Mariyan Ivanov
I was born in Bulgaria, a small country in Southeast Europe. My passion of ultralight aviation and adventure sports began back in 2001 with a skydiving course. Later, I served in the Bulgarian Special Forces as a Paratrooper Reconnaissance Officer. This is where I first saw a Paraglider and shortly after that I joined the Bulgarian National Aero Club. I started actively paragliding in 2006. My P1 through P5 international FAI paragliding ratings I earned in Europe.
Due to the close proximity of the countries in the region, the weekly "paragrounds" were various sites in Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Croatia, and so on. Over the years, I participated in 14 international Paragliding Accuracy Landing competitions in 8 different countries representing Bulgaria and now as member of the NAA (National Aeronautic Association), the United States. I learned paramotoring in Bulgaria back in 2009 and since then, I've added the active powered flying to my flying skills. Towing banners and aerial advertisements with paramotors were some of the "works" we were busy with back then apart from the recreational flying. I moved to the United States in 2012. I never stopped flying. I earned my USHPA P4 and Instructor ratings while working at Morningside Flight Park (part of Kitty Hawk Kites) in New Hampshire which is one of the best hang gliding, paragliding and paramotor schools in the US. I am now a USHPA and ASC certified Tandem Pilot, Tow Tech 1 and 2 winch operator, and Instructor in both Free Flight Paraglider and Powered Paraglider (Paramotor).
I love to hike and fly, and exploring news sites. Paragliding in the Middle East, Asia, the Western Pacific and South America hold a special place in my heart. My favorite paragliding destinations in the US are Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and Vermont.
