My laptop was stolen in Amsterdam two weeks ago, with all my pictures since 2007. It turns out I had backed up a few photo albums onto my home computer, which is now yielding these hidden treasures.
One of those albums is from December 23, last year. T’was the night before Christmas… .
Meynard gifted us with a flight in [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Clark Field’
Julio Rescued at Sea!
Posted in Adventure, tagged Clark Field, Helicopters, Philippine Coast Guard Search and Rescue, Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, Robinson R-22 on March 25, 2008, Tuesday | 3 Comments »
The three survivors float in the open sea in waterlogged life jackets, wilting under the brutal sun, weak, despairing, losing hope. No drinking water, no food, no land in sight, no chance of survival.
Then a Britten-Norman Islander spotter airplane roars overhead. The Coast Guard! Salvation!
Just 50 meters away, the audience cheers.
Audience? Cheers??
Well, yes. This was a Search and [...]
Canopy Cacophony
Posted in Adventure, tagged Clark Field, Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, Skydiving on March 20, 2008, Thursday | 2 Comments »
Like the balloon bursting event, skydiving was a crowd pleaser at the Fiesta. Sixty-six skydivers from the Philippine Air Force, Army, Marines, and National Police jumped out of 28 aircraft sorties by five aircraft. They were joined by six civilian skydivers from three countries, 215 jumps in all.
Impressive statistics. Yet the best number here is zero. Zero accidents and zero reserve parachute [...]
Mike Oscar and the Hovering Helio
Posted in Flight, tagged Air Traffic Control, Clark Field, Helio Courier, Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, Short Takeoff Or Landing on March 16, 2008, Sunday | 4 Comments »
Clark, or Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, never stopped commercial operations during the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. So Air Traffic Control was a critical resource. Our ATC partner was no less than the Tower Chief himself, call sign “Mike Oscar”.
MO worked side-by-side with us all four days. Then he went on duty in the Tower at night on Saturday and Sunday.
He never refused [...]
Close Your Eyes And Let The Force Be With You
Posted in Adventure, tagged Aerobatics, Beech Sierra, Bellanca Citabria, Bellanca Super Decathlon, Clark Field, Norman Islander, Omni Aviation, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, Philippine National Police, Philippine Navy, Vance RV-4 on March 6, 2008, Thursday | 7 Comments »
I could only watch the aerobatic displays with envy. But Carlo and I did actually fly an aerial dogfight, against the Navy, Malaysia and SEAir! Well, sort of.
The balloon bursting boondoggle – airplanes prowling above the crowd and hunting down helium-fattened prey.
Most pilots quail at colliding with an object in an airplane!
But there we were, chasing drifting [...]
Real Men Do It Upside Down!
Posted in Adventure, tagged Aerobatics, Bellanca Super Decathlon, Clark Field, Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, Vance RV-4 on March 4, 2008, Tuesday | Leave a Comment »
So there we were, behind schedule.
The gusting winds had grounded the hot air balloons, skydivers and paragliders.
The crazed windsock threatened to rip itself off its pole and blow away altogether.
The morose crowd packed the ramp.
Buddy Lopa, our untiring “Voice of the Fiesta” Program Director, kept apologizing for the wind.
We were stressed! The airshow was dying.
That’s when [...]
The 12th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta
Posted in Adventure, tagged Clark Field, Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, Skydiving on February 29, 2008, Friday | 9 Comments »
Over 90 aircraft sorties, not counting hot air balloons. STOL airplanes, helicopters, microlights, paragliders, S-211 jets… .
Brass bands and silent drill teams. Rocketeers. Six volunteers winched from the audience into rescue helicopters. Three lost parents found and returned to their worried children.
Thirteen aerobatic flights. Plus two Air Force training jets doing chandelle rolls low over the show.
Zero accidents. Zero incidents. Four UPS cargo flights delayed.
Balloon-bursting – 11 airplanes vs. [...]
A Three Hour Tour, A Three Hour Tour
Posted in Flight, tagged Central Luzon, Cessna 152, Clark Field, Hundred Islands, Pangasinan, Zambales on January 28, 2008, Monday | 4 Comments »
There are actually 124 islets (one less at high tide). Long associated with Alaminos, Pangasinan, the Hundred Islands are actually reached by boat from the coastal town of Lucap.
You can also fly over them.
After our flight over the Hermana Sisters, we went feet dry near the beach resorts at Tambobong, [...]
Our Flying Date With Two Sisters in Zambales
Posted in Adventure, tagged Carlo, Clark Field, Hermana Mayor, Zambales on January 16, 2008, Wednesday | 11 Comments »
Carlo continues his narration of the flight around Zambales. We explore two exquisite islands and the site of a WWII sea battle. Carlo reflects on our journey from 60 feet under the sea to 2,000 feet above it.
After Pinatubo, we fly over the jagged lahar ridges and chasms in the Bucao river valley, and nose west to the South [...]
Mount Pinatubo, Zambales
Posted in Adventure, tagged Central Luzon, Cessna 152, Clark Field, Pinatubo, volcano on January 12, 2008, Saturday | 29 Comments »
Every year at Christmas, Carlo and Tonet fly an aerial odyssey. From December 23 to January 4 they did 1,600 nautical miles in 9 days, logging over 20 flight hours. Not bad for a Cessna 152.
They took hundreds of pictures. Thumbnails are click-able. Photos are copyrighted.
On December 27 Carlo and Tonet sat in the airplane, ready for engine start, flight planned for Baguio, in the [...]
Night IFR
Posted in Flight, tagged Cessna 172, Clark Field, Flight Training, Instrument Flight, Night Flight, Omni Aviation, Subic Bay on July 1, 2007, Sunday | Leave a Comment »
Latest in the series on IFR flight. Carlo and I are completely in the dark.
Friday the 13th, last April. Guess what we decided to do?
Yup. We flew at night!
We left Omni at 1745, another Omni airplane hot on our tail trying to beat the sunset.
The dust comes from Capt. Ben’s secret weapon, but that’s another story.
Our plan [...]
Dusk IFR
Posted in Flight, tagged Cessna 172, Clark Field, Flight Training, Instrument Flight, Night Flight, Omni Aviation on May 24, 2007, Thursday | 3 Comments »
This is the third in a multi-part series on instrument flight, following Flying Blind and Busted.
Carlo and I flew with an Omni instructor on a series of IFR flights in April. I am building instrument time in RP-C391, Omni Aviation’s Cessna 172XP — a fuel injected, constant-speed prop and instrument-rated limousine!
We departed Subic as the sun slid [...]
Flying Blind
Posted in Flight, tagged Cessna 172, Clark Field, Flight Training, Instrument Flight, Omni Aviation on April 25, 2007, Wednesday | Leave a Comment »
Those of you missing Carlo will be bemused to know that he is cramming for his radio operator’s license exam tomorrow and his Private Pilot License written exam next week. He just completed his 40 flight training hours. His Student Pilot License expires on May 30. He needs to focus on getting his PPL before then. He [...]
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