Chavdar Djurov

Chavdar Djurov (Dzhurov, Bulgarian: Чавдар Джуров, May 31, 1946–1977) was a Bulgarian pilot who in 1965 set the world record of the highest night parachute jump – 13 kilometres (8.1 mi). Djurov's father, Dobri Djurov, was a high-ranked military official, who between 1962 and 1990 served as the Defense Minister of Bulgaria. Chavdar Djurov studied at the Georgi Benkovski Aviation School in Bulgaria, and then at the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy in the Soviet Union. In 1965, he set the world record in parachute night jump, together with Georgi Filipov and Hinko Iliev. The record was registered; however, the International Aeronautics Federation decided that such jumps are too dangerous and prohibited them, which is why the record still stands. In 1977, Djurov was a candidate to become the first Bulgarian astronaut, but was killed, together with Ventseslav Yotov, during the trial flight on an L-29.