Chkalov
| Valery Pavlovich Chkalov | |
|---|---|
Valery Chkalov in 1937
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| Born |
February 2, 1904 Vasilyevo, Russian Empire |
| Died | December 15, 1938 (aged 34) Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance |
 Soviet Union
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| Service/branch | Soviet Air Force |
| Years of service | 1921-1938 |
| Rank | Combrig (Brigadier) |
| Awards |
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(2)
Valery Pavlovich Chkalov (Russian: Валерий Павлович Чкалов; IPA: [vɐˈlʲerʲɪj ˈpavləvʲɪtɕ ˈʂkaləf]; February 2, 1904 – December 15, 1938) was a Russian aircraft test pilot and a Hero of the Soviet Union (1936).
Chkalov was born in the town of Vasilyevo, near Nizhny Novgorod, the son of a boiler maker. His mother died when he was six years old. Chkalov studied in the technical school in Cherepovets but later returned to work as an apprentice with his father and as a stoker on river boats. He saw his first plane in 1919 and decided to join the Red Army's air force. He trained as a pilot and graduated in 1924 joining a fighter squadron. Chkalov married Olga Orekhova, a schoolteacher from Leningrad, in 1927. In the early 1930s he became a test pilot.
Chkalov achieved several milestones in Aviation. In 1936 and 1937, he participated in several ultra long flights, including a 63-hour flight from Moscow, Soviet Union to Vancouver, Washington, United States via the North Pole on an Tupolev ANT-25 plane (June 18–20, 1937), a non-stop distance of 8,811 kilometres (5,475 mi). The flight pioneered the polar air route from Europe to the American Pacific Coast.
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