Years ago, a 16-year-old boy had a dream of becoming a military fighter pilot. The quickest route into the Military School at that time was through pre-conscription training at the aeroclub in his hometown, Stara Zagora. However, before he could start flying, he first had to complete 12 jumps from low altitude with automatic canopy deployment. He enjoyed the jumps, but the aviation medical commission determined that his voice was inaudible and did not grant him the medical clearance to become a pilot.
This is how the story of Drago began—one of the owners of Skydive Sofia.
Fortunately, it was skydiving, not flying, that became his career. He got a chance in Stara Zagora, where a generational shift was taking place, and a young instructor was selecting new members for the aeroclub.
In the first three years, he made 430 jumps—a huge number by the standards of that time and not a small one by today’s either—gaining experience and refining his technique. During the third year at the National Parachuting Championship, he was noticed by the coach of the CSKA team. Meanwhile, he graduated from the Electrical Engineering Technical School and decided to apply to the Technical University. Once again, fate intervened to keep him on his intended path—the date of his second entrance exam coincided with the next National Championship, which he felt he simply could not miss.
His path then took a turn – His path then took a turn—he completed his conscription training at CSKA, where, once again, the changing of generations worked in his favor. Some of the athletes became coaches, opening the door for him to become a professional skydiver.
He joined the Bulgarian National Skydiving Team at the age of 21, finishing second in the “Acrobatic Jump” discipline and third in the overall individual ranking. In just two years, he made another 1,100 jumps.
As a sergeant and sport skydiver from CSKA, as well as a military parachutist in the parachute service of the transport regiment, he competed in precision jumping and acrobatics, winning:
- 7 National titles
- Gold medal on the Balkan Games
- Gold medal in the team classification at the 1992 World Military Parachuting Competition in Granada, Spain
- Silver medal at the 1992 World Parachuting Competition in Triebben, Austria
From 1993 to 2000 he was a coach at CSKA and prepared the new generation of athletes who won republican titles, in the meantime he also became the head of the APC.
Although there are thousands of jumps, some are more special. Like the one in Stara Zagora on the day of his own wedding. Then the newlyweds landed right in front of the municipality, where the wedding ritual was to take place, and entered the building in parachute overalls – of course, the bride’s outfit was white. Both sons of the Nedkovi family are now part of Skydive Sofia – as a pilot and instructor.
At the turn of the new century, parachuting began to open up to civilians at the National Parachuting Center in Kazanlak. Drago became the Chairman of the Bulgarian Parachuting Association, where they organized camps and worked to attract young people to the sport, while preserving the tradition of parachuting in Bulgaria. Parachutists from Greece, as well as instructors from France, came to introduce parachuting as a sport, preparing those interested for high-altitude jumps, relative work, and video filming.
The initial attempts to establish commercial parachuting faced challenges. While tandem jumps were introduced, there was a need for formal courses and certification. Unfortunately, in the meantime, the center in Kazanlak was closed.
The first club was established near Montana, where Drago began helping out on weekends and became a tandem instructor, all while juggling various other businesses—solar panels, a small shop selling alcohol and cigarettes, a fast food stand…
In 2009, he met Hristo Kilikchiev, and together they began considering the idea of starting a business. The following year, he retired and left the army. In 2011, they founded Skydive Sofia and began taking steps to purchase an airplane and develop commercial skydiving.
Drago became a pilot in 2017, 43 years after his first attempt.
And the story continues with Skydive Sofia 🙂
