Patricia Yapp Syau Yin facts for kids

Patricia Yapp Syau Yin is a brave and skilled pilot from Malaysia. She is famous for being Asia's very first female pilot to fly a powerful MiG-29 fighter jet! She also teaches other pilots how to fly.

Patricia Yapp's Amazing Journey

Major Patricia Yapp Syau Yin flying with the "Smokey Bandits" team at the 2012 Singapore Airshow.

Patricia Yapp grew up in a place called Sandakan, in Sabah, Malaysia. She became interested in flying because her older brother was a pilot. At first, her father was not sure about her plans to become a pilot.

After finishing high school, Patricia moved to Kuala Lumpur to study law at university. But in 1997, during her second year, she secretly applied to join the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) as a cadet. When she passed the first tests, she told her parents. They were very proud and supported her new dream!

Becoming a Fighter Pilot

In 2000, Patricia graduated with a diploma in Aeronautical Engineering. This means she learned a lot about how airplanes are built. After more flight training, she became a pilot in 2002. She chose to become a fighter pilot, which is a very challenging job!

For four years, she flew Aermacchi MB-339 aircraft. These are fast training jets. Later, she joined the No. 17/19 Smokey Bandits Squadron. This team flies the incredible MiG-29N Fulcrum jets. These jets are used to control the skies.

Patricia also showed off her amazing flying skills in air shows. She performed cool aerobatic displays, like at the Singapore Airshow in 2012. In January 2014, she became a flight instructor. This means she could teach new pilots how to fly these powerful aircraft.

Life and Further Studies

In 2010, Patricia married another pilot named S. Thayala Kumar Ravi Varman.

After teaching new pilots for some time, Patricia decided to study even more. She went to Australia National University (ANU) and earned a Master's degree in Military and Defence Studies in 2018. She did very well, earning a special honor called "distinction."

After her studies, Patricia worked at the Air Education and Training Command. Here, she helped create basic training programs for the RMAF. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped make new rules and guides for training schools. Later, she moved to the Strategic and Operations Division. In this role, she helped plan and manage air exercises with other countries.