The aviation sector must become a priority for the state. Aviation is the future of our development and we must make maximum efforts to develop it at a high pace. This was stated by Georgi Gvozdeykov – founder of the company “Extreme Technology” – members of the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association (BAIA) and deputy in the 47th National Assembly, elected from MIR-21, Sliven region to “We Continue the Change”.
Georgi Gvozdeykov was born on June 16, 1976 in the town of Tvarditsa (Sliven district). He completed his secondary education at the “Neofit Rilski” Secondary School in his hometown, and then at the “Georgi Benkovski” Air Force Academy – Dolna Mitropolia with a degree in “Operation and Repair of Aircraft”. He continued his education with a master’s degree in “Aviation (Mechanical) Engineer in Aviation Equipment and Technologies”, and then he is a doctoral student at the BAFA. He holds the following qualifications :
- EASA ACAM FOR REGULATORY AIRWORTHINESS AND INDUSTRY EASA CERTIFICATION AND REGULATION NAA REVIEW COURSE
- AUDITING FOR EASA COMPLIANCE – BEST PRACTICE REVIEW FOR EXPERIENCED COMPETENT AUTHORITY & INDUSTRY PRACTITIONERS •
- AUDITING PRACTICES AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT
- EASA-PART M MAINTENANCE PLANNING FUNDAMENTALS NEW BASIC REGULATION (EU) 2018/1139 •
- LEARJET 60 XR CAT C •
- PIPER PA-34 SENECA •
- BOEING 747 • BOEING 737-300/400/600/800 • AGUSTA A109K • PART M • PART 145 • PART 66 • PART 147 • HUMAN FACTOR • FUEL TANK SAFETY • EWIS
See what else Mr. Gvozdeykov said in the following lines:
Mr. Gvozdeykov, you are certainly entering Parliament. What will your priorities be?
It is unlikely that a person dreams of engaging in politics when a clear horizon for professional growth is open before him, and in such an evolutionary field as aviation. Ultimately, however, in order to achieve certain goals or causes that are useful for the constructive development of Bulgaria, an effective tool is needed to make this happen. Politics or entering parliament is exactly that.
My hometown is Tvarditsa and I have been elected as the MP from the Sliven region, which includes the municipalities of Sliven, Nova Zagora, Tvarditsa and Kotel. As a member of parliament from this region, I will have a commitment and priorities related to its development. For years, we have witnessed mismanagement, irresponsibility, lack of ideas, lack of a clear vision and strategy for the development of a strategic facility – Barshen Airport, which can provide employment and create a serious industry in the form of an aviation industry at the national level and in the city of Sliven.
My main goal, cause and, I strongly hope, contribution to the development of the city of Sliven and the region, is the restoration and use of the existing infrastructure at Barshen Airport, which is very suitable for the construction of a modern center for technical maintenance of passenger and cargo aircraft.
For the skeptics, I can say that this is not a chimera at all, but an absolute reality, and I’ll immediately say why:
- Barshen Airport, in addition to being a military airport, was also used in the recent past as a transport cargo terminal, where An-12, An-24 and An-26 aircraft landed and took off.
- The flying club in the city of Sliven was a leader in the development of aviation in Bulgaria, producing a number of pilots and technicians in military, civil and agricultural aviation.
- Barshen Airport has a strategic geographical location, both in Bulgaria and on the Europe-Asia connection.
The growth of aviation on a global scale, as well as the evolution and innovation in the creation of unmanned aerial systems, are increasingly opening up opportunities for investment in the field of technical service and maintenance of these aircraft.
In addition to all this, it is of utmost importance that the city of Sliven has a branch of the Technical University of Sofia, which can be adapted to create the necessary engineering personnel and technical staff, taking into account that the training programs in this specialty are maintained in Sofia and their implementation in the Sliven branch will be easy and applicable.
This will create hundreds of jobs for qualified young professionals who want to develop in an extremely interesting, innovative and well-paid profession. At the next stage of the development of this project, we can also focus our efforts on the idea of using Barshen Airport as a cargo terminal and transport hub, given the strategic connection between Asia and Europe.
I strongly hope that these working ideas will receive broad public support and will be not only a major but a vital priority in the next two years in the economic development plan of Sliven district.
One of your companies is part of BAIA. Why did you join the association?
The creation of the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association is a wonderful idea that unites everyone in the aviation sector in the name of the cause of successful development and achieving high results. Of course, a great merit here goes to Todor Ivandzhikov, who committed himself to organizing all these processes in the name of aviation, which is also a great responsibility. Public activity is not an easy job, especially in the crisis that the sector has been in for two years.
My small company “Extreme Technology” is also a member of BAIA because I see the potential of such start-ups that focus on innovative projects in aviation and have a clear strategy for positioning them in the industry. This is an opportunity to develop common ideas with other members of the association, who, like me, are building so-called Start Up companies. Aviation does not need encapsulation, but on the contrary, it should be open to ideas and innovations, as well as opportunities for the development of future projects. This is what provoked me to join BAIA.
Tell us a little more about Extreme Technology? How did the idea come about?
“Extreme Technology” is an idea that was born back in 2015, of course not by chance. I have participated in many engineering projects, even if they were not directly related to aviation. Let’s not forget that aviation is a set of technologies in different fields, for which you need to have a fairly serious amount of knowledge and experience. Maybe the time has come for me to fulfill a dream of mine, with which I can start something very difficult and complex: the design and manufacture of a two-seater aircraft powered by electric energy with a structure based entirely on composite technology.
And what exactly is the project?
The project is related to a methodology for creating a production of a two-seater aircraft powered by electricity, built on the basis of modern composite technologies. The work is divided into four main stages, which include the design, development of the prototype, development of the modular matrices and the development of the finished aircraft. I should note that the financing of the company is carried out with personal funds and therefore the processes are happening relatively slowly, but more importantly, they are still happening despite all the difficulties. The other goal on which I am investing efforts and resources is connecting the project with scientific circles, because it is very important to attract the academic community to such projects, as well as to include it in the training program for students at technical universities in Bulgaria. In this direction, I have found like-minded people at the “Georgi Benkovski” Air Force Academy in Dolna Mitropolia and we are jointly developing a strategy in this direction.
Why should the aviation sector become a priority for the government?
We are all witnesses of the trends in aviation, which clearly outline our future. Innovations in technologies for building unmanned aerial systems are increasingly being applied in aviation, which invariably prioritizes the aviation sector in our everyday lives. Among other things, manufacturers of existing cars are persistently moving towards airspace, which is another clear signal for strengthening the priority of aviation. I could give a number of more examples, but it is more important to realize that aviation is the future in our development and we must make maximum efforts to develop it at a high pace.
Have you encountered the Bulgarian Civil Aviation Authority? How do you think the Bulgarian aviation regulator works and what needs to change?
Part of my professional career was spent at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation Administration and this gave me the opportunity to meet many different people, and the experience from there is a very serious resource that will help me in the future. The national regulator in the person of the Directorate General Civil Aviation Administration needs innovation, digitalization and synchronization with what is happening in other European countries. We should not be encapsulated, but we should invest more in human resources, as well as give young specialists the opportunity to develop. The legislation must be changed in order to have a real effect and achieve results. At least now I see a real opportunity for this to happen. In short, a front with a lot of work is opening before us.
How do you think the state should participate in aviation and how do you plan to work to achieve the set goals?
First of all, the state must recognize aviation as one of the main priorities and prepare a national strategy for the comprehensive development of the sector. This includes having a clear vision for the management and development of all abandoned airports in Bulgaria, and there are quite a few of them. As a representative of this industry in parliament, I will defend all positions for this to happen and work in the direction that I mentioned above. I think that with joint efforts we will manage and this will make me very happy after the end of the mandate.
What will be the first issues you will present to the government?
Every single problem at the national level is ineffective legislation. I will start here – the Civil Aviation Law, which has not been amended since 1972. For 50 years we have been tinkering with various changes to the law. With a normal law, the problems in aviation can begin to be solved and conditions for its development can be created.
Additional facts from the biography of Georgi Gvozdeykov:
In 2018, he started working at the Ministry of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications; General Directorate Civil Aviation Administration. The position he holds to this day is “Inspector of Airworthiness of Civil Aircraft”. His work is related to the implementation of supervisory and regulatory functions and increasing safety in civil aviation. He is the chairman of various committees related to the preparation of regulatory documents and regulations for the certification of newly built aircraft.
In 2016, he created his own company for the design and production of aircraft. The project is aimed at designing and building a small two-seater composite aircraft powered by electric power. The application of the aircraft is aimed at the field of amateur flying, tourism and sports. In the process of work, the prototype and the molds for the production of the pilot product were made. The project was also used in the development of the dissertation, with all research being based on this model.
In 2015, he took over the management of HYUNDAI RACING TROPHY in Bulgaria, and on his initiative, they jointly created a unique project of its kind. Georgi Gvozdeykov held the position of “Project Manager”. He started the design along with the process of preparation and production of racing cars and created a rally championship for young people with identical cars HYUNDAI i20 COUPE R1. A number of strategic partners were attracted, such as TOTAL, HYUNDAI, ATECH RACING, etc. Very quickly, the project gained serious popularity in Europe, attracting participants from 5 countries.
In 2016, he personally participated in the creation of a safe driving training academy “MOTORSPORT ACADEMY”. The project has a social focus on society, with the aim of supporting road safety and obtaining the necessary knowledge and skills in the process of preparation by drivers in case of finding themselves in an extreme situation. A special training methodology has been developed, which offers the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in practical exercises with the car.
In 2011-2013 he worked as a designer for the English company Aircraft Composite Technology. The company is engaged in the design of modern light aircraft built using composite technology. He participated in the creation of a prototype and production line of a small two-seater aircraft with an application for light aviation. He managed the processes of designing the aerodynamic shape and structure of the aircraft, gaining serious experience from world-class engineers specializing in composite technologies.
In 2013, he deservedly took the position of Secretary General of the Bulgarian Automobile Sports Federation, given his career in automobile sports since his youth. He implemented a number of projects that improved the activities of the administration of Bulgarian automobile sports. He created the rally sprint discipline in Bulgaria, which to this day enjoys huge spectator interest.
In 2008, he established a private business with the aim of designing and constructing Bulgarian Revival houses built entirely of wooden construction. He applied to the Rural Development Programme (RDP) and won grant funding for his project worth EUR 185 000, with the value of the entire project amounting to EUR 350 000.
In 2005, together with a team of like-minded people, they created the Tvarditsa Rally, which has been organized without interruption for 16 years now. The competition is a round of the national rally championship and is one of the best organized rallies in Bulgaria. The largest public event in the Tvarditsa municipality to date, which managed to very quickly popularize the region and attracts thousands of visitors and fans of motor sports. The Tvarditsa Rally is one of the most authoritative competitions, which has all the specifics and the most technical stages in Bulgaria.
In 1998 he started his racing career in motor sports. Champion of Bulgaria in 2003 with a Peugeot 306 C16 in the class of cars up to 2000 cc with one drive axle. Winner of the Adriatic Cup in the same year. He was twice on the podium in the general classification of the Tvarditsa-Elena rally, finishing second in 2005 and third in 2011. He achieved outstanding achievements in the high-mountain championship with a number of prizes and podiums in the classification.