Malaysia's Top Gun - 1000hrs in a Mig-29
-
ANGKAWI, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- Royal Malaysian Air Force 12th Squadron Commanding Officer Lt Kol Sunthon Eh Kaue niched a name for himself as the first RMAF pilot to achieve 1,000 flying hours in handling the MiG-29 fighter aircraft in the country.
The success of this pilot, who was born in Tumpat, Kelantan, was not only the pride of TUDM but also RAC MiG from Russia, the company which built the aircraft.
Sunthon's ability to record the 1,000 flying hours in the fighter aircraft surpassed that made by Russia's own pilots.
Met by Bernama after receiving the award for his performance here last night, Sunthon said the honour was in recognition of the Malaysian armed forces' capability.
He said he had to make 1,400 flights to achieve the 1,000 flying hours adding that it was not an easy task for any pilot.
"Even Russian pilots could not achieve the 1,000 flying hours handling the aircraft," he added.
Sunthon, who had achieved 500 flying hours with other aircraft, was with the 19th MiG Squadron in Kuantan for eight years before being transferred to the 12th Squadron in Butterworth recently.
He is now being given the trust to handle the F5E aircraft, which he considered "easier" compared to MiG-29.
Sunthon said he did not encounter any terrifying experience when handling the MiG-29 and regarded the experience as very valuable.
"I will always miss the aircraft but to be a good pilot we have to be able to handle all types of aircraft," he added.
He said that since the setting up 0f the 19th Squadron, the RMAF had about 30 pilots to fly the MiG-29.
He now hopes to get a chance to fly the new aircraft which RMAF is buying like the Sukhoi 30 (SU 30).
Besides Sunthon, two other pilots, Major Sebastian A. William, 34, from Perak and Captain Philip Joseph Selvaraju, 33, from Kulim, Kedah, each made 500 flying hours with the MiG-29.
-- BERNAMA
Source : http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/state_news/news.php?id=169714&cat=nt -
looks like we can learn a thing or two from our friends up north
-
1000 flying hrs for russian plane is pretty remarkable.......
-
remarkable indeed.. 1000hrs and the plane is still flying!! =D
K lar, just kiddin. -
hahahaha.
don't we have guys with >1000hrs in the viper or F-5s? -
I remember promotional posters from the early black knights line-ups that credited most of the pilot with more than 1000 hours ......
as shotgun said ... it's quite remarkable indeed ..... cos the fulcrum's airframe wasn't designed to last as long as western fighters ! .....
actually, to think of it, 1000 is nothing to sneeze at really ... was there a typo mistake or something ? ....
-
i doubt RSAF gives our pilots so little flight time right..
i mean considering every weekend got public announcments asking us to stay away from some islands.. -
Isn't it possible he flew 1000 hrs in different Mig 29s?
But really what's the big deal about 1000 hrs? If you hang around long enough in the air force, you'll fly 1000 hrs. -
It's a big deal cos he's the first Malaysian to achieve it. And this is a Malaysian newspaper reporting it.Originally posted by huaichien:Isn't it possible he flew 1000 hrs in different Mig 29s?
But really what's the big deal about 1000 hrs? If you hang around long enough in the air force, you'll fly 1000 hrs.
Have YOU flown 1000 hours in an airplane? Frequent flier previleges excluded?
Too many people scoff at Malaysian pilots and claim they have little flying time; well, this article just proves that they're slowly catching up. A little more respect to our former countrymen would be appropriate rather than more jingoistic chest-beating 
-
1000 hour in MIG-29 simulator isit?
-
A thousand hours in a particular type of jet is not something to be laughed at. 1000 hours means u have lived and breathed the aircraft. To be so familiar with the systems that u know exactly what the perfomance envelope is. That ur arms feels like the ailerons and ur feet like the rudders.
It is almost reaching a point where u are one with the jet.
Kinda like driving a car... the more u drive it, the more familiar u feel in it.
For a fighter pilot, that is important. In a combat situation, u need to know exactly how ur plane will react to your inputs. And u know how much u can push the jet, and how much u can take the jet pushing u.
No, simulator hours do not count as flight hours. -
Hi,... point taken ... but isn't it counterintuitive that when a pilot achieves this type of "one" with the aircraft, the airforce chooses to re-assign him to another squadron and plane (F5E). Sort of removes all advantages that they have when you make such types of human resource assignment. I hope they don't do that with our own pilots as well.Originally posted by Shotgun:A thousand hours in a particular type of jet is not something to be laughed at. 1000 hours means u have lived and breathed the aircraft. To be so familiar with the systems that u know exactly what the perfomance envelope is. That ur arms feels like the ailerons and ur feet like the rudders.
It is almost reaching a point where u are one with the jet.
Kinda like driving a car... the more u drive it, the more familiar u feel in it.
For a fighter pilot, that is important. In a combat situation, u need to know exactly how ur plane will react to your inputs. And u know how much u can push the jet, and how much u can take the jet pushing u.
No, simulator hours do not count as flight hours. -
Well, not true. Most US Pilots have experience in different types of air craft. We are humans, not computers with RAM. Experience is accumulated and can often be refreshed.
Its like riding a bicycle, u never really totally forget how to ride one.
I suspected this M'sian Pilot would be posted to a more "instructional" role for the MiG-29 in the not too distant future. His experience in fulcrum, and other jets would invaluable to future pilots of the Fulcrum. They would have a clearer understanding of the performance differences and envelope of the Mig-29 compared to other jets.
In fact, it would be great if they could send this guy to fly the Hornet instead. Not many people will get the chance to have cockpit time in both east and western bloc aircraft. -
so is the pilot good or the aircraft or both?
-
The pilot is not a Malay. From his name, I bet he is of Siamese descent.
-
the four northern malay states used to be part of thailand until the british came along ... even today, Thai newspapers like the Bangkok post uses the old Thai names to refer to the four states ....Originally posted by ferryman2393:The pilot is not a Malay. From his name, I bet he is of Siamese descent. -
What is 1000 hrs?
If you drive a car at an average speed of 40 Kmh, you do 40,000 which should take 4 yrs or less. Most of us can easily do that with every car we buy. Look at it another way, if we spend 1.5 hrs a day in our car and spend only 260 weeks a year driving, we need only 3 yrs to clock 1000 hrs, difficult?
If a pilot flies the plane 3 hrs a day, and 3 days a week, lets say he does 10 hrs per week. He takes only 100 weeks or less than two years to do 1000 hrs.
if a pilot is attached to a plane type for 2 years, he should clock 1000 hrs even excluding the hours he spent on conversion.
Is it something very difficult? can any air force guy advise? -
LOL. The four southern Thai provinces have a lot more in common with Malaysian states than Thailand itself.
BTW, the two Mig pilots credited with 500 flight hours are also not Malays. -
Ok...but the thing here is whether they plan to have this pilot simply move on to be a trainer or to part of the honed team to operate their aircrafts for operational missions...I guess you have the luxury of sending teams of pilots on different aircrafts when you have a large pool of experienced people but with limited (i.e. 1) it seems odd to be sending you best guy to a lower capability aircraft...In fact sending him off to the hornet squadron, as you say, might be more logical than F5E squadron.Originally posted by Shotgun:Well, not true. Most US Pilots have experience in different types of air craft. We are humans, not computers with RAM. Experience is accumulated and can often be refreshed.
Its like riding a bicycle, u never really totally forget how to ride one.
I suspected this M'sian Pilot would be posted to a more "instructional" role for the MiG-29 in the not too distant future. His experience in fulcrum, and other jets would invaluable to future pilots of the Fulcrum. They would have a clearer understanding of the performance differences and envelope of the Mig-29 compared to other jets.
In fact, it would be great if they could send this guy to fly the Hornet instead. Not many people will get the chance to have cockpit time in both east and western bloc aircraft.
But enuff said, it is just second guessing here...any input from our own airforce people would be interesting but I suspect based on my interactions with the limited number of pilots I know (1 of whom flew F5 and F16s (after it was introduced), this practice of constant rotation is not the norm...unless the pilot requests for it... -
hmm.. if i am not wrong, i read somwhere that "NATO" pilots have to achieve like 240-280 hrs a year minimum...
The RSAF was flying like 240 hrs...
i think was from Defedning the lion city....
if that is the case, a "standard" RSAF SQN pilot can achieve 1000 hrs in about 4 years to 5 years... assuming he didn't get transferred to a "staff" position during this time.... right?