The article presents a comparative analysis of the extra-rational component of the development and implementation of state policy in the aviation industry in the Soviet period and in modern Russia. The main conceptual components of the extra-rational block of state sectoral policy are noted, as well as the main tools and mechanisms used by actors in decision-making to popularize the industry among the population. Despite the wide range of relevant tools used to support the development of the aircraft industry among the population and the growing interest in the fi eld among young people, it is concluded that there is insuffi cient work in this area in the context of creating works of mass culture, popularizing the field through the images of historical and modern heroes.