Qurin Kim undertook his pilot training for the German Air force in the USA in 1980/81. He became an F-4F pilot at the 74th Fighter wing in Neuberg, Germany progressing to an instructor pilot and fighter weapons instructor and then for 5 years he was the Operations Officer for the 74th wing.
In 1993 he was appointed Project pilot and German Air Force representative on the International Experimental Project X-31 at the NASA Dryden Test Centre.
He served a further 5 years in the air force before leaving to work for EADS.