The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Open House returns to Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) after a hiatus of five years and this year there will be two female fighter pilots participating in the aerial displays. One will fly the F-16C while the other lady is a qualified F-15SG fighter pilot from 149 Squadron. We were lucky enough to speak to Capt. Nah Jinping during a preview of the show on May 17.
Capt. Nah is a 10 year veteran of the RSAF with more than 400 flying hours under her belt. This includes over 300 hours in the F-15SG. She holds the distinction of being the first and only woman F-15SG fighter pilot. When asked why she had chosen to fly the F-15SG after earning her fighter pilot wings, “an affinity,” she smiled.
Jinping did not envision herself becoming a fighter pilot while growing up. Her dream was to pursue a university education aboard and she decided that a scholarship was needed to achieve that aim. One day she went to a mall in the heart of Singapore city to explore her options at a career fair. Life as a teacher with the Ministry of Education was boring for her, and being a Foreign Service officer with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not her cup of tea either. It was the third stop at the Ministry of Defense that caught her attention. Luck was with the RSAF as the first person she spoke to was an Air Force pilot. Being an outdoor enthusiast, the training to become a military pilot sounds adventurous to her. And she was sold on the idea after a joy ride aboard a Singapore Youth Flying Club DA-40 over the island later.
Four years of her military life was spent pursuing studies in the United Kingdom and United States. She then went on to fly the Northrop T-38 Talon with the United States Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command (AETC) after graduating with a masters degree. Although she got her choice to fly the Boeing F-15SG, Jinping had actually wanted to become a helicopter pilot, her initial choice was another Boeing aircraft – the CH-47D Chinook twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. By becoming a helicopter pilot, she will be able to participate in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions that Singapore had been called upon to support over the years, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami which left a deep impression on her.
However, as she underwent her nine-month Basic Wings Course at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base in Western Australia, it became clear to her that she was destined for the fighter pilot track and she worked hard to win a spot in the Fighter Wings course.
The RSAF Open house will be held from May 19 to 22 and it will be opened to the public on May 21 and 22. There will be two aerial displays each day and Jinping will be flying as a wingman in the morning sessions on the 19th and 20th and during the afternoon sessions on the 21th and 22nd. Not only will she be the first woman F-15SG jock to perform at an open house, she will have the honor of being the last fighter pilot to land when the display ends on Sunday afternoon.
We thank Capt Nah for her time and wish her safe landings for the next four days!