Flying into the reality of the past

Becoming air force pilots was a dream of many boys born in the 1950s, my father says, because the State provided for everything a pilot needed to soar higher. The pilots' "diet and leather jackets" had an unimaginable hold over the boys growing up in the shadow of the great famine in early 1960s and living a hand-to-mouth life under the planned economy.

A youth was enrolled in the air force pilots' program only after passing a strict physical test. It was a relatively fair and level platform for all candidates irrespective of their family background. The air force pilots were automatically promoted according to the years they flew and their families could enjoy preferential treatment in many aspects.

Working as a pilot in the air force meant bidding farewell to "normal" life. The job, to some extent, offered youths from the average families of workers and farmers a chance to climb up the social ladder, which was quite difficult in those days.