National Park Service Commemorates Russian-American Aviation Achievement At Pearson Air Museum -06/18/19
On Saturday, June 22, 2019, the National Park Service will commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the landing of the world's first transpolar flight at Pearson Field. This free, public wreath laying ceremony will take place at Pearson Air Museum, a part of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, and will highlight the significance of this historic event to our community.
On the morning of June 20, 1937, pilot Valery Chkalov, along with co-pilot Georgi Baidukov and navigator Alexander Belyakov, landed at Pearson Field. Their flight from Moscow and over the North Pole, the first of its kind, had lasted 63 hours and 16 minutes.
"This signature aviation event was an incredible achievement that brought fame to Vancouver’s Pearson Field," said Fort Vancouver National Historic Site's Pearson Air Museum Manager Bob Cromwell. "The incredible journey made by Chkalov, Baidukov, and Belyakov was more than just a feat of human endurance and a technological achievement; it was a major moment in U.S.-Russian relations before the Second World War."
Join the National Park Service, Russian dignitaries from Washington D.C., and our partners at this brief program, which will include music provided by the Vancouver Community Concert Band, brief remarks, and a wreath laying ceremony at the memorial, located adjacent to the air museum. Following the wreath laying, complimentary refreshments will be provided. Visitors are also invited to tour A Red Bolt from the Blue, an exhibit at Pearson Air Museum that highlights the history of the transpolar flight.
Learn more about the history of the 1937 flight here.
WHAT: From Moscow to Russia: Valery Chkalov and the First Transpolar Flight, a public event honoring the 82nd anniversary of this historic flight. The focal point of this event is the wreath laying at the Chkalov Memorial.
WHEN: Saturday, June 22, 2019, 11 am
WHERE: Pearson Air Museum, 1115, E. Fifth Street, Vancouver, WA 98661
COST: Free