Park Ki-hyun achieves first 10,000-hour accident-free flight record in ROK Navy

Park Ki-hyun, a flight instructor at the Republic of Korea Navy Aviation Command's 609th Training Squadron, has achieved the Navy's first record of 10,000 accident-free flight hours. The milestone was reached on May 23 during a training flight at the Mokpo base.

Park began his career as a Navy helicopter pilot in 1992. Over a 34-year career, he served 19 years and 6 months as an active-duty officer before transitioning to a flight instructor role in 2011. During his tenure as an instructor, he has trained a total of 378 pilots from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.

Maintaining such a record is considered particularly challenging due to the complexities of maritime flight, which involves unpredictable weather conditions like sea fog, a lack of visual landmarks, and the requirement to fly at low altitudes and slow speeds. Park has operated various aircraft, including the Bell-505, UH-60, and UH-1H.