Squadron Leader Philip Philip has been on the strength of an Operational Squadron since May 1967. He is an experienced transport Pilot and a flying instructor and has flown over 4,950 accident free hours. Of these, 1,572 hours were on operational missions over mountainous terrains. Beside his normal flying duties, he has made an outstanding contribution as the Squadron Training Officer, in successfully converting a large number of pilots on to the type of aircraft with which his Squadron is equipped. In addition, he has been responsible for raising the Squadron categorization status and the percentage of his aircrews holding valid categories has doubled in a little over a year. Largely as a result of this, the Squadron has been able to meet all its operational commitments. In February 1969 when no information about a rowing boat which was in the Bay of Bengal was forthcoming, Squadron Leader Philip Philip embarked on a search and rescue mission. Although the capability of his aircraft for maritime reconnaissance was limited he successfully traced the boat in about two hours. Having located the boat, he guided a pilot vessel towards the boat, and continued circling to ensure that the pilot vessel reached it. On three occasions while carrying out operational flights, his aircraft suffered airborne emergencies. On each occasion, he took prompt action and brought the aircraft back to safety. |