First T-50 Class Graduates

The first group of Republic of Korea Air Force student pilots schooled on the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer completed flight training on 31 October. The twelve pilots were taught by instructors from the ROKAF’s 203rd Squadron located at Gwangju AB near the southwestern tip of the Korean peninsula. The 203rd is the world’s first T-50 training unit. Two of the newly minted pilots will go to the F-16 operational conversion unit, while the other ten will go through F-5 upgrade training. According to data released by the ROKAF, T-50 pilots recorded a thirty-eight percent higher capability in actual flight tests compared to the pilots in the same class trained on the T-38.