At the beginning of the 80´s , SYRIA was a country which has cooperated with Warsaw Pact countries, including CZECHOSLOVAKIA, for a long time. My colleagues from KOSICE air force academy have started a training course in SYRIA 10 years earlier. This time, the delivery of first batch of 23 AERO L-39ZO was taking place and I became the head of the group, which was supposed to arrange smooth transition from the AERO L-29 to L-39.

Syrian personnel was trained at our facilities already, so we were overlooking the transfer to domestic conditions. The situation, and mainly the political situation was much different from that of 10 years earlier. However, official military doctrine is one thing and attitudes of some militant and extremist groups is other. Simply said, there was a civil war in SYRIA and it continues with small breaks until today. We were protected by bodyguards everywhere we went, and the security measures were endless. We drove in protected convoys and were never left alone. It was very limiting and didn´t leave us calm. With two inconspicuous bodyguards I felt like having a target painted on my back. However, the real danger didn´t wait for us in restless streets of DAMASCUS, but in the jet over hot Syrian desert.

We have became close with the training school commander – colonel FARAJ during our (Anglo-Russian) briefings and we always found a topic to discuss, even during long lasting (4 hours) and boring navigational flights. For example, we have tested special 600 l additional fuel tanks, originally manufactured only for the transition flights, on the Syrian L-39´s. At the end, they were not introduced into service. I felt like I had enough experience with flying over SYRIA, so I calmly boarded L-39ZO with unknown pilot. And here´s what happened. We were performing some demo flights on L-39´s somewhere close to JORDANIAN borders, where we were taken from DAMASCUS by cars via highway. However, we were supposed to fly back to ALEPPO on the L-39´s. My colleague Jaroslav KRUZIK was flying with one Syrian cadet and I was in the 2^nd , with some unknown captain. Later on, I got to know, that I was supposed to fly with that experienced Syrian colonel and not Jaroslav. However, the ensuing confusion before departure caused this situation. On this desert airfield, there was not any ground equipment or controller, so I had to do everything by myself, including arming the ejection seat, straping myself into the cockpit and closeing the canopy.

Weather was number one problem during this flight so we experienced problems as early as we took off. During our ascending, we encountered heavy clouds and my cadet has raised his hands, saying that he is not trained for this and he refused to control the aircraft. He probably thought, that I´m also pilot-instructor or he simply didn´t care. Luckily, the connection with the other airplane worked well, so Jaroslav started to instruct me what to do. Unwillingly, I took over the controls and started ascending in the clouds according to the instructions, until I reached the designed flight level. On this level, there were no clouds, so my “heroical” cadet took over the controls. However, during our descend to ALEPPO airbase we encountered the same problem and I had to take over again. Fortunately, I had previous experience from L-29 Delfin. The stress came to me after we didn´t leave the clouds in 600 m as Jaroslav announced, but 200 m lower.

My cadet took over again and prepared for landing in pair. We have established a close formation with aim to perform low pass over our home airfield. We have been flying few meters above the ground, wing to wing and I was mainly watching the leading L-39, in order to evade possible collision. However, the danger laid elsewhere – right in front of us. Just to make sure, I looked away from Jaroslav and what I saw took my breath away. We were flying right into the hardened aircraft shelter (HAS) and the pilot had no idea about it. I did the only thing that I could. I took the stick and pushed it sharply back to me. L-39 has reacted promptly and we missed the HAS by few meters, our technicians on the ground fell on the ground in the anticipation of terrible crash. However, what happened was inevitable – the blood was not supplied to the brain due to overload and we have lost consciousness. We gained consciousness in slight ascending and after regaining contact with tower, we seemingly calmly landed.

When we finally stopped at the apron, and our technicians came to disarm the ejection seats, and un-strap us from the seats, I had to ask them to allow me sit and rest for a while. All the stress fell on me at once and I understood that this could be my last flight. Jaroslav was laughing and he said that he knew that I will handle it. After more than one year stay in SYRIA I went back home.