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Philippine Air Force soars on airmen's ingenuity; doing more with less!
Topic Started: Sep 30 2004, 08:46 PM (4,969 Views)
swingwing
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Benito Ebuen Air Base, Lapu-lapu City - 29 September 2004 - Air Force Chief Lt General Jose L Reyes (left) witness the blessing of four (4) UH-1H "Huey" helicopters recovered recently by the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing under the command of Brig General Pedro Ike Inserto. The helicopters are a welcome addition to the number of aircraft used for the unit’s varied missions especially Internal Security Operations (ISO). (Photo by: SSgt Bruna)

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brassballs
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Philippine Air Force soars on airmen's ingenuity

First posted 05:31am (Mla time) Aug 08, 2005
By Tonette Orejas
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A9 of the Aug. 8, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


CLARK SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE, Pampanga -- Ingenuity has done it again for the Philippine Air Force.

On Friday, amid a light drizzle, the PAF's 410th Maintenance Wing drafted back into active duty four newly restored aircraft and saved for the government about P32 million in repair costs.

The 410th's logo and its motto, "We Restore," stood in mute testimony as two battle-scarred UH-1H Huey helicopters, an SF-206M Marchetti and a Cessna 150 debuted at the wing's B-5 hangar before Lieutenant General Jose Reyes, PAF commander.

Like proud fathers, the pool of aircraft specialists responsible for plucking the aircraft out of untimely retirement stood beside their "babies." They shied away from media attention, though, preferring to be anonymous.

"They're experts at this type of work and I'm very proud of them," said Reyes after guests splashed champagne on the aircraft.

The PAF, also known in the Armed Forces of the Philippines as the "Shields in the Sky," has indeed become a master at repairs.

It's a reputation that Reyes said he was comfortable with.

"We don't have the money to buy new ones because our finances cannot really afford it," he said. "As I tell them, let's make do with what we have and utilize the ingenuity of our people."

In the PAF, it is only the 410th Maintenance Wing that undertakes depot level maintenance, the highest type of work done for any aircraft in the fleet of the AFP, said Brigadier General Fernando Manalo, wing commander.

Limited restoration

But the restoration expertise, Manalo said, was limited to Hueys, Marchettis, S-76 or Sikorsky helicopters and LC210 and T41D trainer aircraft.

The Huey 518 took two months to repair. Heavy firing by communist rebels left the chopper with 48 bullet holes during a June 10 mission in Tuba, Benguet, where it picked up wounded soldiers, ferried supplies and performed clearing fire.

Also damaged were its two rotor blades, main rotor mast tube, center and right hand aft fuel cells, fuel line hoses, engine oil return line hose, and parts of the tail boom assembly.

The Huey 775 took 42 days to overhaul its instrument radio and electrical components while the Cessna 224 required 112 parts replaced since March this year.

Like it did with other aircraft, the PAF mechanics salvaged old but serviceable parts.

"Carcasses," were how Colonel Rotillo Bautista, the wing's operations chief, described the spare parts.

Airworthy, capable

The Marchetti 627 experienced complete power failure in May 2004. Grounded since then, the trainer plane was shipped to the wing in February. Specialists identified 173 items needing replacement.

After several test flights and other tests, all four aircraft are now "very airworthy" and "mission capable," Bautista said.

"They're almost brand new," Reyes said, allaying fears of mechanical accidents.

Normally, he said, the repair of each aircraft would cost a maximum of P12 million if done abroad, including freight and insurance costs.

The repair expenditure dropped to about P4 million per aircraft through the 410th Maintenance Wing, he said.

"You can just imagine we are saving the government about 60 percent of the cost," Reyes said.

He said the restoration project brought to 45 the number of UH-1Hs in the PAF's fleet.

The newly restored Marchetti plane will be taken to the PAF flying school at Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas province.

The Cessna, Reyes said, will be used for administrative flights and delivering spare parts.

He said the PAF's restoration program began through the self-reliance development group that was initiated in 1974.

Reyes said they resort to repairs and acquisition of used aircraft to sustain the operations of the PAF, the youngest branch in the country's military service, having been organized from the Philippine Army Air Corps in 1947.

Modernization, Reyes said, would be a long shot.

He said they would need "lots and lots of money" to buy new aircraft and radar and build modern runways.

For example, he said, the 36 fighter planes the PAF needs to replace its fleet of old F5 fighter jets would cost $35 million (P1.95 billion) each. He said five air defense radars required across the country would also cost $30 million each.

"We need money not only for the AFP but for the all government agencies to be able to fully perform to people's expectations," Reyes said
:bow: :bow: :bow: :patrioticpinoy:
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saver111
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jets would cost $35 million (P1.95 billion) each. He said five air defense radars required across the country would also cost $30 million each.
:sad2:
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Justice for Daniel Lorenz Jacinto

HELP END PIRACY NOW!:
http://www.itfseafarers.org/petition.cfm
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Frenzy
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What jets are within the $35 million price range?
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GKB02
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i just remembered that the bulk of gold in the pacific ring of fire is in the philippines... what the hell are we waiting for!! dig!!!! :drunk:
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saver111
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Frenzy
Aug 8 2005, 07:35 PM
What jets are within the $35 million price range?

Try going over this thread:

http://pdff.sytes.net/index.php?showtopic=232
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Justice for Daniel Lorenz Jacinto

HELP END PIRACY NOW!:
http://www.itfseafarers.org/petition.cfm
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israeli
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if the PAF is dreaming of having F-16C/Ds or Su-30MKs, then it really has to spend at least 35 million US dollars on each aircraft. :headbang:

it seemed like the PAF has overlooked the possibility of acquiring "cheaper" priced multi-role fighter platforms such as Kfirs upgraded into the Kfir 2000/Kfir C-10 standard. i presume that each Kfir 2000/Kfir C-10 is less than 35 million US dollars. :fire: :drunk:
"To secure peace is to prepare for war." - Carl Von Clausewitz
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GKB02
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if thier planning for the future then thats :specool:
as far as i know our economy is growing. :thumb:
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Tora^2
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I wonder though, what if we buy those modified old-stock MIG29s. Mikoyan has a lot of surplus MiGs lying in the factory waiting to be sold. Why not get from there?
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JOIN UP!
POWER UP!
DO MORE MORE WITH LESS!
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GKB02
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I wonder though, what if we buy those modified old-stock MIG29s. Mikoyan has a lot of surplus MiGs lying in the factory waiting to be sold. Why not get from there?

there are more choices here :armywink:
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