The Tuesday maiden mission of the Philippine Air Force's
(PAF) first ever Airbus Military C-295 medium transport aircraft, which
involves ferrying supplies to Mactan and Palawan ,
ended very successfully and without any hitch.
This was stressed by PAF spokesman Lt. Col. Enrico Canaya in
a message to the PNA.
The first of three C-295 aircraft of the Air Force was
commissioned during simple ceremonies at Villamor Air Base, Pasay City last
March 30.
The contract signed in 2014 is worth Php5.29 billion.
Canaya said C-295 with tail number 129 departed from
Villamor Air Base for Brig.Gen. Benito Ebuen Air Base (formerly Mactan Air
Base) 8:29 a.m. Tuesday.
It arrived there at 10:17 a.m. and was greeted by officers
and enlisted personnel of the 220th Airlift Wing, the PAF unit based there.
Incidentally, the 220th Airlift Wing is the outfit which
will operate and maintain all C-295s acquired for the Air Force.
"(All) 220th Airlift Wing personnel lined-up to welcome
their new air asset," Canaya said.
After unloading its cargo, the aircraft departed for Antonio
Bautista Air Base in Palawan Tuesday afternoon
and arrived there at 4:22 p.m.
Its mission was to transport military personnel there to Manila
"They were the lucky few to ride in this new aircraft
in its first operational flight," the PAF spokesman stressed.
The C-295 returned Villamor Air Base and landed at exactly
9:50 p.m. to complete its maiden mission.
Major Thorsten Bautista was the pilot-in-command and Capt.
Vic Anthony Robles as his co-pilot.
The first female pilot trained in the C-295, Capt. Geraldine
Abigail Matienzo, flew the same day but in different aircraft, the Fokker F-27
to Mindanao .
She is "dual current," or qualified to fly the
C-295 and F-27.
Training for the first batch composed of four PAF pilots and
24 maintenance crew was done in Seville, Spain and was completed last March 10.
"Succeeding training for pilots will continue this year
in anticipation of the delivery of two more C-295s," Canaya said.
The first C-295 arrived at Clark Air Base, Pampanga in the
afternoon of March 22.
Its arrival is five months earlier than the scheduled August
delivery date.
The two remaining planes are expected to be delivered in the
last quarter of 2015.
The C-295 is categorized as medium lift aircraft equivalent
to the Fokker F-27 aircraft being maintained by the 220th Airlift Wing, the
C-295s have rear ramp door similar to that of the C-130s for easier access and
loading/unloading of passengers and cargoes.
It can carry as much as 71 passengers, 50 paratroops, 24
stretchers with five to seven attendants or up to about 20,000 lbs of cargoes.
It is capable of short field landing and takeoff and has a
top speed of 358 miles per hour.
The aircraft departed from Seville , Spain
It was flown into the country by civilian pilots and crew of
Airbus Military.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=10&sid=&nid=10&rid=749555
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