The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
A tactical aviation pilot with the callsign “Viking” has more than 300 combat sorties behind him and dozens of destroyed enemy targets — from Shahed drones to reconnaissance UAVs such as Orlan and Mohajer-6. In a new video, he spoke about work in the sky where there are no simple tasks and every decision is made at the limits of capability.
This was reported in a publication by the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade.
According to the pilot, there is no division in the air between “easy” and “difficult” missions — only those you are maximally prepared for and those you are not yet ready for.
“In the sky, there is no right to doubt. Even when a task seems simple, in practice each one has its risks. The enemy does not sleep. He waits,” Viking says.
He emphasizes that the main condition for a pilot’s survival is constant training and analysis of enemy actions.
“Training is your chance at life. We learn every day, adapting to the enemy’s tactics. They change — we change. There is no second chance in the sky. There is only action”, — the pilot says.
Viking separately recalled missions that had to be carried out at low altitudes to accurately identify targets.
“You see — you assess — you make a decision. There is no time for unnecessary thoughts. A mistake here costs too much. After a strike, you immediately think about exiting the area. There is no moment in the sky when you can relax”, — he says.
The pilot also speaks candidly about fear as a constant factor of aerial warfare.
“It is always nearby. But you have no right to give in to fear. The worst thing is allowing panic to paralyze you. There is not a single second for hesitation”, — Viking notes.
According to him, only work helps to cope with stress.
“As long as you are working, you are alive. Our experience was forged here, in war. Its price is the lives of comrades. Every lesson is written in blood”, — he emphasizes.
Viking advises new pilots to do one thing — learn every day, analyze every sortie and every mistake.
Despite constant risk, he also speaks about what keeps him in the sky: faith in his comrades, in his aircraft, and in his country.
“The sky of Ukraine is ours”, — the pilot concludes.
