by Priam Nepomuceno | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Philippine Army (PA) is committed to upgrading its Aviation Regiment to ensure that it is capable of supporting ground units in dealing with various security threats.
“The PA leadership will push down mission-essential equipment to Army units nationwide. Rest assured, the command is committed to upgrading the Aviation Regiment into a modern and capable unit that will assist our ground forces in dealing with a multitude of threats,” Army commander Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a statement Wednesday night (Jan. 19).
He made this commitment after Aviation Regiment commander Col. Andre Santos and two rotary-wing pilots of the unit paid him a courtesy call at the PA headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Tuesday (Jan. 18) morning.
The pilots are R-44 pilot-in-command, Capt. Pearl Esher Taladro, and co-pilot, 1st Lt. Tynnel Jonden Bañas.
They visited during their first long-range flight aboard their R-44 Raven training helicopter, which took off from Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, and landed at the PA headquarters.
After their courtesy call, the officials and pilots flew from the Army headquarters to Fort Magsaysay for another training flight.
On Tuesday afternoon, Army aviators conducted a separate flight mission from Nueva Ecija to Taguig.
These flights are part of the continuing skills enhancement of PA rotary-wing aviators. (PNA) – bny