Capt. Myat Moe Aung speaks during an interview in Yangon, Myanmar, May 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Haymhan Aung)
By Khin Zar Thwe, Fone Ying Kyu
YANGON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Now recognized as a hero in Myanmar after saving 89 lives by landing a passenger plane without the front landing gear, Myat Moe Aung, who became a pilot by chance in the first place, appreciated the flight training he received, including the part of which he undertook in China.
Capt. Myat Moe Aung, 45, who had served in Air Force for 12 years, used to be a fighter pilot. "Being a fighter pilot was like a one-man show, but the duty of an airline pilot is different," said Myat Moe Aung, a pilot of Myanmar's state-run Myanmar National Airlines (MNA).
"I had desired to become an engineer. It happened that I gained no good marks in the matriculation examination to enter the university, forcing me to join the army but still failing to attend the Defense Services Academy. I got to join the 22nd batch of the training course for cadet and at that time there was a recruitment from the Air Force based on age requirement which I met," the captain told Xinhua.
He recently received widespread plaudits at home and abroad as a hero for his skillful management of an emergency safe landing of the airplane without hurting any passenger aboard through teamwork.
He was not only honored by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi but also by Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing as well as by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
The captain said the tough experience represents a milestone in his life, and he was delighted that he succeeded. He pledged to continue to make efforts to meet future challenges of this kind.
He said that the training sessions he took in China's southern city of Zhuhai, combined with his flying experiences, contributed to the successful landing.
On last Sunday morning, the MNA flight UB-103, an Embraer 190 model, had problem deploying its front landing gear during its landing attempt at Mandalay's Tada-U International Airport on its way from Yangon to Mandalay, making everyone in a sweat.
The captain burned off the remaining fuel to reduce touchdown speed and lessen the impact of the emergency landing.
The plane managed to touch down safely using only its rear wheels and sliding on its nose, leaving no injury to all 89 people aboard including three pilots and four crew members.
The cockpit was filled with smoke from friction on the runaway and the window was opened to clear smoke out of the cockpit. After the safe landing, all crew members took emergency evacuation procedures as well as post-landing procedures.
Myat Moe Aung thanked each and every passenger for completing the responsibilities as commanded by the crews, expressing sympathy on them with the understanding of their sentiments in the emergency case.
Asked if he was afraid of taking such risk of becoming a pilot as there were many aviation accidents, he denied such fear, saying that all would be bound to succeed if the designated framework, rules and disciplines are followed.
"In fact, the only fear was that I am afraid of not having the opportunity to fly but not for the reason of not daring to fly," he said.
"Currently, I am very much fond of this life, taking pride of enjoying the taste of flying a plane," said Myat Moe Aung, father of a 12-year-old daughter.
