Major named Air Force Top Gun

Maj. Shin Kun-woo of the Air Force’s 122nd Fighter Squadron was named the Top Gun pilot for 2011, the Air Force announced Thursday.

The Air Force has named a Top Gun pilot each year since 1979. The top pilot is selected based on their performance over a period of one year.

The selection criteria include flight experience, level of professional knowledge, physical fitness and operational experience.

The pilots are also judged on their performance in live-fire drills.

According to the Air Force, Shin scored 861.2 points out of a possible 1,000 points to be named this year’s Top Gun pilot.

The Air Force added that Shin also scored the highest points in this year’s live-fire drill to be named the best pilot among those who fly F-15K fighter jets.

Shin graduated from the Korea Air Force Academy and was commissioned in 1997. Shin has been piloting an F-15K since 2007, and currently serves as a flight leader in the 122nd Fighter Squadron.

Shin has clocked 2.400 hours of flight time, including time in an F-4D, during which he received a chief of staff award, the Air Force said.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)