[Speed3]

The Star Newspaper today:-

First female fighter pilot hopes to inspire other women

LANGKAWI: When she was young, her parents wanted her to become a piano
teacher.

But Patricia Yapp Syau Yin was bent on becoming a pilot and pursued her dream.

Today, Kapt Yapp, 31, is Malaysia's only female fighter pilot and hopes to
inspire other women to follow in her footsteps.

“Many women are afraid to even think of becoming a pilot, for fear of
having to endure the gruelling physical training.

“Actually, flying is not judged by muscle strength. It is more of mental
preparedness and determination,” she said in an interview at Lima 2007
yesterday.

Kapt Yapp, from Sandakan, Sabah, said she was first inspired when her elder
brother Ignatius, 33, joined Malaysia Airlines as a pilot when she was 16
years old.

“My fellow pilots as well as commanding officer Kol Lim Thian Hu from our
RMAF 17th Squadron in Kuantan constantly encouraged me to keep on going,”
she said.

Kapt Yapp, who has been the air force for 11 years, said she hoped to
become a display pilot, participating in aerial displays shows, such as at
Lima.

“I hope to take after my superior, Mejar Sebastian William, who led a
three-man team in this year’s tactical aerial display at Lima,” she said.

She said she started training with a small MD-3 aircraft and later
progressed to bigger planes, such as the PC-7 and Aermacchi MB339A.

She has piloted the MIG-29 and now wants to fly the Sukhoi SU-30MKM which
the Government purchased recently.

Kapt Yapp said her duties at Lima 2007 were to oversee operations at her
team’s safety office as well as do the ground handling at the static
display area.

“Hopefully, I can become the country’s first woman display pilot by Lima
2009,” she said.

Is she the first female fighter pilot in Malaysia? Anyway we should all be
proud of her!

[wmng]

huh? i tot alot of female pilot lio? maybe is true the 1st fighter
pilot.. heheheh...

by the way congrate to malaysia..

[PrimaxPlus]

is she hot?

[DAV2277]

we possibly will lost her when she started to fly with NURI...
remember.....

[Hino3]

Cannot be better than the passenger ass can nought.
Unknow HERO.

[cygnus]

Well, this is a real pilot unlike.....

[miesten]

wrong!!!! there are other female fighter pilot before her, who had piloted
the A-4PTM and Hawk 108.

[MyOne]

did she wear the back seat belt?