Today, we’re speaking with one of the few wingsuit pilots in Bulgaria and the only one currently certified as a Wingsuit First Flight instructor. He has completed the necessary training to guide those eager to experience flying with a wingsuit—popularly known as a “squirrel suit”. We talk to Konstantin Angelov about the path to this point, how dreams are achieved, and what it feels like to turn your body into a controllable fighter jet.
How did it all start, how did you decide you wanted to fly?
In June 2012, without having flown in a plane and without having jumped in tandem with an instructor, I signed up for the beginner skydiving course in Skydive Sofia. As a child, I dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot. Later, as a student, I developed an interest in skydiving, inspired by my father, who had completed 10 jumps and sparked my curiosity to give it a try. I was drawn to the atmosphere at the dropzone and the camaraderie among the jumpers. Skydiving also became a way for me to confront and overcome my fear of heights. I know it sounds strange, but I still have that fear.
How did you decide to become a wigsuit pilot?
With videos on the web—after I started jumping out of planes, I watched skydiving videos, became fascinated, and decided I wanted to give it a try. In reality, flying in a wingsuit is very similar to piloting a fighter jet, which was my childhood dream. The suits have lower flight speeds but offer greater flight dynamics and superior maneuverability. That’s when I also realized what kind of preparation was required—the skills and qualifications needed, the equipment involved, and the path you had to follow to learn safely and avoid making a fatal mistake. You start with the smallest suits, and after around 80 jumps, you can progress to medium-sized ones. After 200-250 jumps, you can move on to the larger suits, which essentially turn you into an airplane but are also much more challenging to fly.
What is the path from wanting to fly to the instructor course?
To begin flying with a wingsuit, a minimum of 200 parachute jumps from an airplane within the last two years is required. You need to have a strong understanding of your body during freefall and be able to control it, as your movements are limited, particularly your arms. At the end of 2014, I started flying with a wigsuit, I did over 200 jumps before I could take the course. As a Wingsuit first flight instructor, I have the right and skills to help those who wish to take their first flights with the suit – with the theory, preparation, and equipment. We practice everything on the ground until it’s perfect at least twice. However, in the air, everyone is responsible for themselves; when flying in a suit, you cannot help the other person.
How does it feel?
Controlling a wingsuit is the closest thing to flying like a bird; you can glide and maneuver, and it truly feels like flying, not just falling. You can perform flips and maneuvers, adjust your speed and angle of attack, and even fly in formation with other people. Last year, I was in the Netherlands, where we completed a vertical formation with 15 people. Each person had their own position, but we all flew together, just like a flock of birds.
What do you think about those who jump off cliffs and fly between them? There are thousands of videos online that attract new thrill-seekers.
At first, I was attracted to it too, but now, with the experience I have, I realize that I lack the skills and that the risk there is many times greater. While skydiving (whether with or without a suit) is among the safest extreme sports, base jumping is at the exact opposite pole.
Maybe, someday, when I feel ready, I’ll try. The challenge of facing my fear in those moments is immense—you see the obstacles you could hit, with the rocks so close, unlike when you jump from 3,500 meters. You see the relative point – the mountain and the danger seems much more real.
Why are there so many fatal mistakes when jumping off cliffs?
Many people don’t jump regularly, but go with friends for 10 days once or twice a year to a suitable base jumping location and do 5 jumps a day. On one hand, you’re not that sensitive to danger, while on the other, irregular jumping can lead to a loss of skills. If you practice, you build muscle memory, and it’s also better to leave time between jumps because that way you make fewer mistakes.
In skydiving, if you make a mistake, you have at least two chances to fix it – that’s how the rules are designed, while in base jumping you have no right to make mistakes. According to those more experienced than me, the main reason is the too-fast progression in this discipline, as well as the sharing of videos – everyone wants to be famous.
Do you want to be a YouTube star yourself?
Sometimes I share videos, but I don’t aim to be a star. I don’t jump to show off afterwards. I dream of becoming better and being able to pass on this knowledge. When I started jumping, I was inspired by my instructor and I will always remember my experiences then. I want to bring the same feeling to people who dream of flying a wingsuit.
Are there many people in Bulgaria who skydive with wuigsuit?
Unfortunately no, we don’t have a wingsuit society, but until now there was no instructor, you had to go abroad. Now, I hope, it will develop as a sport, as rules and a community.
Having mentioned rules – who regulates this activity?
There are no regulations for jumping off cliffs, they always appear when other people’s lives and property are endangered. When jumping from an airplane, the rules of the dropzone, the basic rules in the skydiving instruction of international and national associations and the suit manufacturers are followed. If there is any discrepancy, the stricter rules always apply.
Do you think that this feeling will be available to more people in the future?
It can’t be mass-accessible, like tandem skydiving, where almost nothing is required of you. There are attempts at tandem with a wigsuit, where the passenger pilots, but he must have skills. Regulatory authorities cannot allow something so risky for people without experience. In the autumn of 2017 the first wingsuit wind tunnel opened in Stockholm, where anyone can experience the sensation without prior preparation. But no matter how much time and training you have in there, you can’t automatically fly – you need 200 skydiving jumps with accumulated experience in the air and landings.
