Makers of the revered MiG-29 fighter plane, RAC MiG from Russia, last night paid tribute a Malaysian flying ace for his feat.

Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) 12th Squadron Commanding Officer Lt Kol Sunthon Eh Kaue is the first RMAF pilot of achieve 1,000 flying hours handling the aircraft in the country.

To RAC MiG, this is one mean feat. Sunthon's record has surpassed those made by Russian pilots.

According to Bernama , Sunthon had flew 1,400 flights before achieving the 1,000 flying hours.

Sunthon claims that it was no easy feat, adding that not even Russian pilots have clocked that many hours on the plane.

Miss the MiG-29

Hailing from Tumpat, Kelantan, Sunthon was initially attached with the 19th MiG Squadron in Kuantan for eight years before being transferred to the 12th Squadron in Butterworth recently.

He now flies the Northrop F-5E Tiger II, which he explains is an "easier" craft to handle.

"I will always miss the aircraft (MiG 29 - pic), but to be a good pilot we have to be able to handle all types of aircrafts," said Sunthon, who is already aiming to fly RMAF's next purchase - the more advanced Sukhoi Su-30.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 was conceived during the Cold War arms race.

Known for its superior agility and weapons systems, the aircraft has become an important addition to the military in North Korea, Iran, Syria, Serbia and Cuba.