Captain's Log

Fish Run....

2007-06-12T17:33:00.000Z

General aviation pilots start their career as a flight instructor, ferrying cargo or passengers, spraying chemicals, or as a fish pilot. The latter 2 are the ones I really love to do. Fish pilots often if not daily plow the 162NM Manila-Busuanga Route and would utilize every available pound and space of the plane to ferry live fish.

Busuanga is the biggest island in the Calamian group of islands and is located between the northern part of Palawan and Mindoro. It offers a rich varied marine and life and home to more than 500 species of hard and soft corals beating the Carribean which only has 60.

We departed Omni Airfield 0645 Local time on board RP-C391, a 190HP Cessna 172 with a controllable pitch propeller. Captain Alex, an ATPL holder and has flown 737s in Germany, flew with us for my route check-out to Busuanga. High cirrus clouds were present and surprised us. It is now the typhoon season here in the Philippines, and most of the clouds you will see are Cumulu-Nimbus and towering CB’s.

After the departure, we began our climb to 8500’ feet passing thru Gua-Gua, Pampangga and contacted Manila Approach. We will be passing by the IFR climb and descent area of Manila and we wanted radar traffic advisory. A jet’s wake turbulence would be futile for us soda can flyers.

Leveling off 3 Nautical miles north of Corregidor, we could already see the island of Mindoro. That’s about 40NM of visibility with high cirrus clouds and stable air. Having an ATPL holder on-board, I did my best to peg the altimeter (+/-50 feet) and desired heading (+/-5 degrees) all the way to TOD. That’s an hour and a half of straight and level flight without autopilot, real man flying on a partial instrument condition (Artifical Horizon went kaput).

We called San Jose Tower and checked in over Mamburao. The friendly controller relayed the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) regarding the new operational hours of Busuanga airport and he wanted us to call back at abeam Apo Reef. The nice American accent of the female Asian Spirit pilot, who checked in abeam Apo Reef, was the topic on the frequency. Abeam Apo Reef, we advised San Jose Tower whilst enjoying the cold temperature and the nice view of a small island surrounded by beautiful reefs below.

Captain Alex plowed this route before as a fish pilot. He knew the route very well and could still distinguish the voices of his colleagues on the radio. Approaching our TOD (Top of Descent), Captain Alex briefed me again the approach procedure. 10 nautical miles out, we started our landing checklist in preparation for landing whilst our passengers were taking pictures at the back. Runway 08 was in use and the wind was calm, I expected the runway threshold to be the only paved surface. Half of the runway is now paved and the rest is being paved for expansion. We landed a bit firm and taxied back to the ramp. Milyn and Tin ran to the nearest rest room whilst we secured the aircraft.

Criselda, Kokusnuss’ staff, greeted us in the ramp and escorted us to our ride to the hotel. The 40 minute ride from the ride didn’t bother us, the view of a dirt road, green hills and cows eased it out. The hotel staff greeted us warmly and offered us a boat tour around Coron Island.

Coron Island has seven lakes with towering limestone cliffs and boasts its white sand beeches with crystal clear water and coral gardens. We visited first the hidden “Cayangan Lake”. The hike to emerald green lake takes about 15 minutes and the exertion is well worth it. We stayed there for about an hour and a half whilst enjoying the view.

The deep waters of Cayangan Lake scarred Tin. We then transferred to CYC beach to have lunch and to allow Tin to have some fun in the water.

The boat captain offered another beach in Coron Island which is a 15 minute hop from CYC beach. Beach 91, is nicer compared to CYC beach. It has a fine white sand beach and there are plenty of fishes near the shoreline. I even enjoyed the view of a mature thunderstorm drop his power over Culion Island whilst Mai and Capt Alex were swimming. Tin didn’t want to go back in the water and opted to take pictures again.

At around 4pm local time, we headed back to our hotel and take some rest. The boat captain allowed me to drive the boat back home....

The following morning, me and Capt. Alex went to the market to buy fish. A kilo of Lapu Lapu in Coron will cost you about 60 pesos. We bought almost 10 kilos of Lapu-Lapu, talk about fish run eh…. Although we departed late due to weather, the flight back was very nice and smooth. You know what, this is the first time Milyn didn’t ask for a barf bag on the final approach. :) Too bad I had to report to work that night.... Right after we landed, I had to transition to vacation and flying mode to work mode :)

The Beach

2007-05-07T05:38:00.000Z

After logging 37 hours of overtime work, I decided to have my thin air therapy. My good friend Kozo asked me to go to Masbate because he wants to celebrate. He recently passed his Flight Instructor exam and is now waiting for his check ride. Unfortunately, I can’t go that far right now. We decided to go to Jomalig, 107 nautical miles East South East from Clark. The island is only accessible by air or by sea.

Our day started solving our weight and balance. Kozo wanted to have full tanks (42 Gallons), after an hour trying to convince him that we only need 32 Gallons (that’s including an hour and 30 minutes reserve) he finally gave in with a condition. If we don’t have 15 Gallons before departing from Jomalig, we have to go to Daet and buy fuel. I agreed and I soon asked Sir Pete to remove 10 Gallons from the tanks of 8833.

20 minutes later, we were airborne heading 106 direct Jomalig climbing to 5500’. RP-C8833 doesn’t have headphone jack for the passengers, Naru and Kevin have to wear their headsets to protect their ears. It was a usual flight and the expected clouds over Sierra Madre were present. Right after our zigzag course (dodging clouds) over Sierra Madre, we can see Polilio Island. Before descent, I briefed Kozo that I’ll be doing a low pass over the runway initially and will circle back for landing. I want to inspect the runway condition and clear any animals/people from the runway.

Jomalig has a short (570 Meter) grass runway. I also briefed Kozo that if I bounce (high or low) during landing I will push the throttle forward and will execute a go-around no questions asked. My decision to make an initial low pass was right I was able to clear the cows on the runway and a couple of grass cutters. I lined up again for landing and managed to make a smooth soft-field landing. After engine shut down, the locals started running to the airplane as if we were a celebrity hahahah. Anyway, the locals are very warm, they even volunteered themselves to cook for us since there were no restaurants in Jomalig.

We then headed to the island’s beach resort which is 5 minutes walk from the airplane. In no time we were running for the beach. We didn’t mind the sun, the water was perfect. We were enjoying the cool wave-less water and Kozo was enjoying his snorkeling on the nearby rocks. Our fish and chicken lunch was served. The owner of the resort even gave us some live sea urchins for us to taste, which Kozo and Naru refers to as “uni”.

The owner of the resort invited us for an island tour to see the nearby beach which has rows of pine trees instead of the usual coconut trees. It was a 15 minute boat ride to the said beach. Boracay’s sand is no match to the sand this beach has to offer. In-fact sands extracted and sold from Jomalig are re-labeled as Boracay’s sand. The water was very clear and the temperature was nice.

After an hour of swimming we headed back to the resort and started packing our stuff. Whilst waiting for Kozo and Naru, the owner showed us the rooms of the resort. It will only cost you 15USD per night including food in Jomalig. I’ll definitely visit this place again.

We headed back to the plane and we were airborne in less than 10 minutes heading back direct to Clark. There was a couple of CB’s en-route over Sierra Madre. At one point, I inadvertently managed to get ourselves in one big giant cloud. At first I was still ok with the aircraft, just watch your instruments. Suddenly a huge downdraft hit us, and soon turbulence banked us hard right then hard left. At that point, I know Kozo’s flying skills could deal with this situation better than me and asked Kozo to fly the plane. The word “Macho” doesn’t go hand in hand with flying. There are times you really have to hand the controls to the more experienced pilot. After 10 minutes inside the cloud and battered by updrafts, downdrafts and turbulence, the calming sight of Arayat and mostly cloudless northern Luzon appeared on the screen.

Eighteen Nautical Miles out from Clark, we were given instructions to join 02 omni from Feliciano. I even managed to land RP-C8833 smoothly, a perfect way to end a cross-country flight.

Too close for missiles.... switching to guns....

2007-04-23T13:56:00.000Z

Last Sunday, me, Jonky, Nicole and Jeff were supposed to fly to Lubang. Jeff was supposed to be my passenger, while Nicole's passenger was Jonky. Due to some unforseen events, Jeff had to go home early. Out of the blue Nicole suggested suddenly suggested Baler and borrowed my camera. I obliged and soon found myself looking for a passenger. It was sunday, all the students that were there have their own flight schedules and didn't want to go. Good thing Capt Rey didn't have a schedule and asked him if he wanted to join us.

Nicole, flying 1053 with Jonky, took off ahead of us. After 5 minutes, me and Capt. Rey aboard 8831, took-off. RP-C1053 received a new engine, and couldn't climb further than 3000'. We opted to go higher since our TAS will be faster on higher altitudes. It was a routine flight en-route to Baler. Since the other aircraft didn't climb at higher altitudes, they were forced to follow the valley en-route to Dingalan allowing us to catch up with them. From 6000' we were able to see them below us.

I radioed Nicole that I'll go closer to her and asked her to maintain altitude, heading and airspeed. Formation flight is very demanding to pilots involved, constant communication is required whilst flying the plane as precise as possible. Altitude, heading, airspeed and power setting should be nailed on the desired spot. Visibility should be excellent when trying to fly in formation. After 20 minutes of fun and pretending to be a cast in Fly Boys or Top Gun, we soon saw the beach of Baler and broke our formation.

We allowed Nicole to land first whilst we circled over the city. In less than 30 minutes we were in Bay's Inn enjoying the nice sea breeze whilst eating our lunch :)

I shall return....

2007-04-23T03:46:00.000Z

A friend of mine was back here in the Philippines for a short break. Arthur, works in Singapore and booked a flight with me. Me and Arthur loves to travel, I was with him and a couple of friends when we toured Kuala Lumpur. Our next destination, Corregidor. The island fortress is just less than 50 nautical miles south west of Clark. The last time I was at the island was two weeks ago with Kozo.

The short flight took us over GuaGua, Mt. Samat, and the oil depots at Bataan. Aside from trying to fly for the first time on a light aircraft, Arthur wanted to test his brand new SLR camera. For this trip, he managed to take more than 300 pictures. Taking a photographer with you on a flight is really worth the trip :)

After 40 minutes of flying, we started our descent to Corregidor. The island’s short and unpaved runway is located on the east end of the island. Ravine on both ends of the runway and often times winds are strong and gusty. Wind cone shifts a couple of degrees to the right then to the left with different wind velocity. Runway 08’s approach has rising terrain on the right, creating turbulence wind shear and gusts. As we were on our final approach, a nasty wind shear was thrown to us. From 55 knots (Indicated Airspeed), it dropped suddenly to 40 knots causing the stall warning to alarm. You have to be quick on the rudder and power in cases like this. I even had to prepare the week before by practicing strong crosswind touch and go’s at Omni.

Just imagine how difficult it was for the American Pilots who landed there at night time, with no lighting during World War II!!! After landing, I described how hard the landing to Arthur and quickly celebrated our second chance in life. We headed immediately to the hotel to satisfy our hungry stomachs. The buffet caused 4 USD per head and the food was great. We also booked an island tour for 8 USD.

The island tour took us around the island for two and a half hours. One would see big artilleries invested by the Americans, but was of little use during the world war. The guns faced China Sea, but the Japanese invaded the island from Bataan. The ruins were a testimony on how hard the Japanese bombarded the island.

The tour was really worth every penny. The driver even brought us back to the airport. I did my pre-flight and soon found ourselves lining up again on runway 08. Before I pushed the throttle, I recited a short prayer. Taking-off from Corregidor has almost the same risk as landing on the island. You are at a low airspeed and trying to climb as fast as you can. A nasty wind shift/wind shear/gust will be very dangerous because you are closer to the ground.

The flight back to Clark was uneventful. Omni was closed already because of the drag race and we were given clearance to land on Clark’s largest runway, 20 Left. After flying on gusty winds at Corregidor, the 12 knots quartering crosswind somehow became a walk in the park.

Art, Where's our next destination???

Market Day….

2007-04-10T04:23:00.000Z

Morning of April 8th, I picked up Milyn at Subic. She wanted to see Baguio during Easter. I arrived 30 minutes late, we were supposed to fly RP-C8832 but unfortunately the airspeed indicator went kaput. I had to switch to another aircraft and topped the tanks. Morning haze was at its worst, visibility was poor.

Subic Airport....; View of Grande Island during Final Approach to Subic

We departed from runway 07 and headed North West and followed the coastline up to Hermana Menor. Despite the haze, Milyn was still able to enjoy the aerial view of Subic, her house and the coast line. From Hermana Menor, We headed North East to Asingan and go direct to Baguio. There were clouds at 9000’ en-route to Baguio, and we were asked to join left base of Runway 09 from the South.

Clouds en-route to Baguio; Hermana Menor

Milyn was scared during our descent to Baguio, we were close to the mountain. I told her that it is normal and we were still high from the runway. After we landed and secured the aircraft, we headed to the local market to buy strawberries and vegetables. I didn’t want to get stuck at Baguio, we quickly headed back to the aircraft and departed back to Omni.

Over San Roque Dam; Milyn at Baguio to buy vegetables and strawberries

The value of an aircraft, you can have breakfast at Zambales, buy vegetables mid-morning at Baguio and still be able to eat lunch at Pampanga. ;)

The next day, I was up again with Kozo for an Instrument training flight. When is the next long weekend holiday???

Island Hopping

2007-04-10T01:49:00.000Z

The long vacation allowed me to join my friend Kozo for his long cross-country journey. We started on the 5th of April to have lunch in Mindoro. Mamburao, is in the north western tip of Mindoro and approximately 100 nautical miles south west of Manila. Kozo, now building time for his instructor license loves to fly right seat and allowed me to take the left seat. We flew RP-C8833, one of Omni’s new aircraft gave us a cruising speed of 110-115 Knots.

Punta Fuego and Nasugbu Batangas

Me and Kozo at Mamburao Airport; Puerto Galera

Calatagan airport below; Check the altimeter and the bag of chips.....

Mamburao has a long runway more than enough to accommodate a Cessna 172, Philippine Airlines used to fly in and out of Mamburao. After landing, we secured the aircraft and headed to the town. Holy week started on the 5th of April, most stores and even the public market in Mamburao was closed. We were forced to eat on the town’s hotel. The price of the food was cheap but the quality was great.

After having lunch in Mamburao, we then headed to the small island west of Manila. Corregidor was once the headquarters of the allied forces and the seat of the Philippine Government during World War II. Kindley Airfield is located on the East end of the island. This is one of the challenging airports here in the Philippines. Wind shear is often present, ravine on both ends of the runway and of course the runway is short and unpaved.

After landing, we asked for the island jeepney. En-route to the hotel the jeepney driver toured us to Malinta Tunnel and giving us some history lessons. After having a drink on the beach of Corregidor we then proceeded back to our aircraft and flew back to Omni to prepare for our next long flight.

The following day, the weather was very good. Jenny (Taiwanese) and Kozo were waiting for me for our briefing. I calculated our weight and balance, and checked the weather while Jenny and Kozo were carefully planning the route, fuel and flying time. Our flight took us over the coast of Cavite, Batangas, Mindoro and hopping straight to Panay Island.

Boracay and Carabao Island

After the 3 hours flight direct to Kalibo, we then had lunch on of the restaurants outside Kalibo Airport. We then headed to South West to Iloilo for our last stop of the day. The short flight was a bit bumpy due to the terrain and low clouds. We saw Iloilo’s new airport and landed on runway 02 with 18Knots crosswind.

Jenny and Kozo, lost in Iloilo; Jaro Church

My uncle was already waiting for us outside the airport and drove us to their house. We then toured the city. Jenny was happy to see many people outside the streets. It was a Good Friday and many people joined the processions. Kozo was amazed on the Spanish built Churches. After the tour, we had our dinner at a local restaurant. I advised Jenny to order Pancit Molo, specialty of Iloilo.

The morning after (7th of April), we started preparing for a short flight across the Island of Negros. I flew left seat this time and asked Kozo’s permission to land the aircraft in Bacolod. Approaching Bacolod, I saw Bago River, on my right and La Tondena on my 12 o’clock. Having flown countless times on both Flight Sim and Airline Flying, I know where to find the airport. A couple minutes had passed and I saw the runway on my 10 o’clock. I declared runway in-sight and prepared the aircraft for landing, wind was 030 at 12 knots runway 04 was in use. No sweat, just chop the power a later than the usual and apply a little right rudder before touch down. I managed to land the aircraft smoothly and safely.

My uncle and my cousin in Bacolod; Bacolod Airport

Again, one of my uncles was waiting for us at the ramp. We then headed to my grand mother’s house to eat lunch. They served us fresh shrimp, chopsuey and fried-chicken. After having a quick lunch, we said our goodbyes. We refueled the aircraft and were airborne heading back North.

Local Thunderstorm a few nautical miles north of Boracay; Capt Tonet and Capt Anton at work

We quickly refueled the aircraft in Calapan, Mindoro and headed back again North to Clark. We were given clearance for a straight in approach to runway 02, a very nice treat to end a very long journey. That afternoon, I saw Tonet on the ramp. He later asked me if I want to join him. At first I thought he was just asking me if I wanted a ride going out of Clark. As soon as I heard from someone that Tonet will be flying night IFR, I quickly asked Capt Tonet if I could join him. Unfortunately there was a memo released to the clark tower which prohibited us from departing from Omni after sunset. Hope to fly with you next time Captain. :)

Hmmmmm..... which jeepney should I take to go to work???

Surfer's Paradise.....

2007-04-02T06:31:00.000Z

Sorry to disappoint you guys, this was not a trip to Gold Coast, Australia (I miss Gold Coast.....). Baler, around 60 NM north east of Clark, is known to be a surfer’s haven in the Philippines. Usual summer haze blanketed the entire north Luzon, but the satellite weather image was clear of thick clouds and winds were within limits of the aircraft. We flew one of Omni's new aircraft RP-C8832, and the new engine gave us a good climb performance (700 fpm at 70 knots, full fuel, 2 pax on-board).

Despite the calm air that morning, I didn't want to relax until we've passed the inversion layer. Wind shear is a potential hazard when penetrating inversion layers. After reaching our crusing altitude, I trimmed the aircraft and started to enjoy the scenery.

Sierra Madre was covered with low clouds, but the route to Baler was clear of clouds. Baler's traffic pattern doesn't have landmarks to help you judge when to turn, I used the 45 second technique and landed on runway 05.

The waves were not big that morning, despite this few kids managed to surf. Surfing lessons in Baler will cost you around 80USD for 2 sessions. I love to try surfing one of these days, but I don't even know how to balance myself on a skateboard hehehe..

We departed from Runway 05, flew over the peach and headed to Dingalan. From Baler to Dingalan, I was constantly looking for fishermen below whilst nursing the engine. The rugged terrain on the east coast of the Philippines doesn't offer any good landing sites. It was a usual mid-day flight back to Omni, thermals tossed our light aircraft left and right. Clark tower gave us runway 20, a perfect treat coming from the North.

Next Heading... South East

2007-03-27T04:18:00.001Z

Kozo, a good friend of mine asked me to accompany him on a 3 hour journey to see one of the major tourist destinations in the Philippines. Long cross-countries are fun to fly with another pilot on-board. Your companion can act as an autopilot during cruise and can give opinions when needed. One of my roles on this flight was of-course an autopilot . We departed 7 am and headed to the Capital of the Philippines.

Our tech stop en-route to Albay was Manila. Smog enveloped the City of Manila and visibility was poor. After engine shut-down VFR closed down. SVFR is not yet allowed in Manila, if only we were flying that day 391 we could have asked for an ATC clearance for an instrument departure. We were able to depart past the hour of eleven. After taking off from runway 13 controller asked us to make a right turn to give way for the departing Cebu Pacific. After a few minutes we reported abeam south mall and headed south east.

Our route took us over Laguna Bay then to the cities of south Luzon. Leveling off at 7,500’, we could already see Alabat. Of course, there were a couple of TCU’s and CB’s en-route which kept me and Kozo busy by avoiding them. Abeam Lake Buhi, a few miles south of Naga, we started to descend. Mt. Mayon was a bit shy that day, so me and kozo decided to head to the shoreline and will just intercept radial 260 to Legazpi.

We were 20 NM on radial 240 at 3,000’ when we reported and asked for Landing clearance and instructions. Cebu Pacific’s A319 reported as well, after hearing the 5J we decided to move further away to give him room.

Mt Mayon hiding in the clouds, you can barely see it on the middle of picture...

Legazpi City, approaching runway 06

We landed on runway 06 around 2:45 PM. We need to get back ASAP, sunset was at 6:30PM. After refueling 1680 and filling our flight plan, I had a quick smoke break. In no time we were back in the air heading to the North.

RPLP

RPUY

Less than 24 hours later, me, Jenny and Kozo headed North to taste Isabela’s Pancit Cabagan.

Strawberries, Peanut Brittle, ATBP….

2007-03-05T03:56:00.000Z

During my younger years, my old man often took us to the summer capital of the Philippines. Baguio, 300KM north of Manila and 4000+ feet above sea level, often flocked by both Filipinos and foreigners during the summer season. Every time we went to Baguio, I would ask him to bring me to the airport. Both my dad and I watched PAL took-off and land and were amazed to the pilots who flew in and out of Laoakan airport. I told him back then that one day I’ll tell him how pilots do it and saw him laughing.

Fast forwarding almost two decades after, during one of the hot days of February, I decided that I should treat myself a trip to Baguio. The application my team and I have been building for months has been tested and accepted by the client. I plotted my flight plan using Google Earth (verified it against a WAC chart). God praise the software developers of this tool, after printing the Google Earth flight path all I did was get the heading.

It was a clear and cloudless morning when we departed. We climbed to 6500’ and leveled-off 4NM south of Tarlac. Headed north, passing by the towns of Paniqui, Rosales and Asingan. The cloudless sky allowed us to enjoy the view of the Lingayen Gulf and the Sierra Madre Mountain range.

Approaching San Roque Dam, I handed the camera to Kevin at the back and concentrated on flying. Laoakan airport in Baguio is one of the most challenging airports the country has to offer. The steep terrain, often covered by fog or clouds, has claimed many lives of brave pilots. Steep cliffs located on both ends of the sloping runway, and a 6000+ foot mountain is located a few nautical miles away from runway 09’s threshold. Engine failure will give you slim to nil chance of survival.

Ten Nautical miles out, I checked in at Baguio tower. A female controller answered back and asked us to report 5 nautical miles and cleared the Aboitiz’ King Air for take-off and immediate climb to FL250. A few minutes after I advised the tower that we were 5 miles out, she later cleared us to join downind for 09 and cleared us for landing.

After we landed and secured the aircraft, we went straight to Burnham Park for breakfast. Food stalls can be located north of the said park. After satisfying ourselves with grilled bangus and pork, we decided to burn the accumulated fats on our bodies by walking along Session Rd and to the local market.

Aside from the blooming flowers during summer, it is also the season of harvest for strawberries. One can purchase a kilo of strawberries for less than a hundred pesos. After buying all those strawberries and peanut brittles, I had to recalculate our weight and balance. Despite Baguio’s 5000 feet of runway, I wanted to make sure that we were still in CG range.

The flight back was very nice despite the few bumps while descending. We soon satisfied ourselves with a chocolate ice cream and strawberries. Later that evening, me and my dad met. Asked him if he still remembers the day I’ll tell him how a pilot navigates and land in Baguio. Narrated to him the view from 6500’ and soon he asked me if I saw it in Discovery channel. I saw it better than any documentary film can offer because I landed a plane there that morning.

WHY I WANT TO BE A PILOT

2007-03-02T04:45:00.000Z

WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE A
PILOT BECAUZE IT'S A FUN JOB
AND EASY TO DO. THAT'S WHY THERE
ARE SO MANY PILOTS FLYING AROUND
THESE DAYS.

PILOTS DON'T NEED MUCH SCHOOL.
THEY JUST HAVE TO LEARN TO READ
NUMBERS SO THEY CAN READ THEIR
INSTRUMENTS.

I GUESS THEY SHOULD BE ABLE
TO READ A ROAD MAP, TOO...

PILOTS SHOULD BE BRAVE SO
THEY WON'T GET SCARED IF IT'S
FOGGY AND THEY CAN'T SEE, OR
IF A WING OR MOTOR FALLS OFF...

PILOTS HAVE TO HAVE GOOD
EYES TO SEE THROUGH THE CLOUDS,
AND THEY CAN'T BE AFRAID OF
THUNDER OR LIGHTENING BECAUSE
THEY ARE MUCH CLOSER TO THEM
THAN WE ARE.

THE SALARY PILOTS MAKE IS
ANOTHER THING I LIKE. THEY MAKE
MORE MONEY THAN THEY KNOW
WHAT TO DO WITH. THIS IS BECAUZE
MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT FLYING
A PLANE IS DANGEROUS, EXCEPT
PILOTS DON'T BECAUZE THEY
KNOW HOW EASY IT IS.

I HOPE I DON'T GET AIR-SICK
BECAUZE I GET CAR-SICK AND IF I
GET AIR-SICK I COULDN'T BE A
PILOT AND THEN I WOULD
HAVE TO GO TO WORK

Aviator from down under....

2007-02-28T15:14:00.000Z

After flying for more than five hours from Laoag the day before, I decided to fly a friend of mine to Subic. Rey, a native of Cebu and studied flying in Australia, came back to the Philippines to work in Omni as an instructor. He just arrived doing the routine pattern orientation flight with Capt Bod. Pilots, they never get tired of flying.....

Our flight plan took us first to Plaridel, Bulacan. This gave him a chance to be oriented with our standard entry and exit landmarks. Exiting Clark's control zone to the south, one would have to pass by GuaGua, Pampanga. On the other hand, entry to Clark control zone from the south is via San Fernando, Pampanga. Every Omni pilot knows how to navigate to Plaridel even without a map.

From Plaridel we went straight to Subic. This former US Naval base, boasts its long runway, good beaches and good night life. Its low volume traffic and good navigational facilities makes it a haven for both VFR and IFR trainees. Light rain and a majestic rainbow greeted us before Sta. Rita. We spent a total ground time of 30 minutes and headed home. This was my first time flying with this guy and he gave me a lot of pointers. Thanks and nice flying with you captain....

A perfect excuse....

2007-02-28T08:07:00.000Z

It has been almost a year since I've flown on an executive helicopter. Sometime last summer I was at my desk on my previous job when I received an SMS message from Capt. Joy Roa.

Capt. Joy Roa, owner of Air Ads and now starting his new product Asian Air Safari, wanted me to join him to test flight one of his magnificent collections in his hangar. I've been to the said hangar many times and indeed his collection of aircrafts still amazes me.His collection of planes includes the Cessna 421 (executive twin engined aircraft bought from the Prince of Cambodia), Beechcraft Baron 58 and the Agusta 109 Power Helicopter. Aircraft were only in my dreams I'll be able to fly.

The Agusta 109, owned by one of the tycoons in the Philippines and was ferried on a Jumbo from Europe, is a twin turbine helicopter. Built for executives, has a plush cabin interior, good air-conditioning system and comes with Bose headsets to cancel the noise. It can fit 6 passengers at the back comfortably and cruises somewhere around 150Knots (almost 300KM/H). Of course, the avionics are top of the line as if one was flying an airliner.

The test flight took us around Manila Bay and to the edge of Pampanga. Cruising along Manila Bay, at 500' one can get a good view of Manila and you can see Mt. Arayat which was 80 KM away. The test flight, consisted of hover,high speed and handling tests, was completed flawlessly. In no time we were lining up on Runway 13 and landed at the Air Ads Ramp. Despite the short flight, it was a perfect excuse to get away from a boring desk job.

Pushing up North

2007-02-27T05:18:00.000Z

I invited myself last week to join a pilot schoolmate of mine who was intending to fly to Laoag. I offered him that we will split the cost to make the trip a lot more comfortable for our wallets. Jonky, son of former PAL pilot now a helicopter pilot, chose to fly the leg to the province of cigars and garlic. When I was a kid my dad brought me along to Vigan by land. Boy it was a long ride and swore to myself that one day I'll visit Region 1 on board an aircraft. Sometimes, you have to be carefull of what you wish for......

Laoag, 463 KM from Manila, 2 hours and a half on a Cessna 152 from Clark (one way), is a favorite destination of CPL students in Omni. One will find it easy to navigate to the home town of the Ilocanos. From Pangasinan, just go North and follow the scenic and breathe taking view of the shoreline.

We departed half past the hour of eight, as usual during this time of the year, and the usual summer haze blanketed the entire North Luzon. The trip would require our soda can to refuel at San Fernando on both legs. Every Omni student knows how to go to San Fernando by heart as if it was second nature. Despite the route being routine to me, up to this very day I still enjoy the view of Lingayen Gulf and the view of father's province. My old man was born in Baguio and spent his younger years in Pangasinan. Upon landing we were greeted by our own refueling crew and advised them to top the tanks while we took a few minutes rest.

As you well know it is now the start of the Senatorial campaign season here in the Philippines. We heard Chavit Singson's LET 410 over flew San Fernando proceeding to Lingayen. Then a few minutes, Archie Po's R44 landed in San Fernando to refuel and probably ferrying another politician. If anyone of the running politicians wishes to build a runway in Banawe, I'll vote for him!

When we were doing our pre-flight for the trip to Laoag, a Cessna 182 landed. It was a familiar 182, based at Air Ads Hangar. At first I thought it was Capt. Joy Roa. The 182’s friendly pilot, David, approached us and introduced himself as an Omni student before. After a few minutes of introduction, he asked me if he can make it back to Omni and have his plane fixed. His ammeter was indicating a discharge. I told him that if I were on his shoes, I'd call it a day. He didn't want to get stuck in San Fernando and drive all the way to and from Manila to get another battery. Hmmmm....... what would you do guys?

We departed half past the hour of ten on a tailwind, yes it was a 4KT tailwind. San Fernando has a huge runway more than enough to get us airborne half-way the runway even with a tailwind. Climbing to our cruising altitude, the view of Northen Luzon's coastline is amazing! The Philippines has a lot of spectacular views to offer. Pitty to the IFR pilots who fly in and out of clouds at high altitudes.

After half an hour, we checked in at Vigan's tower. The friendly tower allowed us to pass thru his airspace without any delays. How I wish we could have landed at Vigan and grab a few empanadas and bagnet for lunch. My hunger was somehow alleviated by the beauty of the scenery passing by. One of the best parts of being a pilot is that your view changes by the minute.

In no time, Paoay was insight. Did the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, meant that he wanted to be exiled at Paoay? Unfortunately Reagan heard it as Hawaii. Paoay, Ilocos Norte is also famous for the Paoay Church. Completed in 1894 out of coral blocks and stucco-plastered bricks and resembles a Gothic, Baroque and Oriental architecture. From 3000' above, you can identify that the structure is huge. I do hope that one day I'll be able to visit this UNESCO World Heritage site.

From the town of Paoay, at 3000', you can see the Paoay Lake and the long runway of Laoag International Airport. Malacanang of the North, official residence of then President Marcos, is located near the said lake. Of course, after passing by the Paoay Lake, descending for final approach, you'll see Fort Ilocandia to your left.

Tourists often flock to Fort Ilocandia's serene and relaxing environment. Sprawling 77 hectares on top of the gentle sand dunes, it offers whopping 9KM of fine sand beach. How I wish that someday I can afford to sleep on this hotel.....

We landed on runway 01, and parked at the south ramp. We headed off to the nearest canteen and had a sumptous Ilocos style fried pig. After having lunch and a quick rest, Jonky handed me the keys of 1051.

Filed my flight plan, preflighted the plane, and in no time we were airborne, joining left downwind for a departure. Cebu Pacific's Airbus was requesting a Vissual approach for 01. The controller didn't give them permission and was asked to overfly the VOR first. I do remember that the airbus capt asked us to turn on our transponder, and kept asking for our position. Somehow I got confused and gave him a reading of radial 260 instead of 210. After the airbus landed, the controller asked me if I wanted to climb after all my initial flight plan was 6500' and just stayed at 2500' to give way for the airbus.

The route on the way back was very nice. Had a quick refueling stop at San Fernando, Carlo was inbound RPUS when we departed back for Omni. For the first time in the last couple of months, I was given a straight in final for runway 20. A nice treat to end a very long flight.

Reminiscing the day I earned my wings.....

2007-02-27T05:17:00.000Z

It was one of the usual days of May: hot, humid, windy morning. The first thing I did when I woke up was run to my instructor and asked him if I can fly solo that day. He replied and asked me to pre-flight the plane..... In no time we were airborne, doing take-off and landings until he was satisfied I truly can fly a plane. After getting used to flying with him for 11 hours of flying time, he commanded me to stop the plane on the third landing and went down the aircraft.

Knowing that I was alone in the cockpit and with so much freedom, I felt like a bird spreading its wings for the very first time. The airplane reached the rotation speed earlier than I was used to. At last I was alone in the cockpit and airborne, I alone can land this magnificent thing called aircraft. Everything he thought you before became instinct. Aerodynamics, Wind corrections, flap setting, power setting became second nature.

I can still remember every detail the first time I flew solo as if it happened yesterday (smell, sight, sound and the feeling). I owe my wings to my instructor. The guy who smoked a dozen cigarettes when I was up alone, thinking if I can make it back to tera-firma in one piece...

I finished the 3 solo Take-Off and Landings required by our school. My instructor and my classmates were waiting for me at the ramp. After the engine shutdown, I was asked to remove all my valuables and kneel in-front of the propeller. My instructor was the first one to pour the "MIX". I didn't care what was included on that bucket, one thing I was sure is that it was my most expensive bath and boy it felt good!

Pinatubo and Iba

2007-02-27T05:16:00.000Z

A few months back, I decided to fly my boss and his son kevin to Iba for lunch. Kevin is now a pilot as well on his way to CPL. It was a calm Satuday aftenooon and the flight plan I selected would take us to the breathe taking view of Pinatubo, down to the Bucao River Valley. I am still amazed with the majestic beauty of Pinatubo even if I've done flights in/over the crater for a dozen times.

The scenic route has its own catch, the terrain is so steep you have to climb as fast as you can to give you ample room to manuever and glide in case of an emergency. Winds are often strong on the mountains and often times it scares new pilots. One has to be very alert and often times clouds cover the peaks of the mountains. I have 2 pilot friends who got lost behind Pinatubo because they failed to respect mother nature.

More than a decade ago, the raging volcano threw ashes and devasted most of Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales. Winds even carried the ashes half-way around the globe. Up to this very day, evidence of the said event is still visible even if you are at or above 6000' above ground.

Normally, Pinatubo tour flights are flown at 6000 feet to get a full view of the crater. This time, I'll give my passengers a treat. I'll fly inside the crater. I'm flying RP-C391, a 190HP Cessna 172. Winds were calm, and the aircraft is over-powered.

After sharing to my passengers the view of Pinatubo, we went straight to Iba, Zambales. The aiport in Iba was built during World War 2 and was used by the Americans as their base. It even had it's own radar before. Iba, 40 minutes away from Clark, is one of my favorite destinations. I'm a beach lover, the white sand beaches of Iba attracts my attention. Plenty of places to eat and the seafoods are cheap.

Aside from the beach and seafoods, Iba is famous for pilots as airport that offers a lot of crosswind for landing. One can get a lot of practice when flying to Iba. It's long runway, enough to accommodate a medium sized passenger plane, allows a lot of elbow room for new students.

I wish I can bring you up one of these days.... :)

A flying weekend (PIHABF 11)....

2007-02-27T05:12:00.000Z

Saturday Feb 10, my 2 friends (Milyn and Tin) were confirmed to ride on a balloon. We arrived at Clark Airfield past 4AM and rushed to the VIP gate for the balloon ride of the two girls. Whilst waiting for them to depart, me and my other friends (mel, princess) stayed in the field taking pictures of the huge and colorfull balloons.

Unfortunately, we were late, and Milyn and Tin can not be accomodated. Sponsors/ other passengers have to be accomodated by Capt Roa as well :). So we just decided to try our luck in the afternoon.

The original plan was Milyn and Tin flies with the balloon, Me, Princess and Mel flies to Pinatubo. I decided to fly Milyn first to Pinatubo but it will be on a longer route since the aerodrome will be closed for the next 3 hours.

Filed my very first flight plan on my brand new license, asked permission to exit via south quadrant to Subic then Iba. At first the controllers were hesitant to give me clearance, but after some time they allowed me to depart.

The winds were still calm the time we departed, visibility was clear :) We climbed to 2500' and headed 160 degrees for Gua Gua.

It was Milyn's first light aircraft flight. I tried to fly the little bird as smooth as I can, at one time I even allowed her to fly the plane :)

Enroute to Subic, an MD11 was about to Line up on Rwy 07. The friendly controller asked us to hold east of Sta Rita. I just confirmed that we will be holding and I have the MD11 in sight. Went straight to Castillejos, hometown of Milyn. Did a couple of buzzing over her house and proceeded to Iba.

Flying in the Philippines in clear weather is very very easy. There are times that I don't even have to look at my WAC chart to confirm where we were.

We departed a little early, so I have to spend a little ground time at Iba. It will be a good place to rest for a while, the aircraft is not equiped with auto-pilot. The usual mid-day winds greeted us in Iba, landing was a bit firm since I chopped power a little early than the usual. It has been almost two weeks since I last flew, give me a break hehehe.

The estimated re-openning of clark was at 01:40 Zulu. After a quick stop at Iba, we decided to fly back to Clark. Mel, Princess and Tin were waiting for us. We departed from Iba around 01:15 Zulu and headed to Bucao River Valley for Pinatubo. Winds were calm, but the visibility was a bit poor below 3000'.

Over Pinatubo we were asked to hold.... at first it didn't bother me and Milyn was enjoying the view of Pinatubo at 6000'. Unfortunately our hold was extended for 40 Minutes, because the PAF C-130 was doing massive parajumper drop over Clark field.... Now I'm starting to regret why I didn't take the additional fuel from Omni.

Time was ticking and so was our fuel.... Fortunately controllers did give us a go signal to descend :) The inversion layer somewhere below 3000' made the descent a little uncomfortable. This made Milyn dizy, and at the right moment where I was commited to land she asked for a paper bag. Having in mind that I am commited to land and can't afford to go around, I just have to let her relieve herself without a paper bag. We landed firmly on 20Right and taxied back to the South Ramp (Balloon Fiesta) to rejoin our friends.

It was fun-filled weekend. I even managed to hit 2 balloons on the balloon bursting event placing me third overall against the Philippine Navy and an aerobatic plane.

Oct 22, 2006 Omni-Baler (RPUR)-Omni

2007-02-27T05:10:00.000Z

Our visitors in the office were working so hard for the past week and I think they deserve a break. I invited them to fly on the weekend to tour them around Central Luzon. My original plan was to fly them to Iba, but later changed my mind and just decided to go to Baler.

Baler, capital of Aurora province and infamous for its big waves, is more than 150 kilometers away from Manila. It was founded in 1609 and offers a lot of historical sites as well. One can find cheap but comfortable accommodation near the beach. Sumptuous seafoods are often served in this coastal town.

I asked my roommate Kozo to fly with us split the cost of the flight. He flew the OMNI-BALER route and I flew the BALER-OMNI route. We departed around 2400z on a clear, cloudless day. Passing by the provinces of Tarlac, Pangasinan, Isabela. The route offers spectacular view of the Sierra Madre and the Cordillera Mountain range.

To new pilots, this route offers the challenge of mountain flying. Aside from the steep rising terrain, often times the mountain ranges are covered with clouds. There are times of the year that this route is not passable by air. Total en-route time to Baler from Omni is around an hour.

After landing an hour after, we secured the aircraft and headed to the town. From the airport, the town is 20 minutes away by tricycle. We went straight to Bay's Inn, a cabin that overlooks the coast of Baler. Bay's Inn offers cheap accomodation rates and serves superb meals. The surf is a couple meters away from the hotel. One can get a quick dip on the Pacific Ocean right after having a nice meal.

We departed thirty minutes past the hour of eleven (local time). I'll be flying this leg back to Omni. The route will take us around the picturesque view of the jagged mountain range and the Pacific Ocean. Passing by the town of Dingalan and heading straight to Cabanatuan then Clark. Dingalan is the southern most town of Aurora province. Seperated by the Sierra Madre from Baler, the only access by land is thru Nueva Ecija. Nature lovers and adventure seekers often flock to this isolated town.

The flight back was a bit bumpy due to thermals, but I managed to pull a greaser on the landing. Filed our post-flight paper-works and went out for lunch in Pampanga. I do hope that one of these days I can take you to Baler.

Sept 9, 2006 OMNI-100 Islands-Lingayen-San Fernando La Union

2007-02-27T05:05:00.000Z

The weather has been cooperative for the last few days. I was itching to fly on the weekend and manage to invite two of my officemates Irene and Sarah for cross-country flight to Lingayen and San Fernando La-Union.

Sarah, one of our software developers, has never flown on an aircraft before. This will be her first flight. I promised her that I’ll try to be gentle on the controls and try to fly it as smooth as I can.

We were to suppose to fly 391 that day, but my roommate Kozo politely asked me if I can transfer to 1680. He has to fly IFR. Kozo, Japanese and a good friend of mine, frequently comes back to our homeland to enjoy flying. I also have to complete my 10 hours for 172 to get a dual rating when I get my License.

We departed Omni at 11:50 Local Time. It was a bit bumpy flying at 2500'. This was a training flight and I practiced a power-off approach 3 NM north of Camiling. We then proceeded to San Carlos, Flew over Lingayen then headed 310 to Hundred Islands.

Hundred Islands, a national park, is located more than 150 KM North West of Manila. Its beautiful white sand beaches and corals are delightful in one’s eyes. We buzzed the islands and manage to make one zoom climb for Sarah.By this time, our stomachs are now growling. We need to land and get lunch ASAP. I landed the plane firmly in Lingayen and just hope my passengers didn't have swollen butts. Lingayen is well known for its very delicious boneless bangus (Milkfish). After feeding ourselves we then headed to the local market. 3 pieces of boneless bangus cost around 60 Pesos (1.10 USD).

We then headed 0ff to San Fernando. Weather was turning bad in Lingayen, as soon as the main wheels left the ground we made an immediate right turn to downwind to avoid the rain in front.

San Fernando La Union is often visited by Omni Pilots. Infamous for its strong crosswinds, it made my approach a little unstable. Playing with the controls, I forgot to trim the elevators and chopped the power earlier than the usual, the plane bounced. Despite the bouncy landing, it was still qualified to be a good one. Pilot judge the landing if it is good if one can safely get out of the aircraft and the plane can still be used for another flight. We had a total ground time of 30 minutes in San Fernando. Enough time to stretch our legs and refuel the plane. Since I’ve been to this route several times already, I asked my instructor if we could just go direct. He said yes no problem but I have to follow my route for my check-out the following day. We climbed to 5500’ and went direct to Omni using VOR and GPS. It was a smooth ride up there. I have to use trim only to keep the plane level. We started our descent over Tarlac.

I made very good approach in runway 02 Omni yet the plane bounced for the second time, caused again by premature chopping the power. Overall, it was a good flight. Now Sarah can tell herself he already flew on an aircraft.