Lieutenant Colonel, pilot level 1 Bui Dinh Thao successfully completed the target interception test using a Su-27 aircraft during a bombing and live-fire exercise at the Nhu Xuan shooting range, Thanh Hoa.
Sweat running down his cheeks, hair sticking to his forehead after many hours of wearing a flight helmet, pilot Bui Dinh Thao (Squadron Leader of Squadron 2, Air Force Regiment 925, Division 372, Air Defense - Air Force) left the cockpit smiling. As a level 1 military pilot (the highest level of the Vietnam People's Air Force) at the age of 33, Mr. Thao was highly appreciated by his teachers and teammates for his talent, courage and flying technique.
1.85 m tall when in high school, a member of the local volleyball team with a promising sports career, but Thao had a chance to join the army when a working group of the Air Defense - Air Force came to Vinh Bao district, Hai Phong for a recruitment examination in 2003. His father told him to "go for the experience", but Thao was later one of five young men from Hai Phong city to pass the recruitment examination, out of thousands of applicants.
Thao still remembers that day because he was shy, he did not take off his clothes for the surgical examination. Seeing the young man just enter the room and then leave, an officer immediately came to ask him what happened. He gently explained, then patiently led him to see other departments, and finally to the surgical examination. "I remember the doctor's name was Phan Thanh. I will be grateful to him all my life because thanks to him, I can be a military pilot like today," said Mr. Thao.
Lieutenant Colonel Bui Dinh Thao (2nd from left) and his teammates chat after completing an aerial target interception test on July 17. Photo: Giang Huy
After graduating from the Air Force Officer School in 2009, Thao was assigned to Regiment 940, Air Force Officer School, in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province. Later, this unit changed its name to Regiment 925, Division 372, responsible for protecting the Central strip of land from the 13th to the 18th parallel and the island waters. Here, he was introduced to and gradually mastered the Mig-21 - the fighter jet that hero Pham Tuan used to shoot down a B-52 in 1972.
Thao said that as a pilot, anyone who flies the Mig-21 will "not be afraid of any type of jet aircraft" because this is a fighter that is difficult to master, good to control but unstable. The aircraft uses a delta wing with a small area and little lift. Air forces of all countries consider the Mig-21 a flying coffin, a difficult aircraft to pilot, second only to a spaceship.
In 2011, pilot Thao switched to the Su-27 multi-role fighter. The aircraft can perform many roles in combat, including air combat and attacking ground targets with bombs and rockets. Thanks to his proficiency in using the Mig-21, he progressed quickly.
To become a level 1 pilot, he must accumulate enough flight hours; pass all the flight tests from easy to difficult. The biggest challenge for Thao is still the complex meteorological night flight test. This flight is difficult because it is dark and cloudy, determining the state of the aircraft in the air is very complicated, and visibility is limited.
"At this time, the pilot is like a bird flying in a storm. The mission is to leave the nest but when returning, he must find his own way and return to the parking lot safely. If his skills are not enough, he will take off and not be able to find his way back to the airport to land," he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Bui Dinh Thao controls the plane to the parking lot after completing the bombing test, July 20. Photo: Giang Huy
In the early days of flying, to overcome the limitations of vision in difficult flights, pilot Bui Dinh Thao determined the bearing and distance on the clock in the cockpit, and visualized where he was to find his way. Based on the distance and speed, he mentally calculated the flight time to the destination. When he became more proficient, he no longer relied too much on navigation factors. Fighter pilots are all experts in mental calculation and quick math. Any calculation in the head gives a result in just 3 to 5 seconds with very high accuracy.
In the training and learning process for pilots, theory is always closely linked to practice. However, after learning 10 parts, when flying a plane in the sky, only 6-7 parts can be applied due to lack of oxygen. Therefore, many people are excellent students, but when it comes to training, they still cannot fly.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Bui Dinh Thao, for fighter pilots, the flight that requires the most experience, courage and ability is to attack targets in the air. To master these flights, pilots must perform complex low-altitude aerobatics and combine many movements using weapons and skillfully controlling the aircraft.
"Pilots have to practice catching planes by eye at a distance of up to 30 km, meaning the target plane is only as small as the tip of a pen, but the pilot still sticks to the position and points it into the lens," he said.
A day of flight training for Thao and his teammates usually starts at 4am. This is when the pilot eats breakfast, measures his blood pressure, and checks his flight equipment. An hour later, when all procedures and equipment conditions are complete, he begins his mission. On patrol flights, the aircraft on duty often carries missiles with the purpose of detecting and intercepting the enemy from afar, by all means preventing the enemy from advancing deep into the mainland to attack important targets.
Lieutenant Colonel Bui Dinh Thao, Squadron Leader of Squadron 2, Air Regiment 925, Division 372. Photo: Giang Huy
To ensure good health for the mission, Mr. Thao and his teammates must adhere to a strict diet, physical and mental training regimen, under the supervision of a sports assistant officer. Each week, pilots have at least three days of training according to a strict curriculum with 10 km of running and aviation sports exercises such as pole rotation and ladder swing to train the vestibular system and get used to the state in space. After completing all of the above content, pilots are free to play other sports.
With over 15 years as a pilot, and 1,200 flight hours, Lieutenant Colonel Bui Dinh Thao has completed hundreds of large and small missions and exercises. In 2019, he and his teammates were assigned to conduct a bombing test at the Sea Shooting Range - Hon Ty Island, Binh Thuan Province (TB-5) with the mission of flying a Su-27 carrying bombs and missiles to hit the target. As a result, he completed the mission excellently and was highly appreciated by the military leaders.
From July 16 to 20, the Air Defense - Air Force organized a navigation competition and a bombing and live-fire drill at the Nhu Xuan Shooting Range (Thanh Hoa). The tests aimed to assess the level of the crew and the navigation radar station; the pilot's ability to detect and intercept targets visually and with equipment; and the helicopter crew's ability to calculate and maintain long-distance flight data.
This is the highest form of training to improve the command, coordination and flight control capacity of regimental officers of the entire service. This is also an opportunity to evaluate the quality of weapons and equipment, technical assurance, combat capabilities and combat operations of each officer and pilot, especially in night conditions and complex situations. From there, the Service will draw lessons and organize training for forces close to reality and the development direction of modern warfare.
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