Kazakh artist Dzhokhar Yunusov, known for his murals, has realized a long-held dream — taking the helm of a passenger aircraft. His first flight on an Airbus A320 took place on August 12, 2026, reports infohub.kz.
On Instagram, Yunusov shared an archival video recorded back in 2022, when he was working on another mural in Zhanaozen. In the footage, the artist, sitting on scaffolding, covered in paint, tells his followers about his cherished dream — to become a civil aviation pilot.
After graduating from college, Yunusov did not pursue an aviation career but took up art. However, in October 2022, he decided to try to fulfill his dream and applied for the pilot training program at Air Astana.
Now, four years later, he shared footage from the cockpit. The first flight on an Airbus A320 was a landmark event for him. "So much effort and perseverance were invested to put on this uniform and sit in the cockpit seat. All thanks to the faith and support of loved ones in both good and difficult days," he wrote.
Dzhokhar does not regret changing professions and does not intend to stop there. At the same time, he has not abandoned art: now he paints airplanes, and during flights, his colleagues in aviation become his subjects. Thus, the muralist combines two passions — drawing and the sky.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle reported on a model from Kazakhstan who traded the catwalk for the parade ground.