The opening event was attended by Deputy Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region Sergey Morozov, Head of Nizhny Novgorod city administration Yuri Shalabaev as well as the airport management and employees. The daughter of the legendary test pilot, Olga Chkalova, and other relatives of Valery Chkalov were invited as special guests.
The focal point of the exposition is a sculpted composition set up in the square near the terminal. It comprises a bronze bust in the background of a three-dimensional steel ‘painting’ representing the record-breaking flight from Moscow to Vancouver via the North Pole by a crew led by Chkalov.
Various locations in the terminal host other permanent exhibition objects, including multimedia animated programmes based on rare archival materials and documentary footage, as well as a fractal portrait on the windows of the passenger terminal’s first floor, assembled from the hero’s biography text.
A special place in the created space is assigned to the exhibition deployed in the domestic flight arrivals area. The exhibits are provided by the V.P. Chkalov Memorial Museum in the city of Chkalovsk. The exhibition includes outfit samples of Valery Chkalov’s crew which performed a historic flight across the North Pole. Here you can also see personal belongings of the legendary pilot, models of the aircrafts tested by Chkalov during his service as a test pilot, rare historical documents and photo materials.
Today, on the airport’s website there is a special section – http://goj.aero/chkalov - telling about the achievements of Valery Chkalov, his role in the development of civil aviation and the memorable places associated with him in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Commenting on the exposition inaugurated, the hero pilot’s daughter Olga Chkalova said: “I’d like to thank the people of Nizhny Novgorod for choosing my father, when the voting was held. His love for this region was great indeed. His second love was aviation. A combination of his native land and an airport named after him means a lot.”