In the second of a two-part feature, noted Cold War fast jet pilot Ian Black takes us back into the war-torn skies of Bosnia as he battles the darkness, deteriorating weather, St Elmo’s Fire and flooded runways
Thirty seconds ahead of me, embedded in cloud, is my leader, so it’s essential we fly at our prebriefed speeds. If he flies slower than me or I fly faster than him there is a very real danger we’ll collide in midair. Punching through the cloud tops at a gentlemanly 4,000ft, I quickly spot my leader ahead of me by about five miles.
