Philippine Air Force History

Vocabulary flashcards covering the historical milestones, significant figures, and terminology of the Philippine Air Force as presented in the PMA Cadet lecture notes.

AXEL

The Philippine Air Force initiative to Accelerate PAF with Excellence.

Military History

An account of all activities of armed forces in peace and war, providing a detailed, systematic record of a military organization or establishment.

Battle of Mactan

Occurred on 26 April 1521; the first recorded major armed encounter by indigenous people against a foreign invasion, where Chieftain Lapu-Lapu defeated Magellan.

Philippine Scouts

A para-military force created in 1901 that acted as guides in mountainous and jungle regions.

James 'Bud' Mars

The pilot who made the first powered flight in the Philippines on 21 February 1911 in a Skylark bi-plane.

Philippine National Guard (PNG)

Born in 1917 under the Philippine Signal Corps, driven by the desire to contribute to Allied war efforts and a fascination with airplanes.

Camp Claudio

Location where Curtiss opened an aviation school in late 1919.

Lt Leoncio Malinao

A pilot who made his maiden flight in 1920 and was part of the first batch of Filipino pilots to graduate.

PCAC

Philippine Constabulary Air Corp; activated in 1935 following efforts by BGEN Basilio Valdez and Governor-General Frank Murphy.

Commonwealth Act Number 1

Passed on 23 December 1935 by President Manuel Quezon, it activated the Army of the Philippines and made the Philippine Constabulary its nucleus.

PAAC

Philippine Army Air Corps; the designation given to the PCAC in 1936.

USAFFE

United States Army Forces in the Far East; the force into which the PAAC was inducted in mid-August 1941.

Lt Cesar Basa

A pilot who died on 12 December 1941 during a dogfight over Batangas Field.

Flying Infantry

A PAAC provisional battalion led by CPT Pelagio Cruz that distinguished itself in Bataan during the 'Battle of the Points' and 'Battle of the Pockets'.

Planet Party

An undercover group led by CPT Villamor under MacArthur’s Allied Intelligence Bureau that organized in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

01 July 1947

The date the Philippine Air Force was officially organized into a Major Service.

Col Edwin Andrews

The first Filipino post-war Chief of the PAAC.

HUKBALAHAP

A Communist Rebellion led by Luis Taruc from 1946 to 1950, which was the focus of an AFP anti-insurgency campaign between 1948 and 1953.

F-86 'Sabres'

The aircraft manned by the PAF during the 1963 UN Peace and Order Mission in Congo, Africa.

MV Karagatan Incident

A 1972 event where a PAF U-17 reconnaissance plane spotted a vessel carrying munitions from China intended for the communist rebellion.

Battle of Jolo

A January 1974 conflict where the PAF provided support against the MNLF.

Operation Sunrise

A 1977 operation in Leyte-Samar where PAF used BO-105 attack helicopters and UH-1H tactical heli-lifts to capture NPA areas.

Maj Danilo Atienza

An officer who died during the December 1989 coup and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor (MOV).

SOP Number 07

Standard Operating Procedure for the Management of Documents and Other Articles with Historical Value to the PAF.