Youngmin Yoon is from South Korea started his Private pilot training in March 2019, and currently is in the commercial course. Read more about his experience at HAA.
- Why do you want to be a pilot and what’s your dream job?
It is very exciting for me to fly in the airplane and fly in the sky, and it will be great to be doing it as my job. I would like to be a commercial airline pilot in Korea.
- What can a potential student expect when starting school?
They can expect excitement. My first flight was really exciting and fun! However, they also need to expect that there is hard test in every stage, so they need to study and work hard. - What is the daily time commitment to becoming a pilot?
About two or three hours before flight, I do chair flying and imagine what my lesson will be like, and also I make sure to check the weather before flight. After flight, I reviewed what I did today and think about what I need to improve to get better next lesson. Last but not least, getting enough sleep and eating well are very important! - What is your favorite part of the training at Hillsboro?
I like the different weather conditions that allow us to have experience in those. Also, the flight instructors are very proficient and I like the school’s good and safe environment. Very nice staff overall. We also have in-house maintenance who takes care of our aircraft. The airport is not too busy making radio communication a lot easier to understand, since it would be hard for initial course students to learn. Nice runway! - Why did you choose Hillsboro?
The main reason is because of the internship and practical training opportunity for international students as a flight instructor to build my flight time after my training course. I heard that I can experience different weather conditions, and get more experience flying in those different weather. - What are some of the biggest challenges when learning to fly?
My biggest challenge was radio communication. I recorded voice every flight and listened to it after flight and try to understand what the ATC said and try to improve next time. I recommend potential students to check liveATC.net and listen to the radio communication before starting flight training to get familiar with the radio communication. English was also a challenge for me and I try to watch news and TV series to improve my listening skills. - Outside of school, what does Oregon offer as far as social life?
Oregon is close to Seattle, about three hour drive, so I wish to visit there when I have time and I also want to visit the Boeing museum. Oregon doesn’t have sales tax, so I bought electronics that are much cheaper than in Korea!