Queen Suthida of Thailand has become the world’s first Queen to train as a fighter jet pilot. With over 1,188.48 hours of flight time, Her Majesty has an “exceptional aptitude for aviation.” Details below.
Queen Suthida is history-making in many ways. She is the first commoner to be Queen of Thailand, for one. This week, Suthida added to a list of accomplishments, with this one being very special. She has become the first Queen to pilot a fighter jet.
From mid-August to early October, Queen Suthida made multiple private visits to Wing 7 — the principal operating base for Thailand’s Gripen 39 C/D fleet — to train on the L-39 advanced jet trainer as part of the Gripen Fighter Flight-Training Programme.
The Queen completed her training and has today made her first solo flight with King Vajiralongkorn in attendance.
On Thursday, Their Majesties first visited the Wing 7 operations building, where they received a briefing on the Queen’s flight plan. Afterwards, the King and Queen proceeded to the Gripen hangar to observe Suthida conducting a pre-flight inspection of the JAS 39 C Gripen.
The Queen then taxied the Gripen fighter jet to Runway 22 to commence the solo flight. Afterwards, the Queen disembarked, and the King presented a bouquet of flowers in congratulations and affixed the “Gripen Order Golden Patch”—a prestigious gold-embroidered emblem awarded to those who have flown the JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet—to Her Majesty’s flight suit.
Photo: Royal Office of Thailand
Queen Suthida began flying on 13 May 2010 in a T-41D aircraft with Squadron 604, Wing 6. Her flight hours across various aircraft types are as follows:
- Cessna T-41: 315.33 hours
- CT-4E Airtrainer: 38.35 hours
- Pilatus PC-9: 105.59 hours
- Mooney M-20M: 98.40 hours
- Piper PA-34 Seneca: 137.50 hours
The Queen has also flown the Royal Boeing 737, accumulating 27.09 hours on the Boeing 737-400 and 453.11 hours on the Boeing 737-800. Before flying solo today in the JAS 39 C Gripen, Her Majesty had logged 10.13 hours in the two-seat JAS 39 D Gripen. Her total flight time across all aircraft types amounts to 1,188.48 hours.
The Bureau of the Royal Household notes that Queen Suthida’s exceptional aptitude for aviation has long been evident to both the Thai public and the international community. Her Majesty stands as a cherished icon of the nation, alongside the King — the Commander-in-Chief of the Thai Armed Forces.
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