Cesty života leteckého - Povídání o zalétávání a létání vůbec – Křemen Miroslav (2024)

The author's autobiographical work provides insight into the profession of a test flight pilot and clarifies the perception of a profession that is attractive to some, unknown to others, but exceptional in any case. After all, he spent a total of 38 years at the controls, 29 of which were in the field of flight testing as a test flight pilot. During that time, he flew dozens of different types of aircraft, mostly military, training, and combat planes with operational speeds of up to twice the speed of sound. In this physically and mentally extremely demanding job, he spent around 9,000 flight hours in the air. (A year has 8,760 hours). In his memoir, he recounts his lifelong career, rich in extraordinary experiences. He reminisces about his school years, the period when he decided on his future profession, his entry into the military aviation academy, and later, as an officer in the military fighter aviation. He describes the beginning of test flying, where he spent the majority of his professional career, filled with many life experiences, joys, and pains. However, he wraps the pains in light storytelling, but does not hide the fact that he is one of the few who reached retirement in this profession, as his memories give us the impression that there are not few casualties.