PAF gets first woman fighter pilot
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has their first female fighter pilot assigned at the 5th Fighter Wing at Basa Air Base, Floridablanca, Pampanga.
Col. Maynard Mariano, PAF public affairs office chief, said 1st Lt. Jul Laiza Mae Camposano - Beran checked out as the first female AS-211 combat mission ready pilot and wingman on March 30.
"That's the day of her checkout, so that is her culmination. March 30 is her graduation so finally she was checked out by the qualified instructor pilot and she was found to be ready to be called a combat ready, combat mission ready pilot in the AS-211 (a trainer jet converted into a light combat aircraft)," he said.
Mariano said there are many female pilots that flew AS 211s but Camposano is so far the only woman pilot who is capable of participating in an air combat operation.
"The difference is actually she under(went) what we called as fighter fundamentals and combat crew training in S 211 as a prerequisite to be a fighter pilot. She is not just capable of flying the aircraft. She knows how to fight in air to air, in air to ground, air to surface in the S 211," he said.
"This is really our program of instructions for our fighter pilot and she did that and right now she will be gaining more of her time in the s211 to familiarize herself more on the role and then eventually she will transition to the FA50," he added.
A native of Tulunan, Cotabato, she belongs to Philippine Military Academy Class of 2015.
Mariano said there are two other female fighter pilots who are also set to check out or also assigned to the 5th Fighter Wing.
He added that the PAF has female pilots for attack helicopters such as MG520, AW109 and Super Tucano. Robina Asido/DMS
