Dmitriy Chernyshenko and Aleksey Pesoshin open a memorial plaque to Hero of Russia Leonid Popov

On 30 August the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Government Dmitriy Chernyshenko and the Prime Minister of Tatarstan Aleksey Pesoshin took party in a ceremony of unveiling a memorial plaque to the Hero of Russia, the Honored Test Navigator of the USSR and the Kazan native Leonid Popov, which was installed on the façade of the main building of the Kazan Aircraft University.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dmitriy Chernyshenko congratulated residents of the republic with the Day of Tatarstan and the Day of Kazan and, naming the achievements and records of Popov, told that he was the first to reach the speed of 3 500km per hour flying MiG-31, the first to cross the North Pole on a jet-fighter and took part in testing dozens of planes and helicopters including the control system of the Buran shuttle. 

“Leonid Popov lived for the skies, pouring his heart and soul to the development of domestic aviation. He was also a fine mentor to an entire generation of aviators, passing on his vast experience to young people. It is symbolic that we are opening the memorial here at the Kazan National Technical University after Tupolev which Popov graduated from,” Chernyshenko said and thanked the university and Tatarstan for opening the plaque and said he is sure that every student will be inspired by the example of the real hero, patriot and a gifted person Leonid Popov.

Tatarstan Prime Minister emphasized that Leonid Popov took part in testing more than 80 types of planes and helicopters and fostered strengthening the defense capability of the country. 

After speeches of the rector of the university Kirill Okhotkin and the daughter of the pilot Nadezhda Popova, the participants of the ceremony laid flowers to the memorial plaque.