SURAT THANI, Thailand — October 8, 2026
His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn personally attended the first solo flight training of Her Majesty the Queen in a JAS 39 C Gripen fighter aircraft at Wing 7 in Phunphin District, Surat Thani, on October 8. The Queen received the King upon his arrival, accompanied by Air Chief Marshal Seksan Khantha, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force, Wing 7 Commander Group Captain Phasin Sombatthawi, and senior military officials.
Before the flight, the King and Queen visited the Wing 7 operations building, where the Queen’s flight plan was presented. The King then observed the Queen conducting pre-flight checks on the single-seat JAS 39 C Gripen before she taxied to Runway 22 for her solo training flight. The King watched the aircraft’s takeoff and landing as the Queen completed the scheduled training.
After the flight, the Queen disembarked from the Gripen. The King presented her with a bouquet of flowers and awarded her the Gripen Order Golden Patch, a gold embroidered insignia presented to personnel who have completed flights in the JAS 39 Gripen. The Queen then returned to Bangkok with the King.
The Queen began flying in 2010 with the Cessna T-41D and has accumulated flight experience across several aircraft types, including the Cessna T-41, CT-4E Airtrainer, Pilatus PC-9, Mooney M-20M, Piper PA-34 Seneca and Boeing 737. Before her first solo flight in the JAS 39 C, she had completed 10.13 hours on the two-seat JAS 39 D Gripen. Her total flying experience across all aircraft types was reported at 1,188.48 hours. The Queen had also served as co-pilot alongside the King during royal flights in Thailand and overseas.
The solo flight followed intensive training at Wing 7, including simulator sessions and supervised Gripen flight training conducted according to Royal Thai Air Force standards. She stayed in Surat Thani from August 20 to September 4 and again from September 25 to October 8 for the training program. The October 8 flight marked the completion of her first solo flight in the single-seat JAS 39 C Gripen.
