Willows Korean Aviation School

Willows Korean Aviation School (Korean: 대한인비행가양성소) was an aviation school meant to train fighter pilots for the Korean Independence Movement,[1] many of whom were members of the Korean National Association.[2] It was established on February 20, 1920 in Glenn County, California, by Korean-Americans and backed by the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai.[3] It was disestablished in April 1921.[4]

Willows Korean Aviation School

An advertisement for the school
Active	February 20, 1920 (1920-02-20)–1921
Affiliation	Korean National Association
Location	Glenn County , California , USA

Willows Flight School in the 1920s.

Taegeuk served as a roundel for training planes such as the Standard J-1.

Flight school students standing at attention.

The choice for a Korean Aviation School to be established in California was for multiple reasons including the March 1st movement, interest and financial support from the Korean American community, the impact of World War I on aviation for combat and defensive purposes, and Japan's inability to control or influence the school on US soil.[2] The financial support largely came from the first Korean-American millionaire Kim Chong Lim,[5] until his fortune was lost when a disastrous flood in October 1920 destroyed his rice fields.

Although the school lasted for a little over a year, it had gained a lot of attention[6] and trained many of the pioneers of Korean aviation, including Park Hee-sung, Lee Yong-keun, and Song Yi-kyun.[2] Two of its graduates went on to join the Republic of Korea Air Force, which recognizes the Willows Korean Aviation School as its predecessor.[2]