Yevgeny Solntsev promises to return Gagarin's flight school to students only by 2034

Governor of Orenburg Region Yevgeny Solntsev, Orenburg Mayor Albert Yumadilov, and Minister of Architecture Maria Struchkova visited the building of the former flight school on Sovetskaya Street, which «gave wings» to Yuri Gagarin. The regional head promises to open an educational campus and a cosmonautics museum here.

The high-ranking guests inspected the site and heard the verdict of specialists on the condition of the building. It is clear to the naked eye that it has long required restoration. There is much to be done: replace the roof and floors, overhaul the engineering networks and more. At the same time, the examination showed that all structures are in working order.

Yevgeny Solntsev first stated in November 2025 that an educational campus would be created there. The governor discussed this issue with Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Airat Gatiyatov. The building must be returned to students, and after a large-scale reconstruction, it will be used as a dormitory and coworking zones. The educational campus could become an inter-university center for practical competencies for students not only from Orenburg and other Russian universities but also from abroad.

The head of the region also discussed opening a cosmonautics museum in the «letka» building with the Director General of Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov.

Note that 2034 will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the world«s first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, who trained at the Higher Aviation School located in this building. Subsequently, the facility began to be called the »Gagarin letka« (Gagarin»s flight school).

«It would be fair if, in his honor, the building becomes an alma mater for talented students again by that time. And we will make every effort to achieve this,» Solntsev said.

The Gagarin «letka» building was constructed in 1874 and was rebuilt in the 1880s and in the 20th century for the Second Orenburg Cadet Corps. At various times, it housed a military orphanage department, a school for military cantonists, a primary military school, and a military gymnasium. Later, a higher aviation school appeared there, where the world«s first pilot-cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin »gained his wings.« In the 1990s, the institution was abolished.

The building of the former flight school, which has the status of a cultural heritage site of federal significance, is divided into two parts — residential, where apartments are partially located, and non-residential, which has been abandoned for many years. The total area is 12,000 square meters (129,167 sq ft). A fire occurred there in 2016, and in 2019, the burnt-out roof over the bay window collapsed. This refers to the non-residential part, which was closed back in the 1990s, was periodically visited by vandals, and where a lot of garbage has accumulated.

Inside the building, piles of plaster that have fallen from the ceilings and walls are heaped everywhere, there is a smell of dampness, the walls are covered with mold and graffiti, and in cold weather, frozen puddles and «waterfalls» of ice could be seen in some rooms.

After the fire, 60 million rubles (about $600,000 at current rates) were allocated for repairs, and a decision was made to transfer the non-residential part of the «letka» from the hands of the Russian Ministry of Defense to the ownership of the Orenburg Region. The authorities noted that the building is of great historical significance, and its restoration requires not millions, but billions of rubles.

In 2020, five premises with an area of 1,280 square meters (13,778 sq ft) were sold to Infrastructure Projects LLC, registered in Crimea, and this was done for a pittance. Later, the Orenburg administration returned the areas through the courts, and in April 2024, the designers completed the restoration project.

«A very significant historical object for the region — the building of the former flight school. We have been concerned about the fate of the »Gagarin Letka« for a long time and were looking for solutions. We allocated 400 million rubles (about $4 million at current rates) in the budget to buy out premises in the building from the owners. Thanks to an agreement with the Corporation, we will be able to give a new impetus to this object. We plan to create a cosmonautics museum here, among other things. I am sure that systematic and purposeful steps will help us make this historical place in every sense attractive to a huge number of tourists,» said Denis Pasler, the former governor of the Orenburg Region, in 2021.