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A Flight Director can't do anything without a team // Humans of NATO Days

He participated in NATO Days as a Gripen display pilot from 2009 to 2012. Then he returned in 2019 as Flight Director. And he repeated that role in 2020, 2021 and 2023. Had the event not been cancelled, he would have added 2024. He retired at the end of last year, but he left a huge legacy at NATO Days. He started out in a Mig-21, but in a Gripen he reached two milestones of thousands of flying hours. This time we interviewed Lieutenant Colonel Michal Daňek, who is also known by his colleagues under the callsign MACRO.

What was your first contact with aviation? What led you to a career as a pilot in the Czech Air Force?
The first contact was in the family. My father and uncle were military pilots, so the choice of profession was quite natural for me. 

You belong to the generation of Czech military pilots who experienced the Soviet MiG-21, but then switched to the new Swedish JAS-39 Gripen. What did this change mean from a pilot's point of view?
I would divide these views into two. One is tangible, namely how the aircraft itself flies and what it enables, and the other is a change in philosophy. What both perspectives have in common is that it was a big change. 
There is a tangible technological difference between the two types of aircraft, determined by the time of their creation. The piloting of the Gripen is completely intuitive and its combat capabilities, instrumentation and sensors have introduced features that were unattainable on the old aircraft.The change in philosophy encapsulates the change in thinking and the way these aircraft are used that has definitely moved us towards Western militaries and NATO.

In 2021, you were the first in the Czech Republic and the second in the world to surpass 2000 flight hours on Gripen. In 2022, you reached 3000 flight hours on military aircraft on a foreign mission. What comes to mind when you look back at these milestones in your career?
That at the beginning of my career, I never dreamed it was possible to achieve them and how lucky I was.

To give us civilians a more realistic idea, how much work - whether it's you or other personnel - is hidden under one flight hour?
It is difficult to quantify. It is the work of technical staff, air traffic control, but also other people who are absolutely indispensable to the operation.

You have participated in several foreign missions - the first one was in 2009 in the Baltics, then in Iceland, and in 2022 you returned to Lithuania as the commander of the Czech group. What is the difference between airspace protection in the Czech Republic and on an Alliance mission?
It does not differ much. It is a unified airspace protection system, which has its own procedures and standards that must be followed. So only the environment in which it takes place and the geographical location differ.

Do airmen have to be specially trained to take part in a mission, or is it enough to have a certain number of flying hours?
As I answered in the previous question. Once a pilot is trained, he knows all the procedures and therefore nothing special is required. But he does need to study the specifics of the location, such as airspace layout, airfield procedures, etc.

During your career, you served as a Gripen display pilot, specifically from 2009 to 2012. How were your duties different from other years?
Being a display pilot in our country is beyond the scope of job duties. So the difference is that the pilot has to undergo the necessary training and after successful certification he participates in flying days during the season, however, he is not removed from his normal job duties.

As a display pilot you have attended many events, including NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days. Is there any display that has stuck in your mind?
Every event is something specific. In England there are a lot of fundraising programmes associated with them, including the participation of war veterans. Other shows have aircraft performances that are not commonly seen, but probably the one that sticks with me the most is the Austrian Zeltweg with its setting of the Alpine mountains.

You returned to Ostrava and Mošnov Airport a few years later as Deputy Flight Director and then as Flight Director and experienced the other side. What was the challenge or the most difficult moment for you in this role? Which of the roles suited you better?
It was definitely a challenge. Suddenly you find yourself on the other side of the barricade, so to speak, but the experience of being a display pilot is excellent training in terms of knowing the rules of public displays. Similarly, the director is then better able to put himself in the pilots' shoes, for example, when approving a performance. On the individual roles, I would just emphasise the fact that the pilot and director need to form a compact team, then the success of the collaboration is guaranteed. The only difference is that the responsibility lies with the flight director. 

In the role of Flight Director you participated in the Open Day of your home base in Čáslav. Can these events be compared?
At first glance, it may seem that both events are incomparable in terms of size and number of visitors, but from the perspective of a flight director they are comparable. The Flight Director is responsible for putting together the flight programme and ensuring that the whole event is organised according to the regulations for public aerial performances. There is a lot of work behind this, especially in the preparation phase, and D-Day itself is just the icing on the cake. I would like to stress here that the flight director alone would not be able to do anything without a whole well-functioning organizational team.

You were present at the introduction of Gripens into the Czech Air Force, but now you have decided to end your military career. Won't you be a bit sorry that you won't be there for the introduction of the F-35?
I don't think the word regret is appropriate. There are a lot of pilots who have never experienced the introduction of new equipment in their entire career, let alone twice. I was lucky enough to be there for the introduction of the Gripen and I would like to wish my younger colleagues the same drive and enthusiasm that I experienced. 

Can we say that you have had your whole aviation career connected with Gripen?
Yes, you could say that after almost twenty years in Gripen, my career is closely linked to them.