Aerospace agency closed. No plane in 45 years

[Jollygoodfellow]

Oh boy. What have they done for 45 years?  

Aerospace agency in the Philippines to be shut down as no plane design in 45 years

 

The agency responsible for aerospace development in the Philippines is being shut down for not having manufactured a single useful aircraft in its almost 45 years of operation.

"They are supposed to design a plane. It's been 45 years already and they have not designed a plane yet," Philippines' Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said.

The Philippine Aerospace Development Corp (PADC) was founded in 1973, and is supposedly responsible for the "design, assembly, manufacture and sale of all forms of aircraft.

In the 1980s, the state-run aerospace agency participated in the creation of the first and only prototype of a Philippine light aircraft, the PADC Defiant 300.

With a fuselage made of wood and fibreglass and a Lycoming engine of 300 horsepower, the PADC Defiant 300 made a test flight in 1987, although the project was finally abandoned due to lack of state funding.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the PADC also developed the PADC Hummingbird helicopter prototype, which was considered a copy of Eurocopter's MBB Bo 105, but the project was also discarded as too lengthy and expensive.

 https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/100229945/Aerospace-agency-in-the-Philippines-to-be-shut-down-as-no-plane-design-in-45-years

[scott h]

would love to see a list of employees over the years, I bet it reads as a whos who of college educated sons of the countries leading families 

[Happyhorn52]

No doubt they employ some of the best and brightest that the Philippines has to offer. 

[scott h]

2 minutes ago, Happyhorn52 said:

some of the best

as shown by the number of front line fighter jets or passenger airlines....oh wait sorry, you were kidding 

[Mike J]

Their website is no longer working but they do have a Facebook page.  While they were not able to design any planes in 45 years, it looks like they put together a respectable volleyball team.  Maybe they had to spend so much time with volleyball practice they did not have time to create any new planes?   Anyway, it is good to know that the taxpayer money was not wasted.    Sounds like a great place to have worked.  I imagine the current employees will be able to find other employment considering their experience and skills, especially if the volleyball team had a winning record.