Fighter pilot with the most flight hours in the Vietnam Air Force
VTC News•20/12/2024
(VTC News) - In the last days of the year, we went to Air Force Regiment 923 (Division 371) to talk with Regiment Commander - Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thanh Hai, a pilot with more than 2,000 accumulated flight hours, the most in the Air Force.
At dawn, the atmosphere of urgency covered the 923rd Air Force Regiment - 371st Air Force Division (Tho Xuan, Thanh Hoa). A meteorological officer reported to the Regiment Commander, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thanh Hai: "The weather is good enough to conduct training flights". At 7am, the car carrying the pilots stopped in front of the command room. After being examined by a military doctor, the soldiers quickly moved into the meeting room, where there were boards filled with all kinds of flight path and coordinate symbols. They discussed in detail the altitude and flight patterns required for the training flight. Looking out from the meeting room, the Su-30MK2 "king cobras" were neatly arranged under the canopy of the parking lot, spreading their wings proudly. The Su-30MK2 is the most modern fighter aircraft of the Air Defense - Air Force today, nearly three times larger than the MiG-21 aircraft during the anti-American war, with extremely sophisticated internal configuration. This is a two-seat supersonic multi-role fighter, capable of operating independently or in formation in many different types of terrain and weather. The Su-30MK2 can reach a speed of 1,350 km/h at low altitude and a climbing speed of 230 m/s, with a long-range precision-controlled attack weapon system with a weapon load of up to 8 tons. While the pilots were discussing the deployment of the mission, the flock of Su-30MK2 "king cobras" was awakened by airport technical staff. The technical team of dozens of people prepared a day in advance and an hour before the flight, so that the aircraft could carry out the training flight mission.
The first flight was carried out by the Regiment Commander, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thanh Hai and Deputy Political Commissar, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Truong Nam. This was a meteorological flight to assess the weather conditions before the Su-30MK2s took off one by one to perform combat training missions. After finishing the flight, taking off his flight suit and hanging it on a hanger, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Hai quickly returned to the room to officially assign the flight tasks to the pilots. After that, he moved to the air traffic control tower to monitor and command the flight crew. Sitting on the observation tower, the Regiment Commander kept his eyes on the flashing aviation parameters on the screen, his walkie-talkie always in hand, ready to give commands. The office could clearly hear every breath. The professional conversations were exchanged quickly, briefly, and clearly. For Senior Lieutenant Colonel Hai, the densely packed buttons on the control panel were so familiar that even with his eyes closed, he still knew where they were to skillfully control the "king cobra" to perform advanced, difficult flying techniques. From the air traffic control tower, the regimental commander carefully observed each Su-30MK2 fighter jet moving to the take-off point at the end of the runway. After checking the aviation and meteorological parameters, he gave each plane permission to take off via radio.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Hai, in each training session, pilots fly different categories. Classic flying exercises such as: diving, simple maneuvers, complex maneuvers in formation and alone; shooting, bombing, rocket launching..., all pilots must be proficient. In addition to aircraft control techniques, air force soldiers must also know by heart the features of the weapons they are using. In case of an accident, only experience and bravery can help them preserve the aircraft, their lives and those of their teammates.
Regiment Commander Tran Thanh Hai said that selecting pilots is difficult, training fighter pilots is even more difficult. "From thousands of candidates, only one person is qualified to study fighter piloting, and from hundreds of students, only the best can fly the Su-30MK2," the Regiment Commander emphasized. As one of the fighter pilots with the most flight hours in Vietnam with more than 2,000 accumulated flight hours, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thanh Hai said that before sitting in the cockpit of the Su-30MK2, he was trained and performed missions on Yak-52, L-39, Mig-21, Su-22M4 aircraft. "When operating an aircraft, both the brain and limbs operate at high intensity, the working environment is special with the effects of noise, vibration, temperature difference and pressure. The movements of the aircraft during the circling process in the air directly affect their bodies, especially their ears, eyes, and nerve sensitivity," said Colonel Hai, analyzing why the physical training program for pilots and their diet must follow strict regulations.
4,860 kcal/person/day is the amount for pilots flying Su-30MK2 aircraft, twice as high as the food ration of ordinary people. Each meal of the pilots of Regiment 923 must have at least 6 dishes, including 4 main dishes, 2 side dishes, with a rich menu that changes flexibly every day. Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thanh Hai said that in the world, according to calculations by experts, it costs about 5 - 10 million USD to train a fighter pilot, depending on the type of aircraft. In Vietnam, people often compare the value of a pilot to the amount of gold weighing exactly equal to his body weight. "Pilot selection is like panning for gold, not to mention the long training process with extremely expensive costs. Therefore, considering fighter pilots of the Vietnam People's Air Force as "national assets" is undeniable," said Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thanh Hai. Only allowed to visit home twice a month, Regiment Commander Tran Thanh Hai and his comrades are willing to accept the loss, put aside their own happiness to carry out the assigned mission. He believes that soldiers guarding the sky, regardless of day or night, must always be steadfast, not letting the Fatherland be surprised by situations in the air.
VTC News•20/12/2024
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