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MANILA, Philippines — A recent crash involving an SF-260 trainer aircraft has disrupted the final phase of military pilot training, with the Philippine Air Force (PAF) temporarily suspending flights of the trainer fleet while an investigation continues, an official said on Tuesday.
PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Christina Basco said the affected trainee pilots were nearing the end of their program and were carrying out long-range navigation flights, a culminating requirement in military pilot training.
“These students are already towards the end of their training,” Basco said during a briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. “The long-range navigation flight is already a sort of culmination of their military pilot training.”
The PAF has grounded its remaining 16 SF-260 Marchetti trainer aircraft following the crash of one of the planes in Benguet that killed two pilots during a training mission.
