Paddy Mendis
Encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal
Deshamanya
Paddy Mendis MBIM, idc, psc, SLAF ( 1933 – ) was the fourth Commander of the Royal Ceylon Air Force
from 1971 to 1976.
. He joined the newly formed Royal Ceylon Air Force as its fifth recruit as an Cadet Officer. On August 8, 1951, Mendis and Cadet Officer D. De S. Seneviratne were sent to Britain for their training at RAF College Cranwell. After graduating on April 6, 1954, Mendis specialized in De Havilland Vampire
s until he returned home.
s and later took command of the newly formed No. 2 (Transport) Squadron
. Later he would become a Flying Instructor and command the Royal Ceylon Air Force Flying School. Graduating from Defense Services Staff College
, Wellington, India he was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer at Air Force Headquarters and in 1968 he attended the Imperial Defence College in London. Upon his return in 1969 he was made Chief of Staff, and was later made Commander of the Air Force in January 1971.
Three months later, the RCyAF was mobilized for combat for the first time when the 1971 JVP Insurrection began. Though unprepared for a full-scale insurrection, with limited aircraft, under Mendis' command, the air force responded effectively. At first, it carried out troop and supply transport to stations under attack, then it turned to ground attacks. The insurrection was brought under control in two months. Following the insurrection, military spending was drastically cut as a result of major economic problems faced by the country . As a result, Mendis was forced to create Helitours
with Air Force planes and pilots to finance the operation of the Air Force.
One of his major contributions to the Air Force was the creation of the current management structure of the air force , including the broad of management. He established the Air Force Academy at SLAF China Bay for officer training locally and the Electronic Maintenance and Training school at SLAF Ekala, Trade training School at SLAF Katunayake for ground crew training. He retired from service in 1976 as an Air Marshal
.
; Commissioner General, Civil Defence and Aviation; member, Reserve Affairs Council and Chairman, Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka.
For his service to the country he was awarded the title Deshamanya
from the Government of Sri Lanka and in 2007 he was promoted to the rank of Air Chief Marshal
along with 9 other former service chiefs.
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Deshamanya
Deshamanya
Deshamanya is the second highest Sri Lankan national honour awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a civil honour.It is conventionally used as a title or prefix to the awardee's name....
Paddy Mendis MBIM, idc, psc, SLAF ( 1933 – ) was the fourth Commander of the Royal Ceylon Air Force
Commander of the Air Force (Sri Lanka)
The Commander of the Air Force is the professional head of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The current Commander of the Air Force is Air Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama since 2011...
from 1971 to 1976.
Early life and education
The son of a doctor, Mendis was educated at S. Thomas' CollegeS. Thomas' College
The College of St Thomas the Apostle, popularly known as "S. Thomas' College", is a private Anglican school providing primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka...
. He joined the newly formed Royal Ceylon Air Force as its fifth recruit as an Cadet Officer. On August 8, 1951, Mendis and Cadet Officer D. De S. Seneviratne were sent to Britain for their training at RAF College Cranwell. After graduating on April 6, 1954, Mendis specialized in De Havilland Vampire
De Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
s until he returned home.
Career
When the government decided to deploy more transports instead of the Vampires, Mendis trained for Airspeed OxfordAirspeed Oxford
The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a twin-engine aircraft used for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery during the Second World War.-Design and development:...
s and later took command of the newly formed No. 2 (Transport) Squadron
No. 2 Squadron SLAF
No. 2 "Heavy Transport" Squadron is a squadron of the Sri Lanka Air Force. It currently operates the C-130 Hercules and Antonov 32 from SLAF Ratmalana.-History:...
. Later he would become a Flying Instructor and command the Royal Ceylon Air Force Flying School. Graduating from Defense Services Staff College
Defense Services Staff College
The Defence Services Staff College is an inter-service institution of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of India.It trains officers of the all three Indian Armed Forces which are the and officers from friendly foreign countries for command and staff appointments.-History:One of the oldest...
, Wellington, India he was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer at Air Force Headquarters and in 1968 he attended the Imperial Defence College in London. Upon his return in 1969 he was made Chief of Staff, and was later made Commander of the Air Force in January 1971.
Three months later, the RCyAF was mobilized for combat for the first time when the 1971 JVP Insurrection began. Though unprepared for a full-scale insurrection, with limited aircraft, under Mendis' command, the air force responded effectively. At first, it carried out troop and supply transport to stations under attack, then it turned to ground attacks. The insurrection was brought under control in two months. Following the insurrection, military spending was drastically cut as a result of major economic problems faced by the country . As a result, Mendis was forced to create Helitours
Helitours
Helitours is a domestic airline in Sri Lanka operated by the Sri Lanka Air Force with aircraft not required for operational use.- History :The service started in 1972 as an idea of Air Martial Mendis to cater to the tourist. By the end of 1972 Helitours was flying to Male also...
with Air Force planes and pilots to finance the operation of the Air Force.
One of his major contributions to the Air Force was the creation of the current management structure of the air force , including the broad of management. He established the Air Force Academy at SLAF China Bay for officer training locally and the Electronic Maintenance and Training school at SLAF Ekala, Trade training School at SLAF Katunayake for ground crew training. He retired from service in 1976 as an Air Marshal
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
.
Later work
After retiring he went on to work as Chairman, Air CeylonAir Ceylon
Air Ceylon was the flag carrier airline of Sri Lanka from 1947 until 1978, when it was replaced by Air Lanka.- History :...
; Commissioner General, Civil Defence and Aviation; member, Reserve Affairs Council and Chairman, Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka.
For his service to the country he was awarded the title Deshamanya
Deshamanya
Deshamanya is the second highest Sri Lankan national honour awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a civil honour.It is conventionally used as a title or prefix to the awardee's name....
from the Government of Sri Lanka and in 2007 he was promoted to the rank of Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
along with 9 other former service chiefs.