Hryhorii Petrov (Horbenko)

Director of Kharkiv Aviation Institute

(1930-1931 рр.)

He was born in 1893 in a peasant family. A participant in the First World War, the October Revolution, and the Civil War. Graduated from the Kyiv Commercial School, then the Air Fleet Academy named after Professor Zhukovsky (1926). He worked as a workshop chief and chief engineer of the Kharkiv Aviation Plant (1926–1930). In 1930–1931, he was the director of the Kharkiv Aviation Institute. After KhAI, Petrov worked in Moscow at the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry of the USSR.

During the stormy revolutionary events of the beginning of the 20th century, Gorbenko became a member of the Bolshevik underground, and, like many revolutionaries, changed his surname from Horbenko to Petrov for conspiracy purposes.

Each season creates its own dream. Despite the hunger, blood, devastation of the civil war, Hryhoriy Petrov did not leave his dream of the sky, of flying on airplanes, the first of which he saw at the front during the First World War and was amazed by the exciting prospect that opened up to humanity thanks to the beginning of the development of air space.

As soon as the volleys of the civil war rang out, Hryhoriy Yukhimovych entered the Air Fleet Academy named after prof. Zhukovsky. In 1926, after graduating from the Air Force Academy, Petrov was sent to work in Kharkiv.

Hryhoriy Petrov did not yet know that soon he would have to continue the glorious traditions of the academy in Ukraine, creating the first aviation university. But first there will be the Kharkiv Aviation Plant, where in a relatively short period of time - just four years - Hryhoriy Petrov will gain enormous prestige by heading the workshop, and soon he will receive the position of chief engineer.

In the late 1920s, Kharkiv became a major center of aviation science and technology, thanks to Academician Proskuri, who created an aviation section at the Kharkiv Institute of Technology at the Department of Hydromechanics back in 1922. In 1923, on his initiative, the aviation department was opened at the mechanical faculty. A student and follower of Zhukovsky, he made a significant contribution to the development of the scientific school in the field of aerohydrodynamics and hydraulic engineering. In 1930, a decision was made to establish the Kharkiv Aviation Institute (Order No. 1240 of the Supreme Council of the National Economy of the USSR dated April 17, 1930) on the basis of the Kharkiv Institute of Technology specializing in aircraft construction. Petrov, the chief engineer of the aircraft factory, was offered to head the newly organized institute. On June 1, 1930, he began to perform his new duties.

From the memories of the first director of the Kharkiv Aviation Institute, Petrov: "Leaded by Proskura, professors and teachers spent many evenings carefully and carefully discussing and correcting the plan for the construction of the institute in Pomirky. Kalinin suggested this place. Together with him and the secretary of the party organization (Vedmeder was the secretary), we went to Pomirky and there, with a tape measure in hand, planned the placement of the institute's buildings."

In March 1931, on the outskirts of Kharkiv, in the Lisopark district of Pomirky, the construction of educational (main and engineering-laboratory (aircraft) buildings, a student dormitory, and other buildings) began.

Petrov had to solve a number of complex issues: design and construction of buildings of KhAI organization of educational and methodological work, educational process, admission of students, involvement of scientific and pedagogical personnel, development of new curricula, disciplines, programs. There were no analogues of such a specialized university in the SSR. KHAI became the country's first civil aviation university. And it is natural that his leading teachers were practical specialists: the chief designer of the Kalinin aircraft factory, who headed the department of aircraft designs, and the chief engineer of the Kharkiv Steam Locomotive Plant, Professor Tsvetkov, who headed the department of aircraft engines. The hydrodynamics department was headed by Academician Proskura, the aircraft technology and organization department was headed by Petrov. The training of aviation specialists at KhAI was carried out at two faculties (aircraft and motor engineering) in the specialties: aircraft design engineer, aircraft and engine technology engineer. The term of study increased from four to five years. Classes were held for a long time at the Kharkiv Institute of Technology. It was necessary to attract teachers from general education disciplines from other universities, aviation specialists were selected from among outstanding engineers of the aircraft factory and graduates of Khti. Among them: Neman, the creator of the first high-speed passenger plane in Europe, KhAI-1, with an assembled chassis, then for a long time headed the department of aircraft designs; Miroshnichenko, Litvinov, Zolotukhin, Belichka, Borysenko, Eremenko, Arson.

It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of Hryhoriy Petrov to the organization of the first specialized aviation university in the Soviet Union, which is currently among the top five technical and technological higher educational institutions of Ukraine. An outstanding engineer and production organizer, he lived a long life and was happy to pass on his experience to numerous students. Life hardened his character, teaching him to be demanding, strict with himself and others, but Hryhoriy Petrov always kept in his soul the enthusiasm and romance of the first aviators, without which, for sure, the formation and development of KHAI would have been impossible.

There are no scientific publications of Petrov.