. Morning. The country wakes up ", - so Chkalov himself began a book about the legendary flight.

The single-engine ANT-25 aircraft for long-haul flights, designed by Andrey Tupolev, was built by the fall of 1934. In the car there were such technical innovations as a retractable landing gear in flight with an oil shock absorber and an electric lift. On September 10-12, 1934, the crew under the command of Mikhail Gromov set a world range record on the ANT-25, covering a distance of 12411 km in 75 hours of continuous flight along a closed route. The Soviet government sought to open an air bridge with the United States and Canada across the North Pole. On August 3, 1935, pilots Sigismund Levanevsky, Georgy Baidukov and navigator Viktor Levchenko lifted an arctic version of the aircraft overloaded with oil and fuel into the air, heading for the Pole and then for America. Due to a technical malfunction, the flight did not take place.

Then Valery Chkalov was offered to implement the idea of ​​a non-stop flight and command a new crew. On July 20, 1936, a "test" flight was made along the route: Moscow - Victoria Island - Franz Josef Land - Severnaya Zemlya - Tiksi Bay - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It covered 9374 km in 56 hours and 20 minutes in difficult weather conditions. The single-engine ANT-25 passed the test, and the world record for the range along the broken line became Soviet. Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov were awarded the Orders of Lenin, were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and were given large cash prizes. However, in order to make a record flight and overcome the airspace between the USSR and America, it took another year.

On the morning of June 18, 1937, ANT-25 took off from the Shchelkovo airfield near Moscow and headed for the North Pole. Particular attention was paid to the issue of aircraft loading. At Chkalov's insistence, the total weight of food was reduced from 350 kg to 115. Only a tenth of the food was intended for a three-day flight, the rest was taken in case of an emergency landing in an uninhabited place. The oxygen supply was also reduced for the same reasons. For more than 15 hours, the ANT-25 flew in extreme conditions: an ice crust formed on the wings, stabilizer, antennas. There was a moment when the water in the engine cooling system ran out, and the water in the reserve tank froze. The engine could jam at any moment.

Due to strong headwinds, more fuel was consumed than expected. The main task of the flight, to go through the entire Arctic through the pole and land in the USA or Canada, was completed. Chkalov decided to land in Portland. In the middle of the day on June 20, ANT-25 began to descend. 63 hours 16 minutes after takeoff, having covered 8504 km, the crew landed the plane at the Barax military airfield in the Portland suburb of Vancouver. There is practically no fuel left in the tanks. The press and radio in the United States have been talking in rave words about the unique flight for many days. The pilots in the Oval Office of the White House were received by President Franklin Roosevelt.

For the fortieth anniversary of the flight, the Leningrad Mint issued a commemorative bronze medal. On the obverse of the medal were depicted the heroes of this flight, and on the back - a monument in honor of the flight, installed in Vancouver on June 20, 1975. And at the Moscow Mint, a medal and two commemorative badges were made for the 50th anniversary of the flight.

"Then there was just such a childish admiration, they were heroes. Of course, on one engine to fly sixty hours, even more - sixty-three hours, this is real heroism," recalls Ivan Vedernikov, Hero of the Soviet Union, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR.

In September 1934, the world learned about the outstanding achievement of the crew of M. M. Gromov (second pilot A. I. Filin, navigator I. T. Spirin). On a single-engine ANT-25 aircraft, after 75 hours in the air, he flew 12,411 km. This absolute world record for non-stop flight on a closed route was held for many years. In July 1936, pilots V.P. Chkalov, G.F. Baidukov and navigator A.V. Belyakov on the same plane made a non-stop flight from Moscow over the polar regions to the Far East. Having flown 9374 km in 56 hours 20 minutes, the ANT-25 crew made a landing on the sandy spit of Udd Island (now Chkalov Island).

Another year passed. Once again, the world admired the outstanding skill of Soviet pilots and the excellent qualities of the ANT-25 aircraft. The aircraft driven by V.P. Chkalov, G.F. On most of the huge route, the weather was bad and the length of the air route exceeded 9 thousand km.

Soon after Chkalov's crew, on July 12, 1937, another ANT-25 aircraft was launched from the Moscow Region airfield. It was also flown through the North Pole by pilots M.M. Gromov, A. B. Yumashev and navigator S.A. Danilin. The weather on the route was more favorable, and the crew was able to fly 11,500 km (10,148 km in a straight line) in 62 hours and 17 minutes, which became an absolute world record for a straight flight distance. After landing near the city of San Jacinto, on the border between the United States and Mexico, there was still fuel in the aircraft tanks for another one and a half thousand kilometers.

The author of this remarkable aircraft was the design team of P.O. Sukhoi, working under the general supervision of A.N. learned professor V.P. Vetchinkin. A prototype and its backup were built at the same time.

In June 1933, the first ANT-25 (RD) with an engine of 750 hp took off, then boosted to 874 hp, and in September tests of a backup with an M-34R engine began.

According to its scheme, the ANT-25 (RD is a range record) is a cantilever low-wing aircraft with a wing area of ​​87.1 m2, an unusually large aspect ratio of 13.1. Gas tanks were located between the two wing spars. The fuselage is an oval monocoque. All-metal construction. The landing gear was retracted into the wing to half the diameter of the wheels. The empty weight of the aircraft is 4200 kg, the takeoff weight is 11 500 kg.

Serial aircraft were built with smooth duralumin wing skin. They were equipped with M-34R engines with a capacity of 900 hp, which ensured a cruising speed of up to 185 km / h.

In the mid-thirties, our Soviet aviation industry, for the first time in the history of Russian aviation, created aircraft that, in terms of their record performance, far outstrip foreign models, in particular, in flight range.

The first Soviet aircraft specially designed for setting world records was the famous ANT-25, created in the design bureau headed by A. N. Tupolev, in the brigade led by P. O. Sukhoi.

At the beginning of 1933, the first flight copy of the ANT-25 with an M-34R liquid-cooled engine with a capacity of 950 hp. with. AA Mikulin's design was completed, and in April he was rolled out to the airfield.

The aircraft was extensively tested in flight throughout the year. And on September 10-12, 1934, pilot M. M. Gromov, navigator I. T. Spirin, engineer A. I. Filin set the world record for non-stop flight along a closed curve - 12 411 km. At the same time, the record held by the French pilots Bassutro and Rossi - 10601 km - was significantly broken. For this exceptional achievement, the pilot M. M. Gromov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

After long-term operation of the first copy of ANT-25, the designers carried out a number of improvements to the aircraft and prepared it for setting further records. Two years after the first flight of ANT-25, from 20 to 22 July 1936, the crew of pilots V.P. Chkalov, G.F.Baidukov and navigator A.V.Belyakov flew on a new copy of the ANT-25 along the Moscow-Arctic Ocean-Kamchatka-Nikolaevsk-on-Amur-about. Udd (Chkalov Island), covering a distance of 9374 km (in a straight line 8784 km) in 56 hours. 20 minutes. For an outstanding flight, all crew members were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Four months after this flight, in November 1936, ANT-25 was exhibited at the XV International Aviation Exhibition in Paris and was an exceptional success.

A year later, on June 18, 1937, Heroes of the Soviet Union V.P. Chkalov, G.F.Baidukov and navigator A.V.Belyakov again entered the cockpit of the ANT-25 aircraft. Within two days, from June 18 to June 20, 1937, they make their historic flight: for the first time in the world, they fly by plane across the North Pole from Moscow to the USA without landing and finish the flight in the vicinity of Vancouver (Washington state), covering the distance 9130 km (in a straight line 8509 km) in 63 hours. 16 minutes A month later, on July 12, on another copy of the ANT-25-1 aircraft, the pilot Hero of the Soviet Union M. M. Gromov, A. B. Yumashev and navigator S. A. Danilin make a second flight across the North Pole to the United States. They landed in Saint-Gesinto, California, covering a distance of 11,500 km (10,148 km in a straight line) in 62 hours. 17 min., While setting a new world record for flight range.

The exceptional record set by the crew of M. Gromov on the ANT-25 could not be broken for nine years and lasted until the end of 1946! For setting the distance record B. Yumashev and S. A. Danilin were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The main data of the aircraft are as follows: wingspan - 34 m; length-13.4 g; height - 5.5 m; wing area - 87.1 m2; empty aircraft weight - 4200 kg; takeoff weight - 11 280 kg; average operating speed of flight - 200 km / h; takeoff run - 1590 m.

The wing and horizontal tail of the aircraft were painted red, the fuselage and vertical tail were painted white, the engine hood and the entire nose were painted dark blue. Longitudinal dark blue stripes are drawn along the top and bottom of the fuselage. On the wing there is an inscription in white paint: "URSS NO 25". On the left side of the keel is drawn (in dark blue) a route scheme Moscow - about. Udd (Chkalov Island); on the right side - the route Moscow-North Pole-USA. In this form, the ANT-25 aircraft, on which the famous flight of Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov was made, is now kept in the V.P. Chkalov Museum in Chkalovsk, Gorky Region.

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Among the achievements of domestic science and technology, the flight of the crew Valeria Chkalova across the North Pole to America is on a par with the flight Yuri Gagarin... Moreover, it can be said that without Chkalov's flight, it is quite possible that there would not have been Gagarin's triumph.

In the early 1930s, Soviet aviation progressed rapidly. Pilots and aircraft designers were ready to swing the most prestigious world records, including records of flight range.

In December 1931, the USSR Labor and Defense Council instructed the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) to begin the development of an RD (range record) aircraft specially designed to perform a record flight.

The aircraft concept was developed by an aircraft designer Andrey Tupolev, and the study of all the details of the project was entrusted to a team of engineers led by Pavel Sukhim.

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

The pilot was involved in the tests of the new machine, which was named ANT-25 in its final form. Mikhail Gromov.

In total, two such machines were built, which were tested almost simultaneously. ANT-25, which made its first flight in 1933, was an experimental, "raw" aircraft, and it still had to be refined to carry out record flights.

September 10, 1934 the crew of Mikhail Gromov, Alexandra Filina and Ivana Petrova began experimental on a closed route. The flight lasted 75 hours, during which the ANT-25 covered 12,411 km. In terms of range, it 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. For the sake of achieving a result in this form, in fact, the ANT-25 was built.

Nevertheless, for this flight, the crew members were awarded the Orders of Lenin, and the commander of the ANT-25, Mikhail Gromov, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Sigismund Aleksandrovich Levanevsky, 1934 Photo: RIA Novosti / Vladislav Mikosha

Failure of Sigismund Levanevsky

The question arose about the implementation of a record flight at a distance in a straight line. Among the options were flights Moscow - Australia, Khabarovsk - Morocco. The most promising in terms of chances of success was the Moscow - South America route proposed by Mikhail Gromov.

Gromov's version had only one, but a very serious drawback - it required the approval of the right to fly with a number of countries, and the refusal of even one of them could ruin all plans.

However, the pilot Sigismund Levanevsky offers an ambitious, albeit extremely risky, option - a flight across the North Pole to America. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, who favored Levanevsky, approves of his plan. He was given ANT-25, and the flight itself was scheduled for August 1935.

August 3, 1935 ANT-25 aircraft with a crew of Sigismund Levanevsky,Georgy Baidukov and Victor Levchenko begins flight on the route Moscow - North Pole - San Francisco. However, after 2000 km, oil began to leak into the cab. Levanevsky decided to stop the flight and go on the opposite course. ANT-25 sat down near Novgorod.

As it turned out, the oil leak was caused by the fact that too much of it was poured and it started to foam. There was nothing fatal in this, but Levanevsky declared the ANT-25 an unreliable machine, and refused to fly further on Tupolev's planes, declaring the designer a "pest". Andrei Tupolev, these statements by Levanevsky cost a heart attack.

Moscow - Udd Island

Disagreeing with Levanevsky Georgy Baidukov stated 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 the 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 a different route: Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

July 20, 1936 ANT-25 starts. After 56 hours and 20 minutes, the plane landed on the sandy spit of Udd Island. Chkalov put 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 came to the rescue had to build a wooden landing area 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.

Pilots Valery Chkalov (center), Georgy Baidukov (left) and Alexander Belyakov sit near the plane after landing on Udd Island. Photo: RIA Novosti

Who will be the first to fly to America?

Once again, the question of a flight across the North Pole to America was raised. But the Soviet leadership decides that such a flight can be carried out during the operation of the North Pole drifting polar station. Polar explorers will need to provide pilots with accurate data on weather conditions in the pole area, which will increase the chances of success.

The work of the polar station "North Pole-1" under the supervision of Ivan Papanin began on June 6, 1937. By this time, everything was ready for the flight to America.

At the stage of preparation, the question again became - who will fly first? The crews of Valery Chkalov, Mikhail Gromov and Sigismund Levanevsky were considered as candidates.

Levanevsky again confirmed that he will not fly in Tupolev's cars. As for Chkalov and Gromov, it was decided to send two crews to two ANT-25 with a half hour difference.

Soviet pilot Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromov, 1937.Photo: RIA Novosti / Ivan Shagin

Comrade Alksnis's Precaution

But a few days before the flight from Mikhail Gromov's ANT-25, the engine was suddenly removed. 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 have been transferred to Chkalov's car. Rather, it was a reason to detain Gromov's crew.

According to Gromov himself, the decision about this could have been made by the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense for Aviation who oversaw the flight. Jacob Alksnis... 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 finally clear that Valery Chkalov's crew would make a new attempt to fly.

The legendary crew of the ANT-25 aircraft Heroes of the Soviet Union Alexander Belyakov, Valery Chkalov and Georgy Baidukov. (from left to right). Photo: RIA Novosti

Flying on the edge

At 4:05 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 helm, the second had to pump anti-icing fluid almost continuously. 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 pole area would not exceed 3500 - 4000 meters, which means that the pilots would not need to climb higher. In practice, everything turned out to be different, and they had to fly at altitudes, where an oxygen mask was indispensable. This led to a deficiency of oxygen, which became acutely felt during the second part of the flight.

We also failed to receive a weather report from the North Pole-1 station. Just during the passage of this area on the ANT-25, the radio antenna failed.

Feat of Georgy Baidukov

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

Leaving the next cyclone, ANT-25 was forced to overcome the Rocky Mountains at an altitude of over 6,000 meters, that is, almost at the maximum altitude for this aircraft. Chkalov and Belyakov gave the remaining oxygen to Baidukov, who was at the helm, and lay down on the floor, trying to save energy in conditions of oxygen starvation.

On June 20, 1937, at about 15:15 Moscow time, in conditions of low clouds and rain, the ANT-25 reached the American Portland. The crew decided to land on the north bank of the Columbia River, at a military airfield in Vancouver. Despite the fact that the runway was too short for the ANT-25, the landing was successful. A few minutes later, 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 to meet Chkalov's crew in the United States was the head of the garrison, General George Marshall... This is the very man whose name the plan for the post-war reconstruction of Europe will be named after.

Airplane ANT-25 in Vancouver. Photo: RIA Novosti

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 across the Pole was truly an outstanding event, and the Americans appreciated it. In Washington, Chkalov's crew was received personally by the President of the United States Franklin Roosevelt.

At home, Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov were greeted as winners. Behind these stormy honors, one fact remained almost unnoticed - it was not possible to achieve a world record in flight range in a straight line. The figure of 8582 km was a record for the USSR, not the world.

This gap was eliminated by Mikhail Gromov. July 12, 1937 the second ANT-25 with a crew as part of Gromov, Andrey Yumashev and Sergey Danilin began its flight. Gromov tried to take into account all the shortcomings revealed in Chkalov's flight.

ANT-25 in San Jacinto, California. Photo: Flickr.com / SDASM Archives

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. By calculating the remaining fuel after landing, the pilots found that they could even reach Panama, since there was still 1500 km of fuel left in the tanks.

In the history of the American city of Vancouver and 80 years later, the main event remains the arrival of Soviet pilots in June 1937. One of the city streets is named after Valery Chkalov.