First flight to America. Path across the Pole. How Valery Chkalov made a new discovery of America. Stalin's route: the path of heroes

81 years ago, on June 18-20, 1937, the crew of the ANT-25 aircraft, consisting of Valery Chkalov, Georgy Baidukov and Alexander Belyakov, made the world's first non-stop flight from Moscow over the North Pole to America. Less than a month later, on July 12-14, 1937, Soviet pilots Mikhail Gromov, Andrei Yumashev, Sergei Danilin managed to surpass this achievement and set an absolute world record for the distance of a non-stop flight from the USSR to the USA through the North Pole in a straight line. It was not only a victory over bad weather, technique and fatigue. Transpolar flights were a brilliant triumph for Soviet aviation and the aviation industry. It was also a brilliant triumph of domestic design engineers: Pavel Sukhoi, an aircraft designer, and Alexei Mikulin, an aircraft engine designer. Now it is difficult for us to imagine what a drama was associated with these achievements and what large-scale problems had to be solved on the way to the goal and the crews, and the domestic aviation industry, and the entire young Soviet country.

At the magical frontier

In the first half of the twentieth century, aviation records in the minds of people were comparable to the achievements of astronautics in post-war period. They amazed the imagination, and the pilots were something like celestials. Reports of new flights became a worldwide sensation. But in the early 1930s, when the straight-line flight distance record approached the milestone of 10,000 km, it was no longer possible, as before, to set records on converted production aircraft. It was necessary to create a special design, which was a complex engineering task, feasible only for a highly developed state. The victory in the race for the distance record allowed the Soviet Union to confirm its status as such.

There is a well-known conversation between Valery Chkalov and an American millionaire aboard the Normandy turboelectric ship, the fastest passenger ship in the world at that time, on which Soviet pilots crossed the Atlantic on their way back from the United States. The millionaire asked how rich Chkalov was. The pilot replied that he had 170 million. "Rubles or dollars?" - said the pragmatic American. The answer was: “The 170 million people who work for me, just as I work for them!”

This propaganda passage of the Soviet pilot corresponded to the truth. A huge number of people worked on the implementation of plans for a record flight, decisions on it were made personally by I.V. Stalin, and the control over the project was carried out by the state commission under the leadership of K.E. Voroshilov. It was she who, on December 7, 1931, decided that the record should be set on a specially built Soviet aircraft, which was entrusted to create by the TsAGI design bureau, headed by A.N. Tupolev. The design of the record machine was carried out by the team of P.O. Dry, but fundamental decisions were made by Tupolev. He was also responsible for the result before high authorities.

ANT-25 or RD ("Range Record") had an unusual design. The main feature is the high elongation wing: the ratio of its length to width (chord) was 13.1, which turned the aircraft into a huge glider with a motor. The glider itself is capable of soaring in the sky without an engine, and with the engine it was possible to perform a miracle in general - to perform a long flight, albeit at a low cruising speed of 165 km / h.

There were no aircraft with such a wing extension in the world. A classic glider is a light machine, and a record-breaking aircraft had to take as much fuel as possible, and the wing had to withstand this load. However, at such a length, flight in a turbulent atmosphere inevitably causes structural vibrations. In conventional aircraft, the problem was solved simply: they made the wings rigid, “unshakable”. But with an ANT-25 wingspan of 34 meters, the rigid metal structure turned out to be unrealistically heavy. It was necessary to make complex calculations of its oscillations, and this was done by the TsAGI aerodynamicist V.P. Vetchinkin.

On a global scale, the ANT-25 then had two main competitors, who could also overcome the magical milestone of 10,000 km. These were aircraft built with the money of the military departments: the British Fairey Monoplane II, which flew 8595 km in February 1933 in a straight line between Britain and Namibia, and the French Bleriot 110, which installed new record at 9104.7 km on the US - Syria route.

The wingspan of the Fairey Monoplane II was 24.99 m with an aspect ratio of 7.5 and a takeoff weight of 7938 kg. The Bleriot 110 had 26.5 m of wingspan at a similar aspect ratio and a maximum weight of 8970 kg. The takeoff weight of the ANT-25 reached 11,500 kg.

Even outwardly, the ANT-25, whose wings were 2.5 times longer than the fuselage, was so different from traditional air technology that it was perceived by contemporaries as something fantastic. It used advanced solutions for that time. For example, the main fuel tanks in the wing were located between the spars and served as part of the power structure. Navigation equipment allowed flying around the clock and in any weather. The release of the chassis was carried out using an electric drive. At the same time, the plane turned out to be extremely tenacious: it was battered by storms, once it burned, made an emergency landing several times, shortly before the record flight, an I-5 fighter “landed” on its wing, but a week later the car was ready for a historic flight.

With its own mass of ANT-25 in 3784 kg, about 6 tons of fuel were poured into it. Such a "fuel truck" could not take off from the ground: its liquid-filled wings, even on compacted soil, swayed so that they caught the ground. An overloaded car needed about one and a half kilometers to take off, so the first concrete strip in the USSR 1800 m long was built specifically for the ANT-25 at the airfield in Shchyolkovo. And all the same, after taking off from the runway, the car climbed very hard: 500 meters in the first 50 km. The forces of 2000 workers had to tear down the hill, which fell on the take-off trajectory. Just in case, they even knocked down the fence enclosing the airfield. The precaution is not superfluous: the record-breaking flight of the Bleriot 110 from France to San Francisco in 1934 failed due to the fact that the plane damaged the propeller on the tops of the trees during takeoff. But the Soviet launch complex in Shchelkovo cost more than the aircraft itself.

For the transarctic flight, ground-based meteorological and radio stations were mobilized, one of which was equipped directly at the Pole. Only after the deployment of the drifting station "North Pole-1" under the command of Ivan Papanin, which could maintain radio contact with the aircraft and transmit weather reports to it, in May 1937 Chkalov's flight was given the green light.

Above the top of the world

The choice of a route through the North Pole to set a flight record seemed reckless at first glance. Usually, for the flight, they tried to choose a route with favorable weather conditions, lying over the area where there is hope for help in case of a forced landing. Here it was necessary to fly several thousand kilometers over water, ice and deserted territories Far North. "Chief Polar Explorer" Soviet Union Otto Schmidt even wrote to Stalin that the chances of helping in the event of a plane crash are zero, despite the fact that the plane could theoretically land on the water and stay afloat. A rubber boat, a tent, skis, guns and 115 kg of a month's supply of food supplied to Chkalov's crew served as little consolation in the hope of holding out until the rescuers arrived.

Despite all the difficulties, the flight over the North Pole was the cherished dream of the aviators of those years. First, it was the shortest route between the two continents. When flying from Moscow to San Francisco across the Pacific Ocean, it was necessary to overcome 18,000 km, across the Atlantic - 14,000, and across the pole - "only" 9600. Secondly, he combined the romance of the sky with the heroism of polar exploration, crowning the era of the Great Geographical discoveries, which was a mission of special honor. It was important to fly exactly to the United States: establishing relations with the richest country in the world was one of the highest priorities of the Soviet Union. foreign policy in the light of the Second World War already looming on the horizon.

By the way, in the USA the resonance from the flight was colossal. General George Marshall, who commanded the provincial military base Vancouver Barracks, got into the company of Soviet pilots for an appointment with President Roosevelt, later became the US Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize winner, as well as the author of the famous plan that determined the structure of the post-war Western Europe. “You made me popular, and this is more expensive than money in America,” Marshall said to Chkalov when the pilot thanked the general for a warm welcome and an overnight stay in his house.

Not only Soviet pilots dreamed of flying over the Pole. The American pilot Willy Post, who was the first to make a round-the-world flight with landings in 1931, intended to fly over the Pole from Alaska to Arkhangelsk in 1935 on a seaplane with drop floats, but crashed during a training flight.

Thus, there was no doubt about the importance and necessity of a cross-polar flight. The "record" car was manufactured at plant number 18 in Voronezh in only two copies. Both were lifted into the air by the great Soviet pilot Mikhail Gromov, chief pilot of TsAGI, tester of Tupolev aircraft. Then the difficult fine-tuning of the unique technique began. Initially, the ANT-25 showed an estimated range of only 7200 km. A gearbox was used, thanks to which the propeller rotated more slowly, which made it possible to increase its diameter to 4.1 m. This increased the range to 10,800 km. I also had to work on aerodynamics: corrugated metal sheathing wings were covered with fabric and dope. On September 10-12, 1934, Gromov managed to fly 12,411 km in the Moscow-Tula-Ryazan-Dnepropetrovsk-Kharkov polygon in 75 hours. It practically reached the limit of the technical range of the ANT-25, since after landing only 30 liters of fuel remained in the tanks.

It was a phenomenal achievement, far surpassing the world record for closed-loop flight held by the French (10,601 km). Gromov became the eighth Hero of the Soviet Union, but his achievement was written in small print on the last pages of the newspapers: no national honors, no triumphal passages through the capital. The fact is that until 1935 the USSR was not a member of the International Aviation Federation, so the record would not have been officially registered. But its loud celebration could alert the French and British, who were already intensively preparing to take the 10,000 km barrier - at the beginning of 1935, a 11,500-kilometer non-stop France-Chile flight on the Bleriot 110 started, but engine failure prevented it from successfully completing.

First try

The record was in the air, it was impossible to delay. Mikhail Gromov seemed the most suitable candidate for making a historic flight. However, on May 1, 1935, after an air parade over Red Square, which he led, sitting at the helm of the largest ANT-20 Maxim Gorky aircraft in the world at that time, Gromov was admitted to the hospital with internal bleeding from a peptic ulcer. For a whole year, the best pilot in the country was out of action. The next candidate for the flight was the famous polar pilot Sigismund Levanevsky. In 1933, he became one of the first seven Heroes of the Soviet Union among the pilots who rescued people from the Chelyuskin steamer crushed by ice. Levanevsky was also a suitable candidate because of his popularity in America: in 1933, he took the American pilot James Mattern from Chukotka to Alaska.

The first attempt to set a Soviet non-stop flight record occurred in 1935. On August 3, a crew consisting of Sigismund Levanevsky, Georgy Baidukov and navigator Viktor Levchenko started on the route Moscow - North Pole - San Francisco. The planned flight received wide publicity. Even the US ambassador arrived at the airfield to see off the crew. After takeoff, Levanevsky discovered a trickle of oil flowing from under the engine hood. Soon there were smudges on the cabin floor. There was a burning smell. Apparently, the oil got on the hot parts of the motor. Levanevsky was not a test pilot, he did not know the aircraft, and after 2000 km and 10 hours of flight, already over the Barents Sea, he decided to return. Later it turned out that the oil was leaking through the regular drainage due to the fact that it was poured under the neck, and in flight it foamed. The co-pilot, Baidukov, test pilot of the Air Force Research Institute, figured out the nature of the malfunction, but could not convince the commander that the flight could be continued: Levanevsky turned the plane around, threatening Baidukov with a Mauser.

Frustrated by the failure, Levanevsky, at Stalin's debriefing, said that he would no longer fly on Tupolev's planes, adding that only a pest could make the ANT-25. The pilot's anger was caused by a fundamental circumstance: the aircraft was equipped with only one engine, which was a design feature of the ANT-25.

Symphony of Alexander Mikulin

The M-34 engine, installed on the ANT-25, was the first domestic high-power serial aircraft engine and surpassed the best foreign models. It was created in 1932 by designer Alexander Mikulin at the Central Institute of Aviation Motors (now the Central Institute of Aviation Motors named after P.I. Baranov).

The design of the M-34 had a number of innovations. One of them was the power circuit of the block, the so-called "compressed jacket and free sleeve" circuit. It provided exceptionally high rigidity of the system and the possibility of further forcing. Initially, the engine developed a power of 750 hp. s., and for a record flight was boosted to 874 liters. with. It should be noted that 10-12 years after the creation of the M-34 engine, the leading foreign developers - the English Rolls-Royce and the American Packard - adopted the power circuit of the piston engine of the M-34 type to boost their engines.

It is also worth noting the strategic insight of Alexander Mikulin in terms of calculating the diameter of the cylinder. The M-34 featured a relatively large cylinder bore and piston stroke. In the early 30s of the last century, it was believed that the optimal diameter of the engine cylinder was 140-150 mm. However, already during the Second World War, many foreign firms were forced, when forcing their engines, to rebuild production on about larger cylinder diameters. For example, Rolls Royce increased the diameter from 137.16 mm (Merlin XX engine) to 152.4 mm (Griffon engine) to increase engine power, and Daimler-Benz - from 150 to 162 mm. At the same time, the transition to a different cylinder diameter inevitably necessitated a restructuring of the entire production cycle and certain delays in the production of new foreign engines.

The M-34 engine was also highly appreciated by the leadership of the USSR. In particular, the Deputy People's Commissar of Heavy Industry P. I. Baranov (who showed maximum assistance in its creation) wrote in early April 1933 to the Secretary of the Council of Labor and Defense under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR: “The M-34 motor is currently a reliable motor and with its data, it ranks among foreign low-altitude motors ... When provided with a gearbox, a supercharger, a variable pitch propeller, the motor manufactured at CIAM becomes a first-class motor.

The very next year, in 1934, the director of the Soviet pavilion at the 2nd International Aviation Exhibition, which was held in Copenhagen, wrote in a report that the visitors of the exhibition showed the greatest interest in the M-34 engine (it was exhibited in the M-34RN modification). Foreign experts with close attention examined the motor and its individual parts and assemblies, mounted on a special stand. In the Danish and English press, the creation of the M-34RN was noted as a grandiose achievement of the Soviet aviation industry. The M-34RN had a similar success in 1935 at the international aviation exhibition in Milan.

The main difficulty in preparing for a transpolar flight was that the duration of the record flight of 60-70 hours was comparable to the engine resource. At the same time, in takeoff mode, the engine had to work not for the first 10 minutes, but for the first 10 hours of flight, until the production of fuel lightens the car, allowing it to reduce speed. Engineers worked hard to increase its service life, and finally, during tests in 1934, the M-34 worked for an unprecedented 500 hours for a domestic engine!

However, the quality of production of those years left much to be desired. At plant number 24, where the M-34 was mass-produced, in 1932-33. casting defects reached 60%, machining - up to 80%! By 1935 marriage was 15–17%. Therefore, a special version of the engine was created for the ANT-25 - M-34RD (the letter P meant "gear", D - "long"). For its production with special care, according to special drawings, 20 sets of parts were made, 15 motors were assembled from them, and only 10 of them were selected for installation on an aircraft. They differed from the standard ones in tighter tolerances for parts, as well as design changes: new suction pipes, oil and water pumps, camshafts, a redesigned crankshaft shank, and the presence of a second fuel pump. The rest of the systems were also improved: valves, carburetor, magneto, candles. All engines were boosted in terms of speed to 830 hp. Each engine was tested, adjusted and adjusted at CIAM.

But even with this approach, Gromov's record in 1934 took place only on the third attempt: in the first two, due to engine problems, he had to make an emergency landing. Miraculously, the plane was saved.

In the Arctic, the failure of a single engine meant certain death. Therefore, the failure of Levanevsky placed in the minds of the country's leaders serious doubts about the suitability of the ANT-25 for a transpolar flight. In order to avoid a new international embarrassment in 1936, a dress rehearsal was undertaken in the form of a flight along the route Moscow - the Far East. Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov set a distance record "for domestic use", covering 9375 km on July 20-22, 1936 in 56 hours. The commander and his crew became Heroes of the Soviet Union. But doubts about the ANT-25 remained, and the key question was about its only engine.

After landing in the United States in June 1937, Chkalov had to open the engine hood for journalists. The American press wrote that such a flight was possible only on a Western-made engine. Photos of the M-34RD with inscriptions in Cyrillic were published in newspapers next to the portraits of heroic pilots. "Symphony of Alexander Mikulin", - this is how Valery Chkalov described the impeccable operation of the motor.

At a meeting with Stalin on May 25, 1937, the issue of a new attempt to fly to the United States on the ANT-25 with a single engine was decided. “So you, comrade Chkalov, are sure that the choice of aircraft is correct? Still, one motor ... ”, - asked Stalin. “The motor is excellent,” the pilot replied. “Besides, one motor is a hundred percent risk, and four is four hundred.”

This famous joke decided the outcome of the case.

A few days after that, Mikhail Gromov, who had recovered, also turned to Stalin with a request for a non-stop flight over the North Pole, justifying his desire by the fact that he could break the flight distance record, and also received consent.

Both crews simultaneously began preparations for the flight.

Brave heroes always fly forward

Speaking about the famous flight of Chkalov, they often forget about the role of the co-pilot - Georgy Baidukov. At Stalin's debriefing, after the first failure in 1935, Baidukov did not support Levanevsky and refused to go with him to the United States by order of the leader to purchase the equipment necessary to prepare for the flight. In fact, he called Stalin's order meaningless, and in his presence. This required great courage, especially since at that time the pilot's father was serving time for wrecking. But Baidukov was sure that the aircraft "long-range" than the ANT-25 could not be found in the USA, and therefore remained in the USSR and started fine-tuning the machine. It was Baidukov who persuaded Chkalov, Stalin's favorite, to take part in the Arctic project. Even Chkalov himself was surprised by this proposal, saying that he was a typical fighter, was not familiar with polar aviation, did not know navigation, and was not trained in blind instrument flight. But Baidukov bluntly told Chkalov that his job was to obtain permission to fly and take off.

There was a unique case: the co-pilot chose his commander. At the notorious meeting on May 25, 1937, both Chkalov and Levanevsky were simultaneously named members of their crew Baidukov. After the meeting, after talking with Chkalov, Baidukov suggested that Levanevsky fly on the ANT-25 as a commander, because it was he who was considered by everyone to be the author of the idea of ​​a transpolar flight to America. But he refused. So Chkalov became the best pilot of those years. It is difficult to describe his glory in the USSR after the legendary flight. It is as if Gagarin, after the first orbit around the Earth, would also fly to Mars. Meanwhile, in their own circle, pilots sometimes teased Baidukov: “Tell me, why did you take Chkalov to America?”

Baidukov himself was originally invited to this flight by Levanevsky as one of the best blind flight masters in the country. He could fly the plane in the clouds for hours on instruments, maintain the course, endure the bumpiness without losing spatial orientation. Not all pilots were able to do this. For example, Chkalov did not have such skills, and every time the plane approached the wall of the next cyclone, he called the co-pilot. And since the weather was bad for almost the entire flight, Baidukov mainly had to pilot the plane in these difficult conditions. Not without reason, after landing in America, which he carried out after a 13-hour sleepless watch, the crew commander called him a three-core.

Of course, Chkalov himself was a talented pilot. It is he who is the author of aerobatics, such as "ascending spin" and "slow roll". Before the record flight, he studied the ANT-25 well, believed in this machine, and trained a lot on it. Unlike the arrogant Levanevsky, who did not condescend to communicate with the mechanics, Chkalov liked to talk with them, followed the preparation of the aircraft and did not sleep at night when the engineers adjusted the engine. A master of aerobatics, Chkalov saved planes more than once. What is worth just his landing in adverse weather conditions on a narrow, rocky spit of Udd Island (now Chkalov Island) when flying to the Far East in 1936. Even the genius of the steering wheel Baidukov was then afraid to drive a car at low level over a stormy sea. Another time, during a training flight, the steel cable of the landing gear system broke at Chkalov's plane. One of the racks managed to be pulled into the landing position manually. But the second jammed tightly. And Chkalov managed to land a colossus with 34-meter wings on one left support. Later it turned out that the mechanic forgot the drill in the winch.

Taking off on an aircraft like the ANT-25 was not an easy task. Since it had only one propeller, its rotation was not compensated by anything, and the car was constantly pulled to the side on the runway. Even on a fighter jet, it is not easy to control such a withdrawal, but on a heavy machine, this required an instant reaction, physical effort and great skill. The slightest deviation from a straight run led to disaster. Chkalov in the early morning of June 18, 1937, not only lifted the car overloaded by a ton, but also managed to wave the mourners out the window.

It is impossible not to note the role of navigator Alexander Belyakov. In the crew he was called a professor, because. he was not only the head of the navigation department of the Air Force Academy. NOT. Zhukovsky, but also a pedant at work. The role of a navigator in a transpolar flight is enormous: the flight took place over ice, in unpredictable weather, without any reference points. In conditions when the magnetic compass does not work, the navigator was guided by the solar compass, which required constant observation and great concentration.

On the way, Chkalov's crew met four cyclones, which had to be pierced, bypassed or overflyed at an altitude of up to 6 km with suboptimal fuel consumption. Over Canada, they had to deviate from a straight route altogether, jump over the Rocky Mountains and then move south over the ocean along the coast. Chkalov bled from his nose and ears and his leg hurt, so he could not fly the plane. Baydukov sat at the helm. Oxygen for breathing was running out, the rest was given to Baidukov, and Chkalov and Belyakov, saving their breath, lay motionless on the floor. But ANT-25 with a heroic crew on board stubbornly strove for the goal.

The aircraft was iced several times. Particularly dangerous was the so-called porcelain icing, which lasted about 16 hours. It was not possible to get away from him above the clouds, and Baidukov went down. And then came the most terrible moment of the flight.

Baidukov almost dived, removing the engine speed to the limit. The engine has cooled down, due to which the drain pipe of the expansion tank of the cooling system has frozen. The vapor pressure in it increased, breaking through the ice plug, but along with the steam, a lot of water also splashed out. Its level dropped, the cylinder heads were left without cooling. This meant that in a few minutes the engine would overheat and jam over the icy expanses of the Arctic.

They rushed to look for water, but its reserves froze. Chkalov showed composure and resourcefulness. He ordered to pour tea and coffee from thermoses into the system. On this mixture and flew. Baidukov recalled that it was after this incident that he first noticed gray hair in the commander's hair.

Then there was a landing at a military airfield in Vancouver, Washington, a triumphant tour of the United States, worldwide fame and a reception at President Roosevelt. In 63 hours and 16 minutes, the crew covered 9130 km, but in a straight line the distance between the take-off and landing points was only 8504 km. Headwinds and bad weather conditions lengthened the real path of the aircraft, and the world record could not be set. After landing, only 77 liters of fuel remained in the tanks from the original 5700.

Less than a month after the start of the Chkalov machine, on July 12, 1937, the second ANT-25 took off from Shchelkovo. The crew consisted of Mikhail Gromov, Andrei Yumashev and Sergei Danilin. Initially, it was decided that both crews should start with a difference of half an hour. The Gromov crew, led by an experienced test pilot, was better prepared, so Chkalov, Belyakov and Baidukov were assigned the reconnaissance mission, and Gromov, Yumashev and Danilin were to set the record. However, shortly before the flight, having arrived at the hangar, Gromov discovered that the engine had been removed from his plane and moved to Chkalov's car. He never knew the reason.

Gromov's crew had to wait until another engine was "run in" on the stand. But during the preparation of the second "record" aircraft, it was revealed that an increase in the amount of gasoline by 1 liter increased the flight range by 1 kilometer. Reducing the weight of the structure by 1 kilogram made it possible to increase the range by 3 kilometers. They removed everything that was possible from the plane, almost 250 kg: an inflatable rubber boat, salt, warm clothes, food supplies, spare oil. The second ANT-25 was as light as possible and was able to take half a ton more fuel than the first.

Gromov was Chkalov's instructor and was generally considered pilot number 1, Yumashev worked as a professional heavy aircraft tester, and Danilin had a reputation as a navigator who never got lost in the sky in his life. Together they simply cut through all the cyclones in their path. The second ANT-25 passed over the North Pole 13 minutes ahead of schedule. Gromov and Yumashev flew the plane alternately. When approaching the Cordillera, the plane entered a continuous cloud cover, a "chatter" began. Gromov sat at the helm and flew the plane for 13 hours before landing.

The crew planned to fly to the US border with Mexico and land in the American border town of San Diego. They would have had enough fuel even to Panama, but they were not allowed to cross the border of Mexico: they had to land in the United States in order to clearly demonstrate to the Americans the latest achievements of Soviet aircraft technology. The San Diego airport was closed by fog. Near the border town of San Jacinto, they saw a pasture suitable for planting. They landed on it. It was 5:00 am local time on July 14, 1937. In almost the same time - 62 hours 17 minutes - the second ANT-25 flew 10,148 km in a straight line. The world record still became Soviet. At the same time, fuel remained in the tanks for another one and a half thousand kilometers.

Both flight crews were admired all over the world. At the same time, US newspapers noted that the distance flight record was of secondary importance compared to the accuracy with which the flight was repeated. It testifies to the amazing skill of the pilots, the wonderful organization of the whole thing, and the magnificent design of Soviet aircraft. "The Arctic no longer represents a huge mysterious spot on the globe," foreign researchers unanimously declared.

Although the International Aviation Federation awarded Gromov's crew the Henri de Laveau medal for the best achievement in 1937, Chkalov's crew's record will forever go down in history as the first transpolar flight between Europe and America.

Thanks to such accomplishments in American society, the foundation was laid for US respect for the USSR as an ally with which it was possible to win the war against Germany. Then this issue was not a foregone conclusion, as it seems now. The famous Charles Lindbergh, who bore the unofficial title of American number 1, received awards from the hands of Goering and agitated the people of the United States against confrontation with the Germans. In this information war, we managed to counter his authority with our heroes, whose feat was sincerely admired by the whole world.

The article was provided by the press service of the Central Institute of Aviation Motors named after P.I. Baranova (original)

On June 18, 1937, pilots Valery Chkalov, Georgy Baidukov and navigator Alexander Belyakov set out on an unusual flight. Taking off on an ANT-25 plane from the Shchelkovo airfield near Moscow (now this air harbor is named after Chkalovsky), they headed for the North Pole. After 63 hours, having covered 8,504 kilometers in the air without landing, pilots from the USSR landed in the suburbs of the American Vancouver. North Pole. This air route was the first to submit to Soviet pilots. The website of the Zvezda TV channel recalled the little-known facts of this historic flight. 1. The first pilot to fly over the North Pole was to be Levanevsky. Randomness got in the way Three candidates were considered for crew commander, and Chkalov was not initially a priority. They thought about Mikhail Gromov, who knew the ANT-25 well and had already set a range record on it. However, he suffered from a stomach ulcer and even lay in the hospital. In addition, shortly before the flight, having arrived at the hangar, Gromov discovered that the engine had been removed from his aircraft and moved to Chkalov's car. He never knew the reason. The second contender for the flight was the famous polar pilot Sigismund Levanevsky, who, for his participation in rescuing people from the Chelyuskin steamer crushed by ice, became one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union in the country. Interestingly, Levanevsky had already started a similar transcontinental flight, but his car was forced to return due to an alleged malfunction, which later turned out to be an oil overflow. The pilot refused to fly the ANT-25 for the second time. But Chkalov was not afraid and eventually led the crew for a daring throw across the pole. 2. Otto Schmidt opposed the flight The "Chief Polar Explorer" of the Soviet Union, the head of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route, Otto Schmidt, objected in principle to this flight. He even wrote a memorandum to Stalin, where he indicated that in the event of a plane crash, the chances of helping the crew are zero. Even the arguments given that the pilots were provided with an emergency supply, including a rubber boat, a tent, skis, guns and more than a centner of food, did not convince Schmidt. Experts were skeptical about the chances of the pilots to hold out until the rescuers arrived. However, the icebreakers and steamships of the Northern Fleet were focused on helping Chkalov's team in case of real danger. 3. Papanin set off on a drift across the Arctic Ocean specifically to provide radio communications for this flight. In preparation for the flight, a network of radio stations was put into operation along the entire Northern Sea Route. In addition, the flight was planned specifically during the operation of the drifting polar station "North Pole - 1" under the leadership of Ivan Papanin - it started on June 6, 1937. From the station, the pilots even managed to get a weather report, but just during the passage of this area on the ANT-25, the antenna of the onboard radio station failed. So over the Arctic Ocean the crew went without communication.
4. During the flight, the crew's oranges froze. The Arctic met the crew with a hard frost - the temperature in the cabin dropped to a steady minus. Saved by warm clothes. Taken in apples and oranges, they turned into pieces of ice: they were warmed up on a heater. 5. Ice was cut from the cabin windows with a fin Navigator Alexander Belyakov wrote in the logbook: “... We determined that we were going over Banks Land. We are going to the south-west... Baidukov's windows are frozen. They cut off the ice with a Finn ... ”Icing of the blades and hull elements threatened the aircraft along the entire route. Already over the European part, having met with a cyclone, it was necessary to apply a propeller de-icer. While one pilot was at the controls, the other had to manually pump de-icing fluid almost continuously. They also fought against the threat of icing by changing the flight altitude - they either rose above the clouds, or descended below them. 6. When there was a problem with the coolant, Chkalov ordered to fill the system with tea and coffee from thermoses Baidukov almost dived, removing the engine speed to the limit. The engine has cooled down, due to which the drain pipe of the expansion tank of the cooling system has frozen. The vapor pressure in it increased, breaking through the ice plug, but along with the steam, a lot of water also splashed out. Its level dropped, the cylinder heads were left without cooling. This meant that in a few minutes the engine would overheat and jam over the icy expanses of the Arctic. They rushed to look for water, but its reserves froze. Chkalov showed composure and resourcefulness. He ordered to pour tea and coffee from thermoses into the system. On this mixture and flew. Baidukov recalled that it was after this incident that he first noticed gray hair in the commander's hair. 7. "Arctic" plane It was a copy of Chkalov's ANT-25 (there were only two aircraft of this brand) that was considered prepared for such a flight. The arctic modification of the machine was specially upgraded for low temperatures: the radiator of the cooling system was reduced, a three-bladed propeller was installed on the engine, which allows choosing the optimal mode of operation. The car had a unique design for those times - the wings were 2.5 times longer than the fuselage, which made it possible to take more fuel, and also increased gliding capabilities. The engine installed on the ANT-25 was the first domestic high-power serial aircraft engine and surpassed the best foreign models. A few years later, the English company Rolls-Royce and the American Packard adopted the power circuit from the M-34 to boost their engines.
8. Baidukov was at the helm for more time during the flight than Chkalov Two-thirds of the flight was led by Georgy Baidukov, including the last 13 hours before landing. He was one of the best blind flight masters in the country - he could fly an airplane in the clouds for hours on instruments, maintain a course without losing spatial orientation. By the way, the experience of transcontinental flights came in handy with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War- Baydukov was sent to the United States to organize the supply of air equipment under Lend-Lease. Georgy Filippovich distinguished himself at the front: he commanded an air force, participated in the liberation of Kyiv, in Operation Bagration, and in the storming of Berlin. He rose to the rank of Colonel General of Aviation, retired in the late 1980s.
9. When the plane landed, there were only 77 liters of fuel left. In fact, the crew covered 9,130 ​​kilometers, but in a straight line, the distance between the take-off and landing points was exactly those same 8,504 kilometers. Headwinds and bad weather conditions lengthened the real path of the aircraft. By the way, after landing, only 77 liters of fuel remained in his tanks from the original 5,700.10. The commander of the air base where Chkalov landed would later become Secretary of Defense, US Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize winner The first official to meet Chkalov's crew in the US was the head of the garrison, General George Marshall. The commander of a provincial military base, he, in the company of Soviet pilots, got an appointment with President Franklin Roosevelt. Perhaps this is what predetermined the rise of the general's career: Marshall would later become the US Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize winner, as well as the author of the famous plan that determined the structure of post-war Western Europe. The Americans greeted the Soviet crew like real heroes: President Roosevelt received the flight participants in the Oval Office of the White House, setting aside two hours for communication instead of the planned 15 minutes. There is an opinion that it was this flight that contributed to the establishment of friendly relations between the two countries, became a prerequisite for fruitful cooperation between the USSR and the USA during the war. By the way, Vancouver still honors the memory of the events of June 1937: a monument built with private funds was opened in the city local residents, and a street, a park and a museum bear the name of Chkalov, where souvenirs donated in different years by guests from Russia are carefully stored.

In the first half of the 20th century, the most scientifically and technically advanced countries sought to win the straight-line distance record (the shortest distance between takeoff and landing points). France, England, USA, Italy, Germany competed with each other. So, in 1931, the United States won the record (8560 kilometers), in 1932 he moved to England (8544 kilometers), then to France (9104.7 kilometers). At the end of 1931, the USSR decided to create an aircraft capable of overcoming large The design bureau of A.N. non-stop flight distance record in a closed circle.

In August 1935, the Hero of the Soviet Union, polar pilot S.A. Levanevsky, co-pilot G.F. Baidukov and navigator V.I. Levchenko attempted to fly on an ANT-25 aircraft on the route Moscow - North Pole - San Francisco. But the pilots failed - a malfunction in the oil pipeline forced them to return back. Levanevsky lost faith in the possibility of a transatlantic flight on a single-engine aircraft. The co-pilot, Baidukov, believed in the reliability of the design and engine of the ANT-25 aircraft. He captivated the legendary fighter pilot V.P. Chkalov with the idea of ​​flying over the North Pole to the USA. In the spring of 1936, the formed crew - V.P. Chkalov (commander), G.F. Baydukov (co-pilot) and A.V. Belyakov (navigator) - turned to G.K. Ordzhonikidze with a request to allow them to fly from Moscow through the North Pole to America. The decision of the Government is to allow the flight, but not through the North Pole, but along the route Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. On July 14, 1936, the Decree of the Council of Labor and Defense (STO) "On non-stop flight on an RD aircraft" by Chkalov's crew was issued. Due to the fact that the range to Kamchatka is much less than the ANT-25 could overcome, the crew convinced the government to approve the route Moscow - Victoria Island - Franz Josef Land - Severnaya Zemlya - Tiksi Bay - Petropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka - Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk - Island Sakhalin - Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, with a landing in Khabarovsk or Chita.

The flight began at 2:45 GMT on July 20, 1936. Passed in severe weather conditions. The crew initially flew in the direction of the North Pole to Victoria Island (82 degrees north latitude) in order to reconnoiter the Arctic conditions. Having passed the Arctic expanses and Yakutia, the plane ended up over the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The crew reached Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and dropped a pennant over it. The task was completed, but the supply of gasoline allowed us to fly further. Chkalov sent the plane to the mainland, but in a powerful and extensive cyclone over the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the aircraft was subjected to heavy icing, and the crew was forced to land. Chkalov managed to land the aircraft on a piece of land much smaller than what was required for a normal landing of the ANT-25. The flight ended on July 22, 1936 on Udd Island in the Bay of Schastya, near the city of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.

Flight of Chkalov's crew through Arctic Ocean to the Far East surprised the aviation world. The single-engine ANT-25 covered 9,374 kilometers in 56 hours and 20 minutes, of which 5,140 kilometers flew over the Barents Sea, the Arctic Ocean, and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The English Air Marshal John Salmond then said: “The flight of Chkalov and his companions strikes the human imagination with its grandiosity. The power of aviation technology is wonderful, which makes it possible to overcome such colossal spaces without stopping, which, moreover, are 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. After the successful completion of the flight, V.P. Chkalov, G.F. Baidukov and A.V. Belyakov were awarded the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union. On August 13, 1936, the Politburo decided to rename the islands of Udd, Langre and Kevos in the Bay of Shchastya to the islands of Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov, respectively.

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.

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 Vilyamur 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 characteristics 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 the stubborn, intense struggle against cyclones, a lot of time, a lot of fuel and even more physical strength were lost, but we are flying first. 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. Above Kola Peninsula“porcelain” icing began, 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 showed 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 trans-Arctic 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 currently 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".