Paddy Mendis
| Paddy Mendis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1933 Hikkaduwa, Ceylon |
| Allegiance |
 Sri Lanka
|
| Service/branch |
 Sri Lanka Air Force
|
| Years of service | 25 years |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Unit | No. 2 (Transport) Squadron, RCyAF |
| Commands held | Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force |
| Battles/wars | 1971 JVP Insurrection |
| Other work |
Chairman, Air Ceylon; Chairman, Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka |
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.
The son of a doctor, Mendis was educated at S. Thomas' College. He joined the newly formed Royal Ceylon Air Force as its fifth recruit as an Cadet Officer. On 8 August 1951, Mendis and Cadet Officer D. De S. Seneviratne were sent to Britain for their training at RAF College Cranwell. After graduating on 6 April 1954, Mendis specialized in De Havilland Vampires until he returned home.
When the government decided to deploy more transports instead of the Vampires, Mendis trained for Airspeed Oxfords 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.
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