Hudson Bay in Vancouver in Clark County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
The Soviet Transpolar Flight of 1937
Magnificent Triumph of Soviet Aviation
[Monument front]:
Near this site at Pearson Airfield on June 20th, 1937, three Soviet aviators completed the first non-stop flight from the U.S.S.R. to the U.S.A.
Command Pilot Valeri Chkalov, Co-Pilot Georgi Baidukov, and Navigator Alexander Belyakov, completed the Moscow to Vancouver Flight in 63 hours 16 minutes, covering 5,288 nautical miles.
The plaques above and on the reverse side were cast in the Soviet Union and presented to Vancouver by the Soviet People to commemorate the event.
This memorial was dedicated on June 20, 1975
[Monument back, left plaque]:
[unreadable] советской Авиации
вчера, в 19 час 30 мин Московскому времени, самолет "Ант-25" совершил посадк на Аэродроме Баракс, близ портланда (Штат Вашингтоне). успешно завершен геройский беспосадочный перелет Москва-Северный полюс-Соединенные Штаты Америки.
("Правда", 21 июня 1937 г.).
Герои Советского Союза чкалов, Байдуков и Беляков впервые в истории проложили воздушный путь из Европы в Америку через полюс.
(“Известия” 21 июнь 1937 г.).
[Monument back, right plaque]:
A translation of the above plaque
Magnificent Triumph of Soviet Aviation
Yesterday, at 19 hours, 30 minutes Moscow time, the aircraft “ANT-25” accomplished a landing at Pearson Army Airfield in Vancouver, Washington.
It was a successful completion of a heroic non-stop flight from Moscow across the North Pole to the United States of America.
(“Pravda”, 21 June, 1937)
Heroes of the Soviet Union, Chkalov, Baidukov, and Belyakov, were the first in history to pioneer an air route from Europe to America over the pole.
(“Izvestia” 21, June, 1937)
Erected 1975 by the Soviet People.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Exploration • Heroes. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1967.
Location. 45° 37.451′ N, 122° 39.426′ W. Marker is in Vancouver, Washington, in Clark County. It is in Hudson Bay. Marker is on E. 5th Street. Marker is near the Pearson Air Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1115 E 5th St, Vancouver WA 98661, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Chkalov Transpolar Flight (here, next to this marker); The 321st Observation Squadron (1923-1941) (a few steps from this marker); Howard C. French / Alexander Pearson (a few steps from this marker); Carlton Foster Bond (a few steps from this marker); Early Aviation History in Vancouver (a few steps from this marker); Pearson Airfield (within shouting distance of this marker); First Japanese on the North American Continent (approx. 0.2 miles away); Whose Anchor? (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Vancouver.
More about this marker. There appears to be a discrepancy as to when this marker was erected, as the main plaque indicates dedication in 1975, while the small round anniversary plaque clearly states 1987. Additionally, the English translation plaque indicates it may have originally been mounted below the Russian language plaque.
We can confirm this Transpolar Flight Monument, the only tribute to these three Soviet heroes in the United States, was erected near Pearson Airpark in 1975. It is believed the 50th Anniversary Commemoration plaque was added to the original monument after the 50th Anniversary commemoration of this event in 1987. Perhaps it was in accident of design as to why the English translation plaque identifies itself as below its Russian language counterpart.
Of note, crew members Georgi Baidukov and Alexander Belyakov, who were generals in 1987, attended the 50th Anniversary ceremonies. The pilot, Valeri Chkalov was killed in 1938 while test flying a new aircraft.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Soviet Transpolar Flights of 1937
Credits. This page was last revised on March 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 19, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 5,216 times since then and 24 times this year. Last updated on December 22, 2011, by Michael Kindig of Elk Grove, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on June 19, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. 9. submitted on July 11, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.