The nonstop flight from Moscow to the Far East, made by Valery Chkalov and his crew, was a real breakthrough in Soviet aviation. A lot of preparation had gone into it.
Chkalov, his co-pilot Georgy Baydukov, and the orientation pilot and radio operator Alexander Belyakov trained daily. They practiced radio communications, flew the aircraft in various weather conditions, navigated only by their instruments, and rose above the ground with a load, gradually increasing the weight of the aircraft in order to master the take-off technique.
The flight was launched at dawn on July 20, 1936. The ANT-25 aircraft, with 5,850 kilograms of fuel in its gas tanks, took off from the runway and headed for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
A day later, the airplane was flying over Severnaya Zemlya. The further way was blocked by a powerful cyclone: the aircraft began to ice up, the settings of the magnetic compasses were disrupted, and the radio failed. In those extreme conditions, the crew had to change course 19 times in five hours, trying to get out of the cyclone, which they managed by taking a sharp descending turn.
Having overcome the bad weather, the crew directed the plane toward the Lena River and headed through the ridges of Yakutia.
As they were flying over the mountains, the crew had to gain an altitude of 4-5 thousand meters, and it became difficult for them to breathe. However, they did not wear masks, since they had to economize the oxygen supply, which was enough for only 6 hours of flight.
Finally, the plane ended up in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, crossed it, and after a while reached Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. This was the extreme eastern point of the route, and the long-range nonstop flight could be considered complete.
However, the remaining supply of fuel allowed the team to continue their journey, and Chkalov flew the plane over Kamchatka and the Sea of Okhotsk to Nikolayevsk-on-Amur. Due to bad weather in the Sakhalin region, the plane had to descend significantly. In the Tatar Strait, the plane flew at a height of no more than 20 meters above the water, while in the area of Langr Island — only 15 meters above the water.
On the evening of July 22, Chkalov landed the ANT-25 on the shallows of the small island of Udd in the Sea of Okhotsk, covering over 9,000 kilometers and spending more than 56 hours in the air. For this flight, the entire crew was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Chkalov, his co-pilot Georgy Baydukov, and the orientation pilot and radio operator Alexander Belyakov trained daily. They practiced radio communications, flew the aircraft in various weather conditions, navigated only by their instruments, and rose above the ground with a load, gradually increasing the weight of the aircraft in order to master the take-off technique.
The flight was launched at dawn on July 20, 1936. The ANT-25 aircraft, with 5,850 kilograms of fuel in its gas tanks, took off from the runway and headed for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
A day later, the airplane was flying over Severnaya Zemlya. The further way was blocked by a powerful cyclone: the aircraft began to ice up, the settings of the magnetic compasses were disrupted, and the radio failed. In those extreme conditions, the crew had to change course 19 times in five hours, trying to get out of the cyclone, which they managed by taking a sharp descending turn.
Having overcome the bad weather, the crew directed the plane toward the Lena River and headed through the ridges of Yakutia.
As they were flying over the mountains, the crew had to gain an altitude of 4-5 thousand meters, and it became difficult for them to breathe. However, they did not wear masks, since they had to economize the oxygen supply, which was enough for only 6 hours of flight.
Finally, the plane ended up in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, crossed it, and after a while reached Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. This was the extreme eastern point of the route, and the long-range nonstop flight could be considered complete.
However, the remaining supply of fuel allowed the team to continue their journey, and Chkalov flew the plane over Kamchatka and the Sea of Okhotsk to Nikolayevsk-on-Amur. Due to bad weather in the Sakhalin region, the plane had to descend significantly. In the Tatar Strait, the plane flew at a height of no more than 20 meters above the water, while in the area of Langr Island — only 15 meters above the water.
On the evening of July 22, Chkalov landed the ANT-25 on the shallows of the small island of Udd in the Sea of Okhotsk, covering over 9,000 kilometers and spending more than 56 hours in the air. For this flight, the entire crew was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
