The story how a short , skinny young Laotian became a RLAF pilot.
In mid 1965, halfway around the globe from USA, Laos to be
exact, there were half a dozen young boys sitting on the DonChanh bridge
looking up north to Wattay airport, every evening T-28 would take off and
return to Udorn, one of them said “Those planes are very beautiful
and neat I will fly it someday” Laugh go on “You’re too small
and a bit too short to fly and airplane Shorty” the other said and
that’s they used to call me back then. “You’ll see, time will
tell” I reply. On a Sunday July 65 I was boarding a C-47 to
Savannakhet (L-39) home of the Royal Lao Air Force Base and Pilot
training School.
On Monday I was report to the School and there was 2 guys in their Khaki
uniform with the Warrant Officer bar on their shoulder which they’re my
senior from the same College who get here ahead of me and they were
washed out off T-28 Class from Udorn, compare to them my height was below
their chin, they look at me and ask “What you doing here kid”
“Be a pilot” I reply. With pity smile and shook their head they
said “You can’t be, you too small” that’s really pissed me off,
I stand straight my tiny chest stick out and reply ” I will be, size
doesn’t matter but the Will will” Among 38 pilot students who joined
at the same class I was the smallest and youngest, 17+, 5’2″ and 94
Lbs. but my entrance test score was among the top 5.
I spend about 4 months in L-39 learning the basic military and trained on
the O-1/L-19 I logged 14 Hrs and 2 Solo landings. By Sept. 65 10 of us
were send to Udorn to train on the T-28. Luck would be on my side I was
the only one who took English in College all my class mate knew only
French and hardly understand Thai even though Lao and Thai Language were
very similar, I came out on top of the class. By May 66 RLAF possess a
very young and daring T-28 Fighter Bomber Pilot. I was the fifth one who
bailed out off T-28 during training and 1st one who success and survived
the other 4 before my class didn’t have much luck. One of my classmate
was killed when he did aileron roll too low speed and altitude and can’t
recover from stall and spin crash to a big tree on his solo just 6 weeks
before graduate.
One thing in our war torn country we didn’t have limit or contract it
would be lifetime or you become disable, that where our motto come to
“Fly till you die or blasted out of the sky”
For me I just think some bad guys invaded my country and it’s my Duty to
Serve and Protect my Country.
CPK Red/Spooky-13., Kham Phiou Manivanh, O-1/L-19, T-28, C/AC-47, C-123K, Pilot. Royal Lao Air Force.
KManiT28FB@aol.com
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