The Philippine Air Force (PAF) does not see the need to temporarily stop its air formation training despite the SF260 mid-air collision in Batangas that resulted in the death of four pilots last Friday.

"No. Because that is a core competency of the Air Force. It's like saying, 'Because someone got hit by a bullet, let's stop firearm training.' Right?," Col. Alvin Jay Capinguian, PAF spokesman, explained in a press conference with Defense reporters on Tuesday.

"It is a core competency of the Philippine Air Force. And it is a required skill. That's why we always have to practice," he added.

Capinguian noted that "formation flying is inherently dangerous."

"Like what the Secretary of National Defense has repeatedly articulated, one of the core competencies of military pilots is formation flying. Formation flying is inherently dangerous. That's why it's only being done by military pilots," he said.

Capinguian assures that the training of the PAF students will not be affected despite the grounding of the SF260 aircraft following the incident during the training flight in Fernando Air Base in Lipa.

"For students at the Philippine Air Force flying school, they are not affected because currently, they do not have any flight lessons," he said.

"At the flying school, there are two types of aircraft, SF-260, and that is the basic aircraft, and then the primary aircraft is the T-41 Delta, the military version of the Cessna 172. If one aircraft is grounded, their lesson can also shift to the other aircraft," he added.

Capinguian said all of the possible angles are being looked into during the ongoing investigation.

He also noted that the PAF aircraft "are well within their airframe operating hours, and they still have several years of operation to go" amid criticism over the SF260 fleet age. Robina Asido/PHS