BANGKOK, Thailand – Her Majesty the Queen took to the skies alone in a Gripen fighter jet on Thursday, completing her first solo flight in the aircraft at Wing 7 in Surat Thani’s Phun Phin district.

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The day began at 10am when the Queen received His Majesty the King at the wing, followed by a briefing on the flight plan. The royal couple then walked to the parking bay of the single-seat JAS 39 C Gripen, where the Queen inspected the jet before taxiing to Runway 22 for takeoff.

After she landed, His Majesty presented her with a bouquet and the Gripen Order Golden Patch. The Queen’s flying career began on 13 May 2010, when she piloted a Cessna T-41D of Fleet 604 at Wing 6 in Bangkok, and she has since logged 1,188.48 hours across various aircraft.

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She has frequently served as co-pilot for the King on domestic and international royal flights, with the couple earning praise for landing a royal aircraft at Bhutan’s Paro airport — one of the world’s most challenging approaches — in April last year.

-Thailand News (TN)