Li Tingsheng (right) and Fan Dawei (left) are students of the 69th class of the Chung Cheng Preparatory School and the 73rd year class of the Air Force Official School. Commander, he was in charge of combat and logistics respectively during the tenure of Air Force Commander Xiong Houji.

(Information photo, provided by Air Force Monthly of the Republic of China)

[Reporter Luo Tianbin/Taipei Report] A common plane invades our country’s airspace every day, and Air Force pilots have to fly their planes to intercept them. The task is arduous and dangerous, and the pressure they endure is unimaginable to the outside world. All kinds of emergencies rely on solid training and experience to resolve crises. The two said, "The security of the airspace is not based on words, but on strength. It depends on us flying up to declare defense. Only then will there be airspace security. We will never hesitate to go into danger. , This is the great courage shown by our ROC Air Force pilots in every batch of flight missions."

Li Tingsheng and Fan Dawei are students of the 69th class of Chung Cheng Preliminary School (Secondary 2) and the 73rd Class of the Air Force Official School (65th). As the deputy commander of the Air Force, he was in charge of operations and logistics respectively during the tenure of Air Force Commander Xiong Houji. After retiring from the army, Li Tingsheng was transferred to the deputy executive director of the National Defense Security Research Institute. After retiring from the army, Fan Dawei served in Xinxin Bus.

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During their tenure as deputy commanders of the Air Force, the two generals, Li and Fan, dictated the thrilling missions of their flying careers. The records were compiled and serialized in the monthly magazine "Air Force of the Republic of China". This newspaper is authorized to reprint and extract relevant exciting content.

The two said that the spirit of the Air Force is solid combat readiness. Although the task is arduous, dangers are everywhere. In addition to being specialized in tactical combat skills, the mission of airspace protection must always be concerned about threats and safety. Therefore, they brought their subordinates The flying skills learned by the training team, as well as the cautious and cautious attitude, entered the front-line combat troops and became a member of the air combat force of the Republic of China.

Li performs the target drone mission, cuts the steel rope, and keeps taking risks to land and brush with death

Li Tingsheng recalled that there were two dangerous incidents in his flying career. The most dangerous one was when he was a target aircraft, dragged the target, and flew to the mission area of ​​the shooting range. The steel rope is still there, and it can't be cut no matter what.

Li Tingsheng said in his own words: "My God! The 2,300-foot-long steel rope has to be brought to the ground. It is very dangerous! If the height is low, it will hit the house and the ground, so the height should not be too low. The situation at that time was very dangerous. Critical, the senior officer only told me through the radio, pay attention to the safety of the operation, pay attention to the altitude, and follow the technical orders. I was just a small pilot at the time, and I had no experience in handling similar situations. To be honest, I was very scared. The instructor in the back seat and I was on the same plane, so of course I was also worried, but I was the one who operated it, and he could only verbally remind me to pay attention to altitude and safety just like the senior officer, and let me handle the rest. The one who was about to land For a moment, I felt very quiet, there was no sound on the radio, and the instructor in the back seat did not make a sound, so I followed TO, in the middle of the test field airport, with high speed and high altitude, dive, close the throttle, land, release the umbrella, and release the catch At high speed, the plane finally landed safely at the end of the runway. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the captain immediately rushed over to comfort me, it’s all right! Don’t be nervous, it’s all right!” Li Tingsheng, who has always been very confident in flying, For the first time, I felt so close to death.

Fan defends the airspace to intercept Soviet bombers and is targeted by tail guns at super close range

Fan Dawei has experienced almost all the flying troops in Taiwan, and he has encountered too many maintenance failures. Fan Dawei said: "I have almost hit the interception nets of all bases in Taiwan, and in my conscience, I have landed in this life. The most beautiful time was when there was a maintenance breakdown.”

Fan Dawei felt that the risk of flying was too much. He bumped into a bird, passed through a charged cloud, and watched the pitot tube make a magnetic sound like Thor, and several lightning bolts flashed and swayed in front of his eyes. Space disorientation, flying illusion...how to solve it?

In fact, there are cause analysis and correct handling suggestions in the accident files over the years, and there are standard operating procedures in the technical orders.

When it comes to defending the airspace, the two said they have too much common experience to share.

Li Tingsheng just started: "The escort aircraft of the Soviet aircraft carrier group entered our ADIZ and entered our airspace." Fan Dawei immediately answered: "It is TU-95. TU-95 has four turboprop engines, a very large one. There is an air-launched missile launch platform at the tail of the plane. The observation window of that platform is transparent. We were ordered to intercept it. How close it flew, do you know? So close that I can see the people inside the window, over there Moving around, aiming at us. I remember very clearly. At that time, I was still a small team member, and the four-aircraft formation went up to intercept. The barrel of the TU-95 tail gun turned around. When the muzzle was facing me, it would Afraid! I backed up a little, and then I heard the leader’s voice on the radio, saying, “Fan Dawei, don’t be afraid. If something happens, I will avenge you.””

"Although the team leader said so, he is still afraid! The muzzle is in front of you, facing you, are you afraid? Pilots are also human, and of course they will be afraid when they encounter danger; but, we know that the safety of the airspace depends not on the mouth, but on the Our strength depends on our flying up to declare our defense, so that the airspace will be safe, so we will not hesitate to go into danger, this is the great courage shown by our ROC Air Force pilots in every batch of flight missions.”

Li Tingsheng, the former deputy commander of the Air Force, recalled that he faced life-and-death dangers many times in his flying career, but fortunately he was able to resolve them one by one.

(file photo)

Fan Dawei once flew a plane to intercept a Russian TU-95 bomber, but was targeted by the tail gun of the opponent.

(file photo)