Meet Nikolay Kalaidzhiev: the Bulgarian Pilot Breaking Guinness World Records

Nikolay Kalaidzhiev says that piloting was not his childhood dream. Years later, he happened to see an ad that Dolna Mitropolia was recruiting military pilots for training and decided to apply. They accepted him and since then flying became the meaning of his life.

“I have been a pilot for eight years, an officer in the Air Force since 2015 and a licensed civil and aerobatic pilot since 2018,” he said. He shared that when a person is prepared on the ground – theoretically and physically, it is much easier for him in the air.

“There is no summer, no winter, no day, no night. I am constantly conducting this physical training,'” said Nikolay, quoted by Nova TV.

Last year, in October, Nikolay Kalaidzhiev improved the world record for the most take-offs and landings with an ultralight aircraft. From 36, Nikolay improved them to 40 and thus managed to record Bulgarian aviation in the Guinness book.

“I took a lot of risks from the point of view of the aerodynamics of the plane, because at the top point, where I was gaining height, my speed was zero, there the plane literally crashes, and if from that height the plane itself drops it, there is only one way out, and it is fatal.” stressed the policeman.

This year Nikolai will not just improve the world record, but will do something never seen before.

“After take off and when the zone is taken, I start to spin the plane, spinning at such a rate that I do a full 360 degree rotation in 45 seconds, which within 6 hours, I will do non-stop. The condition of Guinness is that you must not interrupt this rotation,” revealed Kalaidzhiev.

“If I straighten the plane for 5 seconds or more than 5 seconds without tilting and without turning, the attempt is automatically terminated and the option: “I feel bad, I want to stop and rest” is not available. One simply spins as long as one can,” he pointed out.

Apart from concentration and physical preparation, the most important thing is to check the condition of the aircraft before each flight.

“The tires are checked to see if they are inflated, the oil in the engine is checked to see if it is within the norms, the plane is inspected purely visually. In reality, a complete circuit is made around the plane. This is the so-called external view. It is checked whether everything is locked and whether there are no open doors,” Nikolay said.

When asked what to expect from him if he succeeds in achieving this record, Kalaidzhiev replied: “Definitely, the sky is not the limit. The space companies that want to work with us, want to carry out a mission in space after some time, and there is, of course, certain preparation. The interesting thing is that these space companies want me to set a world record in space as well, so the interesting things are just beginning.”

Setting a Guinness World Record turns out to be difficult not only physically and mentally, but above all financially.

“Especially for this record, I took out a loan again, like last time, but this time is much bigger than the last one and if it wasn’t for the people supporting me, I wouldn’t have been able to make this record,” said the driver.

Although there is no support from the state, Nikolay cannot imagine that he will set his records under a foreign flag.

“I have offers from the Arab Emirates and other countries, but I want to set all these records in Bulgaria,” he said categorically.

“It’s not for nothing that I also wear a tricolor coat everywhere I go,” emphasized Nikolay.

After the meeting, Nikolay Kalaidzhiev goes to another training session before the big day on June 18, because he believes that Bulgarian aviation can conquer all the world’s peaks and prove that some of the most capable pilots are born here.