In 1975, a monument to Valery Chkalov was erected at Pearson Field in Vancouver, Washington, USA. Chkalov became famous as the pilot who made the first transpolar flight. The monument is a triangle featuring an image of an airplane crossing the North Pole.

This significant event took place on June 20, 1937. The original plan was to fly to San Francisco, but due to a lack of fuel, the final destination became Vancouver. Although a major airport in Portland was closer, Chkalov preferred to avoid the crowd, recalling the case of American pilot Charles Lindbergh, who was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd in Paris after his transatlantic flight. The modest Chkalov chose a small military airfield.

The crew of the ANT-25 aircraft took off from Moscow on June 18, 1937, and arrived in Vancouver on June 20, 1937. The flight lasted 63 hours and 16 minutes, covering 5,288 miles nonstop.

Notable technical features include that the ANT-25 aircraft was created in 1931 as an experimental model intended for long-distance flights. There were concerns about increasing the wingspan due to potential vibrations, which had been proven on other aircraft at high speeds. After this flight, the USA ordered two ANT-25 aircraft for museums to preserve this achievement of human ingenuity.