It is 100 years on July 19 since the birth of a figure from Bulgarian history not widely known to the public – flying officer Dimitar Spisarevski (Posthumously promoted to captain, and in 2009 – to air force colonel). Spisarevski went down in the country’s history for his exceptional bravery in his first and last flight.

On the night of 20 December, 1943, during World War II, American fighters started on their successive bombing raid of Sofia. When he ran out of munition, Spisarevski ran his aircraft into an American bomber, saving many innocent lives.

Bulgaria’s air force has its history, but it also has its future – the new generation of first-class pilots. One of them is Captain Boris Maslarov. His love of flying goes back to his childhood when he sat watching airplanes flying over his home town of Velingrad.

“I remember sitting watching the planes fly with my friends around me, talking. But I didn’t hear a word they were saying, I couldn’t take my eyes off the planes. The profession of combat pilot is very serious, highly responsible, it is a challenge, bringing out the best in a person. The job is dynamic, the adrenaline, the precision it takes really makes one feel alive. At times I wonder whether I chose the profession or the profession chose me.”

There is one way to make this dream come true and it is the Aviation Faculty at the Vasil Levski National Military University of Veliko Turnovo and pilot training at the Georgi Benkovski air force group in the town of Dolna Mitropolia. Now Captain Maslarov is a member of the “magnificent six” – one of the first six young pilots included in the new fighter pilot training programme. What does it feel like to be flying a combat aircraft?

“It is so difficult to put into words. It is such a powerful aircraft. Flying is dynamic, so many things can happen very quickly and there is very little reaction time. More experienced pilots always say that a pilots’ thoughts must always run ahead of the plane, so they can be prepared for anything that may happen.”

What does Bulgaria look like from the cockpit of a MiG-29?

“Like a pearl in the blue sky, it is beautiful. You take off, climb up higher and higher and are thankful that it is there.”

What does it mean to be a fighter pilot?

“We all have some cause in our lives we believe in. My cause is to be a pilot in the Bulgarian Army. I believe in my country and have vowed to protect it. That is my mission – to serve my country.”

Being a pilot is an arduous job anywhere in the world, but Captain Maslarov says it unites people, so that you rely fully on the man or woman next to you. Many young people in Bulgaria have been displaying an interest in this responsible profession, he says.

English version: Milena Daynova