Times of crisis are almost always times of opportunity. When the aviation industry was hit in the beginning of 2020, Emil took the extra time to further develop his brand new startup - Peak Aviation Academy. The main goal of which is to provide online theoretical training for pilots, in english, in nine different disciplines, from meteorology to aircraft design. Read below to find out more! ✈️

Tell us a bit more about the story of Peak Aviation Academy and your role in it:

This business is an absolute product of the pandemic. The air traffic got severely reduced and so did my workload as an airline pilot. The opportunity to create a digital flight school was born and I grabbed it together with my co-founder Angel Abadzhiev. I have dreamt about this since university but never managed to find the time in my schedule. ⏲️

Offline academies stopped operating and the timing was perfect to reach a wider audience, people all over Europe, where the legal framework is standardised. We started as two, now we’re four in an entirely Bulgarian team, which originally met in the UK, while at university. My role is to develop the business, to set the sails, and target the audience. Angel is the operational half. He takes care of all the requirements, compliances, and regulations. Velislav helps him with those tasks and also leads the content development. Petar is the brilliant flight instructor who runs the actual courses. 

What's the achievement that made you the proudest so far?

We’re the first ones in Bulgaria who got permission for an online course of this sort. 🇧🇬 And let's say among the pioneers in Europe. 🇪🇺 We’re the youngest co-founders of a pilot academy, all of us belong to 30 under 30, not just me, haha. Each one of us is an active pilot in parallel. 🧑✈️ Another thing that makes us proud is the opportunity to enrich and give back to the industry by infusing it with fresh manpower.


How is technology advancement helping pilots? Are we expecting self-flying planes in the near future?

The approach in aviation is not autonomous, but automated. My expectation is that in the next 20-50 years, men will always have the main role behind the apparatus, controlling the aircraft. In terms of safety, the least. We’ll surely witness a highly increased use of drones. Anything related to urban air mobility will be on the rise - flying taxis, all sorts of deliveries. 📦 As a company, we are planning to start using Virtual Reality, in order to improve the learning experience.

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Would you advise people to start working in your field or not? Why?

Yes! The industry is fairly young, only 110 years old as a transport sector and it has the right role for everyone, at absolutely any level - managerial, research, operational, etc. 🛄 There is room for people from all backgrounds. Lufthansa Technik Sofia being the prime example and there are four different air fields with flying schools, an hour away from Sofia. There are cabin crew road shows on a regular basis. Plenty of managerial positions in air cargo companies. Can’t miss mentioning Dronamics with their drones and Niki Rotor Aviation, who manufacture gyrocopters in Pravets. 🚁 There are possibilities for six months internships at the airports in Varna and Burgas. 🛬


‍How did you find Puzl and why did you decide to join the Community?

‍My fiancé has been a member of Puzl since 2019 and that’s how I first discovered the place. 🧩 I like the design, as it reminds me of my university library. It’s a very nice blend between somewhere to study, work, have fun and meet new people. I’m already working with some people I met here. 🤝

What's your favourite joke, saying, or just an advice that you'd like to share with everyone?
Think long-term. If you need to take one of two choices, take the harder one. 💪

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Got you interested? Check https://www.peakaviation.eu/ 🔗
Wanna know more? You can Slack @Emil Avramov, add him on Linkedin or find him on the Factory 2.0 floor for a chat. 🗣️