Игорь Волк: Жизнь и путь советского космонавта и летчика-испытателя

Soviet/Russian test pilot and cosmonaut (1937–2017)

Igor Petrovich Volk (Игорь Петрович Волк, Ігор Петрович Волк; 12 April 1937 – 3 January 2017) was a Russian test pilot and former Soviet cosmonaut in the Buran programme.

Volk became a pilot in the Soviet Air Forces in 1956. After graduation from the Fedotov Test Pilot School in 1965, he has joined the Gromov Flight Research Institute. He logged over 7000 flight hours in over 80 different aircraft types. Over the years, he flew on all types of Soviet fighters, bombers, and transport aircraft. He showed outstanding abilities in complex tests of various airplanes at critical angles of attack, stall, and spin. He was the first who tested aircraft behavior at high super critical angles of attack (around 90°) and performed aerobatics such as the "cobra" maneuver.

Igor Volk was selected as a cosmonaut on 12 July 1977 and subsequently assigned to the Buran programme. As part of his preparations for a space shuttle flight, he also accomplished test flights with Buran's counterpart OK GLI aircraft. In July 1984, Volk flew aboard Soyuz T 12, intended to give him some experience in space. With Volks's participation as research cosmonaut on the 7th expedition to Salyut 7, one goal of the mission was to evaluate the effects of long duration spaceflight on a pilot skills and ability to fly and land an aeroplane safely (in order to prove Volk's ability to control Space Shuttle Buran atmospheric segment of flight). After his orbital flight, Volk served as the head of pilot cosmonaut training department for the Buran program and later (after the project's cancellation) worked for the Gromov Flight Research Institute as a Flight Tests Deputy Chief before retiring in 1996. He previously served as President of the National Aero Club of Russia and Vice President of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. As recognition for his contributions as a test pilot and cosmonaut he was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union on 29 July 1984.

Volk was an inventor. He also supported a number of startups like four person concept flying car, etc.

Volk was married and had two children. He died on 3 January 2017 while on holiday in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He is buried together with his daughter at the Bykovskoye Memorial Cemetery in Zhukovsky.

Bust of Igor Volk is installed at Solnechnaya Street in the city of Zhukovsky.