Valery Chkalov (1904-1938) - a Soviet test pilot, the brigade commander, Hero of the Soviet Union. He worked as a test pilot at the Moscow Aviation Plant named Menzhinsky, had the best fighter aircraft 30s-15s (biplane) and I-16 (monoplane) Polikarpov design. VPTchkalov was commander of the crew of the ANT-25, in 1937 made the first nonstop flight to the North Pole from Moscow to Vancouver ((Washington USA). The flight was in very difficult conditions: lack of visibility, freezing. Pogorelov . Chkalov died December 15, 1938 during the first flight on an airplane I-180 at Central Airport. VPTchkalov tried to hold on to the airfield. But on the way, seeing that the plane did not fly over residential barracks, where there might be people Chkalov turned back and crashed into the center section of the high-voltage support.