No Kum-sok

No Kum-sok
No Kum-sok circa 1953
No Kum-sok circa 1953
Narození10. ledna 1932
Sinhung County
Úmrtí26. prosince 2022 (ve věku 90 let)
Alma materDelawarská univerzita
Povolánípilot, inženýr, letecký inženýr, vysokoškolský učitel a vojenský letec
Politická stranaRepublikánská strana
Logo Wikimedia Commons multimediální obsah na Commons
Některá data mohou pocházet z datové položky.

No Kum-sok (později Kenneth Rowe; 10. ledna 193226. prosince 2022) byl poručík Severokorejského letectva, který během Korejské války přeběhl do Jižní Koreje. S MiGem-15 přistál 21. září 1953 na letecké základně Kimpcho v Jižní Koreji a prohlásil, že se chce dostat pryč z "rudého podvodu".[1] Obdržel odměnu 100.000 USD nabízenou v rámci Operace Moolah pro ty, kteří přeběhnou i s letadlem; o odměně prohlásil, že před útěkem o ní neslyšel.[2] Později emigroval do Spojených států, spolu s matkou, která byla evakuována ze Severní Koreje. Po emigraci poangličtil jméno na Kenneth Rowe. Promoval na University of Delaware, oženil se a stal se americkým občanem. Jako letecký inženýr pracoval pro firmy Grumman, Boeing, General Dynamics, General Motors, General Electric, Lockheed, DuPontWestinghouse.[3]

O útěku a o předchozím životě v Severní Koreji napsal knihu A MiG-15 to Freedom (ISBN 0-7864-0210-5). Po sedmnácti letech opustil v roce 2000 zaměstnání leteckého inženýra a stal se profesorem na Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.[4]

V únoru 2004, když byl hostem na Eglinově letecké základně na Floridě, dostal nabídku se proletět v MiGu-15UTI z Red Star Aviation Museum. Po letu, prvním, od doby, kdy utekl, řekl: „Je to rychlé, rychlé auto“.[5]

No Kum-sokův MiG-15

Ukořistěný MiG-15 byl převezen na Okinawu, kde jej testovali kapitán H. E. "Tom" Collins a major Chuck Yeager. Později letadlo odeslali na Wrightových-Pattersonovu leteckou základnu,[1] nyní je k vidění v Národním muzeu Letectva Spojených států amerických.

Kulturní odkazy

Přeběhnutí No Kum-soka se stalo základem pro jednu z epizod videohry Chuck Yeager's Air Combat.

Galerie

Reference

V tomto článku byl použit překlad textu z článku No Kum-Sok na anglické Wikipedii.

  1. a b "Factsheets: Story of the MiG-15 Archivováno 22. 9. 2013 na Wayback Machine.." National Museum of the United States Air Force.
  2. PsyWarrior.com "OPERATION MOOLAH THE PLOT TO STEAL A MIG-15"
  3. "Leadership Archivováno 27. 7. 2011 na Wayback Machine.." Red Star Aviation.
  4. Pine Mountain Lakes Aviation Association Newsletter "Ken Rowe, a.k.a. No-Kum Sok: A MiG-15 to Freedom"
  5. www.redstaraviation.org [online]. [cit. 2012-07-26]. Dostupné v archivu pořízeném dne 2012-04-02. 

Externí odkazy

Média použitá na této stránce

No Kum-Sok in flight suit.jpg
Portrait of North Korean pilot, Lieutenant (Lt) No Kum Sok (or No Kum So) wearing his flight uniform. Lt No Kum Sok landed his Russian built MiG 15 jet aircraft at the 77 Squadron RAAF base at Kimpo, South Korea, on 21 September 1953, and surrendered the aircraft to United Nations forces. After his defection from North Korea, No Kum Sok later settled in the USA. He became a US citizen, changed his name to Ken Rowe, and worked as an aviation engineer.
USAF MiG-15.jpg
In April 1953 the U.S. Far East Command made an offer of $100,000 for the first MiG-15 delivered intact. No enemy pilot took advantage of this offer and when the Korean Truce went into effect on July 27, 1953, the UN still had not acquired a MiG-15 for flight-testing.

On Sept. 21, 1953, personnel at Kimpo Air Base near Seoul, Korea, were surprised to see a MiG-15 suddenly land downwind and roll to a stop. The plane was piloted by a 21-year old Senior Lt. Kum Sok No of the North Korean Air Force who had decided to fly to South Korea because he "was sick and tired of the Red deceit." Shortly after landing at Kimpo Air Base, the young pilot not only learned of the $100,000 reward but also that his mother had been safely evacuated from North to South Korea in 1951 and that she was still alive and well.

The MiG-15 was taken to Okinawa where it was first flown by Wright Field test pilot Capt. Tom Collins. Subsequent test flights were made by Capt. Collins and Maj. Chuck Yeager. The airplane was next disassembled and airlifted to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in December 1953 where it was reassembled and given exhaustive flight-testing. The United States then offered to return the airplane to its "rightful owners." The offer was ignored, and in November 1957 it was transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force for public exhibition. Today it carries its original number "2057".

At his request, No came to the United States, changed his name and became a U.S. citizen. He graduated from the University of Delaware, was joined by his mother and was later married. Interestingly, just below the gunsight on Lt. No's MiG-15 was the following admonition in red Korean characters: "Pour out and zero in this vindictive ammunition to the damn Yankees."

The original caption states that this photo was taken at Okinawa, however there are 4th and 51st FIW F-86s in the background, which were based in Korea.
8239th AU leaflet 2508.png
Propaganda leaflet encouraging Communist pilots to defect with their jet fighters. North Korean pilot No Kum-Sok eventually claimed the $100,000 reward offered in the pamphlet. The story of Polish aviator Franciszek Jarecki is also included in the leaflet.
No Kum-Sok.jpg

노금석 盧今錫 No Kŭm-sŏk. Information presented on www.nationalmuseum.af.mil is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested.

A photo from www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.
Check Awarded to No Kum-Sok.jpg
The $100,000 Check Awarded to No Kum-Sok as a reward to bring MiG-15 to South Korea in 1953.