Chkalovskiy Air Base — Moscow, Russia

Aviation history runs deep at CKL, a military airfield northeast of Moscow named for Valery Chkalov, the celebrated Soviet pilot whose 1937 nonstop flight over the North Pole to the United States became one of the era's defining feats of long-distance aviation. The base near Shchyolkovo has long served government and military transport functions rather than any commercial passenger schedule, hosting VIP flights and military aircraft rather than airline traffic. Its Soviet-era prestige stemmed from repeated use as a launch point for record-setting long-distance flights during the 1930s, a period when Soviet aviators sought to demonstrate technological prowess on the world stage. Restricted access and a military designation continue to define operations there, distinguishing it sharply from Moscow's civilian airports like Sheremetyevo or Domodedovo.