"Flying 240 Hours for a Departed Colleague"… Air Force's Top Pilot Honors Fallen Peer

Major Kim Seon-gyeong of the 11th Combat Wing... Awarded the Presidential Citation

Major Kim Seon-gyeong (37), an F-15K combat mission pilot belonging to the 11th Fighter Wing, was selected as the '2023 Best Pilot' and received a presidential citation.

Major Kim Seon-gyeong, selected as the Air Force's top pilot, is giving a thumbs-up in front of an F-15K fighter jet. (Photo by the Air Force)

According to the Air Force on the 21st, the Air Force evaluates the best pilots annually based on a comprehensive assessment of flight experience, number of operational missions, work and award records, flight and ground safety, and physical fitness. This concept is broader than the term 'Top Gun,' which refers to the winner of the aerial shooting competition and a top fighter ace.

Major Kim flew 240 hours last year to protect the airspace, which the Air Force explained is a flight time achievable only by flying almost every day except holidays.

Major Kim said, "When my beloved comrade, the late Major Kim Ju-young, passed away from cancer last year, I promised to fly harder on behalf of him as a pilot," adding, "Like many families, I cannot spend much time with my wife and daughter, so I always feel sorry and grateful to them."

At the award ceremony held at the Air Force Hotel that day, Major Kim was also selected as the first recipient of the Kim Shin Award presented by the Kim Shin General Memorial Association. The Kim Shin Award was established to honor the life and spirit of General Kim Shin, the 6th Chief of Staff of the Air Force and the second son of Baekbeom Kim Gu. Majors Kim Ju-ho (35), Lee Sang-beom (36), and Jung Tae-young (35) were selected as the best pilots in their respective fields and received the Minister of National Defense citation and a prize of 1 million won each. Twenty-three outstanding pilots by aircraft type, including combat mission aircraft, air maneuvering aircraft, training aircraft, and helicopters, as well as two outstanding pilot military personnel, received citations from the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

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