Delta Plane Club “Ikar” (Russian: Дельтапланерний клуб ХАИ Икар) – Delta flight club created in 1976 at the JAI as a section of the OSKB of Kharkov Aviation Institute.

The Ikar (Ícaro) deltaplane club was created in 1976 as a dependency of SKB JAI. Its objective was to interest students in the process of technical development of aviation in this new discipline that was only just gaining strength in those years. The decision to create the club as an independent unit within the OSKB was taken after the visit of the JHA team made up of Vladimir Selyukov and Igor Katckar at the Soviet Championship held in the USSR in 1976.

It was assigned to the new club and received a space in a workshop behind the Impulsos building, where it continues to operate. At that time students were not afraid to climb their deltaplanes to the second level via a narrow iron staircase with two landings. Nor is that a problem today, despite the fact that the new models have increased their dimensions and weights.

During the years of existence of the JAI Deltaplanes Club, more than 50 deltaplanes of all generations have been built. It is noteworthy that this club during the years of Soviet power was one of the leaders in the projection and construction of advanced deltaplanes. The club’s athletes frequently won awards and medals at Soviet and Republican events. More than 50 JAI students passed through the flight school.
After the fall of the USSR

During the process of the fall of the USSR the club did not cease its activities. Training flights were carried out every Sunday and lectures were given daily and the availability of flight material was maintained. All the weight of the training in the early 90’s fell on two copies of the Slabutich UT type, of which one had to be discharged in 1994, due to its physical condition. In 1998, the Oduvanchik sport deltaplane, designed and built by Sergei Agafonos, was also decommissioned. These deltaplanes in their time proved to be superior to most of the sports models of the time, which allowed JHA athletes to triumph in the USSR championships, Ukraine and those held in Crimea, Alma-Ata and the Caucasus. By the early 1990s, even the Sport-14 and Sport-15 models were already out of date and even with improvements, they were unable to compete with modern types. Maintained with scarce student resources, these devices managed to keep the club’s spirit alive and continue to develop the skills of the club’s new pilots.

It was clear to all that primary education could be achieved on any deltaplane, but once some experience was gained, obtaining a sports master’s degree was only possible using competitive models. With the support of the club members and with the help of several graduates of the institute, it was possible in 1998 to create the first Studient deltaplane , designed by JAI graduate Sergei Serguyev, but the enthusiasm does not generate funds, so the next The specimen could only be built after four years.
Actual state

In July 2002 another Studient was built and by August 2003 another training model could be built, this time with a smaller wing area and intended for light weight pilots.

A new sports model would only appear in October 2003 in the form of the excellent Stealth-JAI device, of which seven copies have been built.