The Air Force needs to fly

The crash on Thursday of an Air Force UH1-H helicopter  on a hillside in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija, has revived two major issues concerning the country’s air assets. One is the airworthiness of our military aircraft and the other is the capability of the Air Force to defend Philippine skies from intruders. The two are intrinsically linked. The condition of the military’s planes determines how many of them can be sent up to intercept and destroy aerial invaders.

The issue of airworthiness has surfaced because of insinuations that the ill-fated chopper was way past its prime that it was flying far beyond its serviceable limits. The Huey, as the UH1 is fondly called, had proven itself in the Vietnam War as a versatile and dependable combat aircraft. But that was more than three decades ago. The Hueys that still fly today must have already logged thousands of air miles and have become vulnerable to the wear and tear that assaults any machine.