2 female officers aviate airlifter

Capt. Lee Na-kyeom, left, and Capt. Oh Hyun-jin

By Kang Seung-woo

A female pilot duo flew a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft for the first time in the history of the Korean Air Force.

Capt. Lee Na-kyeom and Capt. Oh Hyun-jin of the fifth tactical airlift wing based in Gimhae, Gyeongnam Province successfully completed their flight mission of a C-130 Hercules, the Air Force said on Friday.

Since the Korea Air Force Academy started opening its doors to female cadets in 1997, no female tandem pilots have sat in the cockpits of the transport aircraft.

In 2007, another two female officers hogged headlines after piloting a CN-235, a medium-range twin-engined transport plane.

Lee, 31, who obtained a C-130 pilot certificate ― the first among local pilots ― in January 2012, was on an aid mission in 2011, when Japan was shaken by a massive earthquake and tsunami even though she was at risk of exposing herself to radiation contamination.

“It was the happiest moment of my life when I was first selected as the first female pilot for the C-130," said Lee, who has a flight record of 1,486 hours.

“I am doing my best to become a good example to junior female pilots.”

Co-pilot Oh, 27, who will marry a fellow officer and CN-235 aviator on Saturday, said, “I carry a tremendous amount of responsibility on my shoulders.”

“I will use this mission as a stepping stone to move up to another level as a pilot.”

The Air Force said female aviators will also be used more missions including counterespionage, search and overseas airborne operations like their male counterparts.

The C-130 Hercules, designed and built by Lockheed Martin, is the main tactical airlifter for the Korean Air Force for training, medical evacuation and cargo transport missions.

The plane, which measures 29.8 meters long with a 40.4 meters wingspan, is capable of carrying up to 128 passengers.