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The Chkalov Monument is located here at Pearson Field at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Washington. It commemorates the first transpolar flight completed by Soviet war hero Valery Pavlovich Chkalov on June 20, 1937, along w/ co-pilot Georgi Baidukov and navigator Alexander Belyakov. Chkalov was born in 1904 in Vasilyevo (renamed Chkalovsk), Russia & had completed the 63-hour flight from Moscow to Vancouver nonstop in a Tupolev ANT-25, traveling a distance of 8,811 miles. Fortunately it was the start of summer so they had nonstop sunlight throughout the polar region. The original flight destination was to Oakland, California but upon flying over Eugene, Oregon, they realized their fuel was low, prompting them to turn around & fly back towards Portland. Despite being hazy & rainy, Chkalov recognized the bridges & factories of Portland & initially was going to land at Swan Island Airport in Portland, but upon seeing crowds of people there cheering the flight, he remembered how a zealous crowd had nearly destroyed Charles Lindbergh's plane during Lindbergh's 1927 landing for souvenirs. He then passed Portland & spotted a narrow, green stip of land w/ buildings resembling hangars. After a quick estimate of the field length, he made a daring landing as the ANT-25 stopped 600 feet from the edge of the airfield here at Pearson Field.
The unexpected aviators breakfasted with Vancouver Barracks' commanding officer, General George C. Marshall, then faced throngs of journalists, politicians, and curious spectators. They were treated to a month-long tour of the United States that ended in Washington D.C. at a reception with President Franklin Roosevelt. The massive aircraft was dismantled and shipped to Paris for display, then home to Moscow.
Chkalov was planning to be the first to fly around the planet however he died in a flying accident on December 15, 1938. He left a few of his personal belongings which are on display at Pearson Air Museum. This monument was erected in 1975 w/ the plaques given from the USSR. There are a number of other statues & monuments dedicated to Chkalov around Russia, a notable one is the Chkalov Monument located in Nizhny Novgorod.
From: https://www.nps.gov/places/chkalovmonument.htm
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The United States is one of the most diverse countries on earth, jam packed full of amazing sights from St. Patrick's cathedral in New York to Mount Hollywood California.The Northeast region is where it all started. Thirteen British colonies fought the American Revolution from here and won their independence in the first successful colonial rebellion in history. Take a look at these rolling hills carpeted with foliage along the Hudson river here, north of New York City.The American south is known for its polite people and slow pace of life. Probably they move slowly because it's so hot. Southerners tend not to trust people from "up north" because they talk too fast. Here's a cemetery in Georgia where you can find graves of soldiers from the Civil War.The West Coast is sort of like another country that exists to make the east coast jealous. California is full of nothing but grizzly old miners digging for gold, a few gangster rappers, and then actors. That is to say, the West Coast functions as the imagination of the US, like a weird little brother who teases everybody then gets famous for making freaky art.The central part of the country is flat farmland all the way over to the Rocky Mountains. Up in the northwest corner you can find creative people in places like Portland and Seattle, along with awesome snowboarding and good beer. Text by Steve Smith.
