Korean Army appoints first female helicopter pilot instructor

Korean Army appoints first female helicopter pilot instructor. December. 05, 2016 07:10. by Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com. The Republic of Korea Army has appointed Korea’s first female helicopter pilot. According to the army on Sunday, Warrant Officer Jeong Eun-hee (37), a helicopter pilot of the 2nd Aviation Brigade under the Aviation Operations Command, got a pilot instructor license late last month.

Only a few as pilot instructors from certified pilots with more than 200 flying hours are selected after meeting the most rigorous requirements and satisfying all qualifications. Thus, chopper instructors are experts of piloting skills. There are about 200 veterans who are working as helicopter instructors and warrant officer Jeong is the first female instructor in Korea.

She was enlisted in the Army in 1999 as a staff sergeant and was assigned to aviation control. With a dream to become a pilot, she applied for the highly competitive pilot training program and was accepted in 2004. She had to come through a competition of 22 to 1.

Since 2006 when Jeong obtained a certified pilot license, she has been flying the UH-60 Black Hawk for more than 1,500 hours in missions ranging from aerial assault to combat support. She also completed missions such as high altitude low opening, air freight, medical evacuation, firefighting flights, and others.