Transportation
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On June 20, 1937, the world’s attention turned to Pearson Field when a Russian ANT-25 aircraft landed after making the first non-stop flight over the North Pole. The red and gray, single-engined aircraft “Stalin’s Route” carried over 2,000 gallons of fuel and had a 112 foot wingspan. It was crewed by three of the Soviet Union’s top airmen: Valery Chkalov, pilot; Georgi Baidukov, co-pilot; and Alexander Belyakov, navigator. Taking off from Moscow on June 17, 1937, and bound for Oakland, California, the aircraft flew for almost 65 hours through sub-zero temperatures and thickening ice on its wings before a sudden drop in oil pressure forced a landing 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 Roosevelt. The massive aircraft was dismantled and shipped to Paris for display, then home to Moscow.
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