USA to celebrate 80th anniversary of first non-stop flight from Soviet Union to United States

Preparations to the 80th anniversary of the first non-stop flight from Moscow, Soviet Union to Vancouver, Washington, United States by Soviet pilot Valery Chkalov’s legendary crew is in full play in America. The commemorative events devoted to this deed will take place in Fort Vancouver National Park located in Washington.

Representative of Fort Vancouver National Park and historian Robert Cromwell remarked that the flight from Moscow to Vancouver was a historic event, and the crew of ANT-25 single-engine plane with the chief Valery Chkalov, the second pilot Georgy Baydukov and navigating pilot Alexey Belyakov was an example of human courage and tolerance.

The main festive activities connected to the anniversary are scheduled for the nearest Saturday, June 24th. USA’s and Russia’s representatives, historians, Fort Vancouver officials and Pierson Aviation Museum workers plan to lay flowers and wreaths to the monument of the Soviet pilots. An exhibition of Russian painters depicting the city of Chkalovsk will also be opened. The Vancouver orchestra will perform for the guests.

The non-stop flight from USSR to Russia was made in June, 1937. Initially a Tupolev ANT-25 plane was to land in San Francisco, however, the crew experienced difficulties flying over the Northern Pole. The plane reached the US western coast in 63 hours after take-off and landed at the airport of Pierson, Vancouver having overcome the distance of around nine thousand kilometers.

Few years ago, legendary ANT-25 plane stored in Chkalov Museum was repaired.

Russkiy Mir