Some people dream of flying. Others spend their lives finding a way to make that dream come true.
For Igor Volkov, the journey was not easy. As a young man, he was rejected from a flying club because of health problems affecting his eyes and heart. But that setback did not end his connection with aviation. Instead, it pushed him toward a different path, one that would take him from aircraft modeling and paragliding to thousands of hours flying sailplanes.
Today, Igor has built a life around the sky. He is an experienced paraglider and glider pilot, an instructor, an author, and the creator of the Igor Volkov YouTube channel, which has more than 258,000 subscribers.
His story is about more than flight. It is about patience, learning, and the determination to keep moving toward a dream, even when the original plan does not work.
A Childhood Dream and an Unexpected Setback
Igor dreamed of flying from childhood. Like many young aviation enthusiasts, he wanted to experience the freedom of the sky. But during the Soviet era, his health prevented him from joining a flying club. Problems with his eyes and heart stood in the way of the future he had imagined.
For many people, a rejection like this might have marked the end of the dream. For Igor, it became the beginning of a different journey.
He turned to aircraft modeling and continued building his knowledge of aviation. Instead of stepping away from the world he loved, he found another way to remain close to it.
His interest in aircraft eventually led him to the Kharkiv Aviation Institute, commonly known as KhAI. He graduated with honors, building a strong academic foundation in aviation.
His early experience offers a simple lesson: sometimes, the road toward a dream changes before we reach our destination. That does not mean the destination has to disappear.
From Aircraft Modeling to Paragliding
In 1994, during his third year at university, Igor discovered paragliding. It gave him a new way to experience the sky, not from the ground while looking at an aircraft, but from the air itself.
He eventually became a paragliding instructor. Flying was no longer just a childhood ambition. It had become a skill he could develop and share with others.
Teaching also brought a new purpose to his journey. He could help other people take their first steps into the air, understand their equipment, and learn the skills needed to fly.
The young aviation enthusiast who had once been turned away from a flying club was now helping others discover the experience of flight.
Sharing the Dream of Flying
Igor’s interest in aviation grew beyond his own flying.
In 1999, he wrote a book titled Dream of Flying. The book sold 15,000 copies. He also organized flying courses in different parts of the world and sold Ozon paragliders.
His work brought together several parts of aviation: flying, teaching, equipment, and helping others enter the sport.
He also designed and manufactured hydraulic winches for launching paragliders, focusing on safety and reliability. This added another practical side to his experience. He was not only learning to fly and teaching others, but also working on equipment that supported the activity.
Over time, Igor built a career around the world of flight. What began as a childhood dream had developed into a life that connected aviation knowledge, business, instruction, and personal experience.
A New Chapter: Discovering Gliding
In 2011, Igor began flying gliders.
Gliding offered a different way to explore the sky. Instead of relying on a powered aircraft throughout the flight, glider pilots use rising air, including thermals and other forms of lift, to gain altitude and remain airborne.
For someone with Igor’s background in paragliding, gliding opened another world of flying skills and possibilities.
He eventually bought a two seat glider and began flying in the Alps, where mountain landscapes and changing air conditions create opportunities for memorable soaring flights.
The Alps became part of this new chapter in his flying life. Their mountains, valleys, and complex weather make the region a remarkable place for experienced pilots to explore the possibilities of soaring.
In 2014, Igor sold a franchise involving 16 paragliding flight schools. This marked another major change in his professional journey as he continued building his life around flying.
His story shows that a passion can evolve over time. The goal does not always remain exactly the same. Sometimes, the deeper interest stays constant while the way we pursue it changes.
Thousands of Hours in the Sky
Igor has approximately 3,000 hours of paragliding experience and 9,000 hours of gliding experience.
That is a combined 12,000 hours in the air across the two disciplines.
These numbers represent years of experience, learning, preparation, and time spent understanding the sky. They also reflect two different forms of flying that demand their own knowledge and skills.
Paragliding and sailplane flying may share the same fascination with rising air, but each has its own equipment, handling characteristics, and techniques. Experience in one discipline can provide useful knowledge for the other, while each still requires dedicated training and practice.
Igor’s journey across both sports reflects a long commitment to learning. Even after years of experience, there is always more to understand about the air, the weather, and the aircraft.
For readers who are new to the sport, our guide to gliding basics offers a useful starting point.
Three Gliders, Two Continents
Igor currently flies three gliders.
In Europe, he flies the Arcus M and the Taurus Electro. In South Africa, he flies the Stemme S 10 VT.
These aircraft are part of his present flying life, connecting his experience with different places and flying environments.
Flying in Europe and South Africa also gives his story an international dimension. The landscapes, conditions, and opportunities may differ, but the central attraction remains the same: the experience of moving through the air and making the most of the conditions available.
For readers who want to explore these aircraft, the official manufacturers’ websites are useful starting points. Learn more about the Arcus M and Taurus Electro and the Stemme S 10 VT.
Igor Volkov: Sharing the World of Flying
In 2018, Igor launched his YouTube channel, which is now known as Igor Volkov. With more than 258,000 subscribers, the channel brings the world of flying to a wide audience.
For people who already fly, aviation videos offer another way to enjoy the sport, discover different aircraft, and explore new places. For people who have never flown, they provide a glimpse of a world they may have only imagined.
Follow Igor Volkov
Follow Igor’s social media accounts to discover more of his flying experiences, aircraft, and aviation content.
- YouTube: Igor Volkov
- Instagram: Igor Volkov
- Facebook: Igor Volkov
A Photo Gallery: Igor Volkov in Flight
The sky is a central part of Igor’s story, and his photographs offer another way to experience his journey.
From his early aviation interests to his life as an experienced glider pilot, these photographs capture different moments from Igor Volkov’s journey through the world of flight.
What Igor Volkov’s Journey Can Teach Us
Igor’s story is not simply about the number of hours he has spent in the air or the aircraft he flies today. It is about what happened before all of that.
He had a dream, but his first attempt to enter the world of flying did not work out. He found another direction through aircraft modeling and aviation education. Later, he discovered paragliding, became an instructor, wrote a book, developed aviation equipment, and eventually moved into gliding.
Each stage added something new to his life. His path was not a straight line, but it continued to lead him toward the sky.
For anyone who has faced a setback while pursuing something meaningful, there is a powerful idea in this journey: one closed door does not always mean the end of the road.
Sometimes, progress means finding another way to move forward. Sometimes, it means learning a new skill, changing direction, or giving a dream more time to develop.
And sometimes, it means holding on to the same dream long enough to discover what it can become.
For Igor Volkov, the dream of flying never disappeared. It simply found new ways to take flight
