Above Gwangju , South Korea ( CNN ) -- `` I feel the need ... the need for speed ! '' Those infamous words spoken by Maverick and Goose in the movie `` Top Gun '' enter my head as I walk across the tarmac to the fighter jet that I will soon fly in . With my helmet in hand and dressed in a pilot 's jumpsuit , I look the part as I prepare for my maiden flight in South Korea 's latest fighter jet -- the T-50 jet trainer . But I 'm feeling anxious and slightly nauseous , and for good reason . The week before , the South Korean Air Force had put me through a rigorous training course at the Aerospace Medical Training Center in North Chungcheong Province . But it was n't simply a case of a medical check-up and a few tests to make sure I was fit , healthy and good to fly . I was strapped into a simulator and forced to endure extreme gravitational forces for up to 20 seconds -- hardcore training that all fighter pilots must pass . I did n't just black out once but twice , so my fear was it would happen again but this time at 24,000 feet in the air . Major Young-Ho Cheon had heard about my training ordeal . The 35 year old has been a fighter pilot for the past 11 years -- fulfilling his childhood dream . `` There 's nothing to be worried about Coren . Just relax -- I will look after you . '' I 'm not worried about my pilot , I 'm worried about whether I can handle my nerves and nail the near impossible breathing technique that will stop the blood rushing from my head and causing me to lose consciousness once more . The pilots at the Gwangju airbase are all exceptionally fit . Their cardiovascular levels and core muscles are that of an elite athlete . They train in the gym every day , push weights and run countless kilometers , conditioning their bodies to endure the paralyzing G-forces ; a force that for us mere mortals feels like a house collapsing on top of you as you gasp for air . I get into the back seat of the fighter jet and the ground crew strap me in . They point out the ejection seat lever that I will have to pull if something goes wrong . `` Other than that lever , do n't touch any other buttons , '' warns one ground crewman . By this stage my mask is pumping oxygen and the pilot tells me to slow down my breathing . On the ground , in the cockpit I 'm struggling for air -- I know I 'm nervous . We soon taxi into position , the engines deafening . `` You OK Coren ? We 're ready to take off , '' Major Cheon informs me . Suddenly the roar becomes even louder and we 're speeding along the runway , and within seconds we 're in the air . We climb steadily above Gwangju , the sixth largest city in South Korea . It gets smaller and smaller until we make our way to 13,000 feet above the clouds . There are two other fighter jets traveling with us . One is carrying a film crew from the South Korean Air Force , the other is traveling as a buddy -- these jets always fly in tandem . After 15 minutes , Major Cheon pipes up , `` OK enough sight seeing , it 's time to have some fun . '' This `` fun '' includes performing an eye-popping list of textbook maneuvers -- B-roll , Loop , Cuban 8 , Immelman-Turn , Split-S , Clover Leaf , Vertical Demo and Horn Recovery -- that will test this state-of-the-art aircraft and its nervous passenger to the limit . The maneuvers begin and suddenly the pressure hits me . It 's so intense as we climb higher and higher , but unlike the training where I was n't wearing an anti-G suit to protect me from the dynamic forces , this amazing device suddenly kicks to constrict my legs and keep the blood in the top half of my body . Every time there is a strong G-force this suit blows up and quite literally saves me . I 'm seeing stars but I do n't black out . I 'm breathing deeply , clenching my body , trying desperately not to let the pain and pressure get on top of me . Suddenly we 're upside down , with a punishing 6Gs -- six times that of the normal force of gravity -- against me and all I can see is the Earth beneath me . We come out of the turn and the pilot 's voice comes through on my headset . `` Ready for 7Gs Coren ? I think you can do it . '' With his reassurance and my renewed confidence I scream through the microphone , `` Whoaaaaaaa ... let 's do it ! '' We thrust higher into the heavens and the jet feels likes it 's vertical -- because it is -- and within seconds we 're at 24,000 feet . `` Here we go , '' Major Cheon suddenly warns . And with that the jet twists and turns in ways I never thought were possible . I 'm groaning in the backseat , the G-forces at this stage are so painful they feel like they 're crushing my body . And then suddenly they release me and the pain is over . We 're in the air for an hour -- an hour of my life filled with pain and ecstasy . An hour of life I will never forget .
CNN 's Anna Coren flies in the South Korean Air Force 's latest fighter jet . She completed the mandatory training course that tested her body to the limit . The air force pilots have to be exceptionally fit to endure the gravitational stress . Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos:Photos: Women who fly for Korea Air Women who fly for Korea Air –