“He was no less famous than Yuri Gagarin, and died at the same age, before reaching 35 years old. He became a national hero after the legendary transpolar flight, he was considered “the pride of the USSR” and “Stalin’s favorite,” preferring not to remember that VALERY CHKALOV was put on trial twice and was twice dismissed from the armed forces. A classic Soviet film and a new television series have been made about him - but until now there has not been a single professional biography, except for the apologetic memoirs of his relatives, associates and friends. This book is the first. Contrary to officialdom and unspoken taboos, separating myths from truth, and propaganda from facts, this study paints a true portrait of a great pilot - not an “icon”, but a living person, perhaps the most controversial personality in the history of Russian aviation. On the one hand, there is a brilliant pilot who was constantly in search of revolutionary air combat techniques and new methods for testing aircraft. On the other hand, there is an “air hooligan” who does not recognize any charters and rules, who paid for indiscipline with his own life and proved by his example that all aviation instructions are written in blood, and violation of a flight mission can result in disaster... Restoring the true biography of Valery Chkalov, from rise to fall, from the birth of a legend to the tragic ending, this book pays tribute to the famous pilot, whose name is inscribed in the history of aviation in gold on granite.”