from the Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, Philippines—After each successful touchdown, she would pat Huey on its side, kiss it on the nose, and whisper her thanks for another smooth flight. Giving the UH-1H chopper a buss has become a ritual for Capt. Jeannette Mabalo, the first Philippine Air Force (PAF) female instructor and test pilot of the Cebu-based 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing (THW), the military unit that operates the Hueys. “When I was still a newcomer, I would see fellow pilots pat or talk to the Huey after each flight. So I sort of took on the same habit,” Mabalo says. She would part with the words, “Be good.” As the PAF grapples with “pilot migration”—aces moving to lucrative slots in commercial airlines—the 31-year-old native of Zamboanga City has become one of the youngest instructors in the service. In her job, Mabalo checks the choppers to see if they are fit to fly. She gets the four-ton Huey up in the air every so often to train her underclass, fly relief missions, or rescue soldiers wounded in battlefields. It is quite a feat for someone who once struggled with motion sickness. Click here to read more.
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