Alexander Belyakov | |
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| Birth name | Alexander Vasilyevich Belyakov |
| Born | (1897-12-21)21 December 1897[1] |
| Died | 28 October 1982(1982-10-28) (aged 85)[1] |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire.svg) Soviet Russia Soviet Union |
| Branch |  Imperial Russian Army.svg) Red Army Soviet Air Force |
| Rank | Lieutenant-general |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin (2) Order of the Red Banner (3) Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class Order of the Red Banner of Labour Order of the Red Star (3) |
| Other work | Deputy of theSupreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (1937-1946)Professor,Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology |
Alexander Vasilyevich Belyakov (Russian:Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Беляко́в; 21 December 1897 [O.S. 9 December] – 28 November 1982) was aSovietflight navigator who, together with command pilotValery Chkalov and co-pilotGeorgy Baydukov, set a record for the longest uninterrupted flight in 1936 and madethe first non-stop flight across the North Pole [ru], flying fromMoscow toVancouver, Washington.
He was elected to theSupreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and served as alieutenant general of theSoviet Air Forces.
Alexander Belyakov was born in 1897 in the village ofBezzubovo,Moscow Governorate (nowOrekhovo-Zuyevsky District,Moscow Oblast) and grew up inRyazan. He studiedforestry in 1915-1916 after finishing hisgymnasium studies and began serving in the infantry of theImperial Russian Army in 1916.[1]
He fought in theSoviet RussianRed Army's25th Rifle Division during theRussian Civil War. He graduated from the Moscow Aerophotogrammetry School of the Red Air Fleet in 1921 and subsequently taught there and at the A.E.Zhukovsky Air Force Academy until 1935.[1]
He graduated from the Kachinskoye Military Aviation School for Pilots and joined theCommunist Party in 1936.[1]
Belyakov joined commanding pilotValery Chkalov and co-pilotGeorgy Baydukov to navigate aTupolev ANT-25 plane on a non-stop flight from Moscow to Udd Island (nowChkalov Island) off the coast ofKamchatka in a 56-hour flight on 20–22 July 1936. Their flight, covering more than 9,374 kilometers across nearly the entire width of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, set a record for the longest non-stop flight, preparing the way for a flight across theNorth Pole.[2]
The three aviation heroes were awarded the titleHero of the Soviet Union and decorated with theOrder of Lenin for the record-breaking flight.[1]
Flying the same ANT-25 plane, Chkalov, Baydukov, and Belyakov completed an 8,504-kilometer flight from Moscow to theUnited States, crossing the North Pole and landing inVancouver, Washington. The fliers set another record by performing the first non-stop polar flight and establishing a new route from the Soviet Union to the United States.[2]
The domestic and international press coverage of the Trans-Polar flight immediately catapulted to worldwide fame and ultimate acclaim for the three aviators, who had already been regarded as Soviet heroes after their successful flight to Udd Island in 1936. The aviators' portraits were featured on a postage stamp issued to commemorate the flight. The three were elected to theSupreme Soviet of the Soviet Union in 1937.[1]
Alexander Belyakov was appointed head of the Ryazan Supreme School of Navigators of the Soviet Air Force in the 1940s and took part inthe fighting against Nazi Germany as the16th Air Army's chief navigator during theBattle of Berlin. Promoted tolieutenant-general during the war, he continued to serve in the Air Force and became a professor at theMoscow Institute of Physics and Technology upon his retirement from the service in 1960.[1]
He joined Georgy Baydukov to attend the unveiling of a Vancouver monument commemorating their transpolar flight in 1975.[3]
Belyakov died in Moscow on 28 November 1982 and was interred at Moscow'sNovodevichy Cemetery.[1]
Aside from theOrder of Lenin awarded together with the titleHero of the Soviet Union on 24 July 1936 (subsequently Gold Star No. 9 was also added), Belyakov was awarded another Lenin Order and was a recipient of threeOrders of the Red Banner, anOrder of the Patriotic War 1st class,Order of the Red Banner of Labour twice, threeOrders of the Red Star, and additional medals.[1]
He received the degree of Doctor of Geography in 1938.[1]
An island off Kamchatka in theSea of Okhotsk was given the nameBelyakov Island (Ostrov Belyakova) in honor of Alexander Belyakov.
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