Igor Volk logged over 7,000 flight hours across more than 80 distinct aircraft types, establishing his reputation through rigorous testing of Soviet fighters and bombers. His technical expertise in stall recovery and high-angle maneuvers defined a career that transitioned from military flight service to the atmospheric testing of the Buran space shuttle program.
Early Career and Test Pilot Training
Entering the Soviet Air Forces in 1956, Volk served in active military duty until 1963. He pursued advanced aeronautical education at the Ukrainian State Flight Academy, the Moscow Aviation Institute, and the Fedotov Test Pilot School, graduating from the latter in 1965. Upon joining the Gromov Flight Research Institute, he began testing aircraft at critical angles of attack, famously executing the cobra maneuver and performing trials at 90-degree angles.
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Selected as a cosmonaut in July 1977, Volk was assigned to the Buran shuttle project. To prepare for orbital conditions and landing requirements, he flew the OK-GLI test aircraft. In July 1984, he served as a research cosmonaut on the Soyuz T-12 mission to the Salyut 7 space station. The mission aimed to assess the impact of long-duration spaceflight on pilot cognitive and physical performance, specifically evaluating the ability to land a shuttle safely upon return to Earth. He was subsequently named a Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR.
Leadership and Post-Aviation Advocacy
Following the cessation of the Buran project, Volk served as the Flight Tests Deputy Chief at the Gromov Flight Research Institute until 1996. His professional leadership included roles as President of the National Aero Club of Russia and Vice President of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Later in his life, he participated in a transcontinental flight from Moscow to Canberra in 1991 and remained active in aviation policy, notably criticizing the United Aircraft Corporation regarding the Tu-334 and Superjet programs in 2013.
Fast facts
- Born: 1937, Zmiiv
- Died: 2017, Plovdiv
- Military Rank: Colonel
- Education: Fedotov Test Pilot School, Moscow Aviation Institute
- Primary Employer: Gromov Flight Research Institute
- Notable Work: OK-GLI aircraft
- Awards: Order of Lenin, Hero of the Soviet Union
- Burial Site: Bykovo cemetery
Questions readers ask
Why was Igor Volk sent on the Soyuz T-12 mission?
He was sent to evaluate if a pilot could maintain the physical and technical skills necessary to land the Buran space shuttle after spending time in orbit.
What aircraft did Volk help test for the space shuttle program?
He conducted atmospheric test flights using the OK-GLI, an aerodynamic analogue of the Buran shuttle.
Achievements
- Notable work: Letnye issledovanii︠a︡ i ispytanii︠a︡ : fragmenty istorii i sovremennoe sostoi︠a︡nie : nauchno-tekhnicheskiĭ sbornik
- Notable work: OK-GLI
- Affiliated with Gromov Flight Research Institute
- Educated at Ukrainian State Flight Academy, Moscow Aviation Institute and Fedotov Test Pilot School
- Worked as aircraft pilot, astronaut and inventor
