The ROC air force’s top fighter pilots will feature in a National Geographic Channel series set to air Aug. 13 in Taiwan, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
Produced by NGC in conjunction with the ministry, the seven-episode “Taiwan Elite Warriors: Fighter Pilots” documents the rigorous training of 35 male and two female officers at Kaohsiung City-based ROC Air Force Academy.
At a news conference held July 30 by the MND in Taipei City, President Ma Ying-jeou said the program enables the public to better appreciate the contribution of the ROC’s future top guns. “The timing of the film’s launch is especially significant as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the ROC’s victory in Second Sino-Japanese War [1937-1945].”
Series director Andrew Yao said the production team spent 15 months in southern Taiwan shooting more than 1,500 hours of raw footage.
“The hardest part was to faithfully record the daily routines of the aspiring pilots without comprising their safety,” Yao said, adding that he was extremely impressed by the determination and perseverance of the trainees as they pursued their dreams.
One of the officers featured in the shows is Lt. Chung Ching-yi of Squadron 46 at Chihang Air Base in southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung County. Chung recently passed her first solo flying test and is set to become the air force’s fifth female fighter pilot after completing further training in March next year.
Chung said the most demanding maneuver she has performed in the cockpit to date is putting the plane into a 360 degree flat spin. “At first it places great physical and psychological pressure on the pilot, but it is no longer a problem for me.”
As part of the program’s promotional campaign, NGC and the ministry are staging a two-day carnival featuring displays of military equipment, as well as demonstrations and simulator sessions.
The series is the fourth NGC production on the ROC armed forces following those on the Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team in 2014, Marine Corps in 2013 and fighter jets taking off and landing on a section of a freeway in 2011. (SFC-JSM)
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