Bob Hoover Flys Philippine F86F

Rare footage here of the Legendary Bob Hoover flying a Philippine Airforce F86-F at Clark Airbase in 1961. Awsome gentle aerobatics.

New FBO in Dumaguete

The following press release was supplied by Mr. Blair Saceda, one of the principles involved with a new FBO and flight training opreation to start at Dumaguete airport, Negros Oriental.

The School name is Aviation Link Asia Flight Training Center, its main office is at Pilipinas Aero Hangar, Plaridel Airport, in Bulacan. The school owns 2 Cessna 150's and is also leasing 2 other Cessna 150's. Right now the school is awaiting the release of its Air Agency Permit and the certification of its aircrafts.

When opened, the school will offer PPL,CPL,FI,GI Programs. It will also lease planes for other purposes such as aerial video/photography, coastline project inspections for NGO's & intro flights for aspiring pilots.


Blair Saceda

Philippines: Kamikaze attack

Found this video the other day, not much info on it, but apparently dated October 25 1944, it shows a Japanese Zero diving on the Carrier USS Franklin off Leyte. The ship surrvived the war after many attacks and campaigns.

Grumman JF-2 Duck

Grumman Aircraft Co. produced Ducks for the Navy and Coast Guard from 1933 to 1946. The Grumman Duck was used widely in the Pacific durring World War two. The Grumman JF-2 Duck was used in the Philippines as an inter coastal aircraft and excelled because of it's ability to handle rough water.

The Duck originated with designs made by Loening Aeronautical Engineering Corporation. When Loening was taken over by Curtiss-Wright in 1929, several key employees of the former Loening Aeronautical, including Leroy Grumman, formed the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation which was financed by Grover Loening.

Grumman accepted the aircraft as "Design 7". After modifications to facilitate manufacturing, Grumman submitted the specifications to the Navy in 1932 and the Navy accepted it as the XJF-1.

On Tuesday, April 25, 1933, the XJF-1 flew for the first time. Pilot Paul Hovgaard, took off from a grass strip in front of the Grumman factory at Farmingdale, NY. Power for the XJF-1 and the JF-1 came from a 14 cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-1830-62 Twin Wasp engine of 700 hp (522.4 kW) and a Hamilton Standard three blade prop.

A large single large float was mounted under the centerline of the craft. Faired into the sides of the main float was the main landing gear which could be raised and lowered by a system of motors, sprockets, chains and gears. A small float was mounted near the tip of each wing. The crew consisted of a pilot and rear gunner under the telescoping canopy. There were also provisions for two passengers located just aft of the lower wing in the main float.

A total of 632 JF/J2F Ducks were built in all. By 1945 they were scattered all over the world, including the Philippines, performing duties nothing short of amazing.

This is selected footage from the film Murphy's War starring Peter O'toole. I am not sure which I feel more sorry for, the pilot or the aircraft. Obviously a versitile aircraft it takes a beating in this video clip. Check it out.



This clip is featuring a Duck painted like "Candy Clipper", a Grumman Duck that saw duty in the Philippines during WW II. The Clipper flew medical supplies, and candy to the troops during the seige of the Philippines in 1942. It was the last aircraft to leave the Philippines before the Japanese took possession of the Islands.

Flight 541 Crash Book To Be Released

NORTH Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol is planning to write a book about the victims of Air Philippines Flight 541 that crashed in the Island Garden City of Samal on April 19, 2000.

The book will cover the effect of the crash that killed 131 people on the survivors and the relatives of the victims. The crash of flight 541 became nortorious because it resulted in the biggest lawsuit award in Philippine aviation history. The 165 million dollar settlement from AAR an Fleet who leased the plane to Air Philippines was controversial.

It was implied by some observers that the Aircraft was given a rubber stamp approval by the FAA to be leased to the Philippines. The FAA was not implicated in the class action suit, but some are questioning why a plane with obvious defects was leased to a start up airline that was under funded to begin with.

Complicating the crash investigation, the plane was hastily buried after the crash to further impede the investigation.

Read more: Flight 541 Book

Airstrip repair at Pag-asa

The Philippine Air Force plans to make repairs on the old airstrip on Pag-asa island, the Philippines most significant claim to the contested Spratly island chain.

Colonel Pedro Rieza, of the 355th Aviation Engineering Wing, said engineers were to begin repairing the 1,260-meter Rancudo Runway, which has been in a serious state of neglect over the last few years. Repairs on a portion at the southwest side of the runway are the priority and are expected to begin by the third quarter. A 6.6 millon Peso fund was allocated by the Armed Forces in August 2004. The repairs will include a seawall to be constructed.

Minor repaving work and runway painting was done in 2004, but repairs on the eroded parts have been delayed.

PAL Aquires New Planes

MANILA — Philippine Airlines is acquiring nine turbo-prop aircraft from Canada's Bombardier Aerospace at a cost of 150 million dollars, the airline said on Thursday.
The move is aimed at reviving PAL's operations on secondary routes not served by its bigger jet fleet, the company said in a statement.

The turbo-prop fleet will consist of three Q300 and six Q400 Bombardier aircraft, which are expected to be delivered in the next four to six months, the company said.

PAL is 85 percent controlled by publicly-listed PAL Holdings Inc, which is majority owned by Lucio Tan.

Forbes Magazine lists Tan as the wealthiest man in the Philippines with a net worth of 1.5 billion dollars n 2007.

A New Look at Aviation Philippines

Maybe you noticed our new appearance in the last few days. We have added a new banner that we feel more accuratly reflects the current state of Philippine Aviation. In addition there is a news reader located at the top of the page with international aviation news stories updated several times a day. Notice we also have added a feed Icon so that you can read our blog from your favorite news reader.

We will continue to add features as we discover new ways to make the Blog relavant and interesting.

Philippine aviation safety audit update

Aviation body readies for 2nd round of audit

Philippine transportation authorities will ask the United States Federal Aviation Administration for a new audit of the Philippine aviation safety regulatory capability within three months.
Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, said that congressmen have agreed to enact a law creating the Civil Aviation Authority, one of the requirements set forth by the FAA.
Congress will resume session on Jan. 28.

“If we have the law and we have complied with the FAA findings, we will invite them for another audit,” Mendoza said, although he admitted that it will take time for the ATO to train new personnel to fill up the large vacancy for pilots, air traffic controllers and other aviation experts.
The ATO is searching for an additional 32 check pilots, 27 airworthiness inspectors, and 300 air traffic controllers. At present, ATO has only 12 check pilots, 25 airworthiness inspectors and 700 air traffic controllers nationwide.

President Arroyo gave Mendoza three months to address the issues raised by the FAA, including weaknesses in having a primary aviation legislation, specific operating regulations, technical guidance, qualified technical personnel, licensing and certification, continued surveillance regulations, and resolution on safety issues.

In particular, among the FAA’s concerns are outdated aviation regulations, poor training for safety inspectors, and substandard licensing for airframe and engine inspectors.

To address the issues raised by the FAA, Mendoza said the ATO will be reorganized within the next six months to fill up the huge number of vacant positions in the agency. Of the 7,000 plantilla positions in ATO, only 3,500 posts or only half have been filled, he said.
Mendoza said that while they are waiting for the passage of the bill, ATO is already preparing the law’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR).

Under the proposed bill, ATO will have fiscal autonomy to use all of its revenues for its operations. In 2007, only P1.3 billion or less than half of the ATO’s revenues were allocated for the agency under the General Appropriations Act.
This year, the ATO will receive P1.6 billion out of the projected P3-billion revenues of the agency.

The ATO is still governed by Republic Act 776, enacted on June 30, 1952, otherwise known as the Civil Aeronautics Act of the Philippines.

Silly Aviation sim...

OK, so not quite a sim, but it is addicting. No instructions, have fun!
You can turn off speaker to view additional blog posts in silence.

Sky Diving Philippines

Skydiving is popular in the Philippines. Here are some of the most popular skydiving destinations in the Philippines, with contact information if available.

Tanauan Aerial Sports, Batangas

Accessible in less than two hours south of Manila, the small town of Tanauan is the self proclaimed skydiving capital of the Philippines. The drop zone is between Mt. Makiling and Taal Volcano. The Skydiving Center in Tanauan has a 1200m airstrip with several aircraft available to take you aloft for jumping. The standard equipment is state-of-the-art square parachutes, which all have Cypress automatic activation devices fitted for maximum safety. No contact info available.

Cebu Sport Parachute Club Inc.

Location:
Mactan Cebu International Airport

Address:
PACO Hangar, General Avaition Area, Mactan-Cebu International Airport
Lapulapu City, Mactan, Cebu,
Philippines

Contact:
+63919-356-0178
skylee_swoop@yahoo.com
http://clubs.yuwie.com/cspci/ (1053 Hits)
Aircraft: 172, 182, 206, Aero Commander
Training: , S/L, Tandem
AAD: Not Required
Hook Turns: Allowed
USPA Membership: Not Required

Butuan Sky Diving

Location:
bancasi airport

Address:
c/o pecbc, imadejas subd
butuan city, 8600
Philippines

Contact:
(085)360-2335
(085)341-5882 (fax)
sandman_surigao@yahoo.com
http:// (112 Hits)
Aircraft: cessna 150,cessna 172
Training: , S/L
AAD: Not Required
Hook Turns: Allowed
USPA Membership: Not Required

Description:
The drop zone is within the airport just 5 kilometers away from the city proper. The aircraft comes from Cebu City.


Tropical Asia Parachute Center

Omni Aviation complex
Clark Special Economic Zone
Clark Field, Angeles City,Pampanga
Contact: Martin Imalong
Cell: +63917899554
Dial locally: 09178995544

Submarine launchable UAV

Perhaps off topic from Philippines Aviation slightly, this video grabbed my attention. This morphing UAV is the next step. It smacks of Star Wars technology and actually reminds me of a scene right out of the Terminator. A formidable if not somewhat frightening concept. Nevertheless awsome video of a concept probably not far off. It had me until the under water robot started reeling in the cable...

Air Philippines Landing at Ozamis

Watch the first part of this, surprise! Ouch.



And how it was supposed to be done...

Update on FAA safety rating of Philippines

MANILA — President Gloria Arroyo announced the setting up of a new regulatory authority to reform the country’s substandard aviation sector. The new Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines will replace the Air Transportation Office (ATO), which has been blamed for the nation’s air safety rating being downgraded by U.S. authorities. “Thanks to this new law... the air travel in this country will be liberalised and the obstacles to the entry of tourists and investment will be removed,” Arroyo said after she signed a bill setting up the authority. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in December reduced the Philippines’ rating to Category 2 from Category 1, saying the ATO had failed to meet international safety standards. “With the passage of this law, we are confident that the U.S. FAA can have a review of our system and come up with a better rating for civil aviation in the Philippines,” Arroyo’s chief aide Eduardo Ermita said.

The new aviation authority will be allowed to retain earnings from its fees and set its own salaries for employees. It can then address the FAA’s concerns by spending more on safety upgrades and offering competitive salaries to retain skilled personnel. Under the ATO, the money from fees went to the government, meaning it had to go cap-in-hand to Manila every time it needed to pay for any projects.

Industry leaders now hope the country’s safety status could be raised within four months.National carrier Philippine Airlines earlier said it may lower its 2008 growth targets due to the FAA’s rating, effectively putting its expansion plans on hold. The FAA decision prohibits PAL from increasing its flights to the US from 33 a week and from changing the type or number of aircraft used on those services.

(See related article)

BD 5 microjet for FSX

Had to share this great sim plane for Microsoft Flight Sim X. The BD-5 series includes three complete aircraft, a BD-5 piston engine model and two BD-5J models. the jets are the Coors Light edition and the James Bond movie model. This one was used in the film Octopussy.

I have been a fan of the BD-5 since its beginnings, was even on the original mailing list for kits. As it turned sour for kit builders due to powerplant problems and other issues, the BD-5 concept was simply too cool to die. Still available in kit plane for a prop, turbp prop, and jet version from BD Micro Technologies.

I had the thrill of seeing the Bud Light version do a demo at an airshow circa 1990's. Not sure which of their pilots was flying it at the time, but it was unlike anything I had seen before, almost silent at full thrust, you never saw it coming, and didn't hear it until it was long by. The pilot would sneak in low and fast, pull up slightly and roll one wingspan from the ground.
I have included two clips I found on You Tube to give an idea of the awsome performance.

The sim versions are excellent flying, realistic, and very cool. The jet is fully aerobatic with good vertical, the piston version is fun as well, but does not have the vertical performance of the jet.

The BD-5 Home Built Experimental aircraft collection featuring a new Prop version designed with the co-operation and help of the aircrafts original real life owner. This package also includes an all new version (new model, dynamics and paint) of the 'Coors Light' Jet and a new paint of the 'Acrostar' featured in the 1983 James Bond Movie 'Octopussy'. The flight model was co-developed/tested by D. A. Beebe (Original owner and builder of the real N340DB) and both aircraft flight tested by Peter Browne. Available at fs-freeware.net.

PAL service to China

Philippine Airlines launched a regular service to Chongqing on March 14, the first direct air link between the Philippines and the scenic southwestern part of China . On Tuesday, March 18, a second PAL destination in southwest China will be opened when service to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, commences.

Both services will operate twice a week. Departures from Manila for Chongqing (PR 356) are every Monday and Friday at 9:55 a.m. Arrival at Jianbei International Airport is at 1:15 p.m.
The return service, PR 357, departs Chongqing on the same days at 2:15 p.m. and arrives in Manila at 5:35 p.m.

For Chengdu, departures from Manila (PR 354) are every Tuesday and Saturday at 9:20 a.m. Arrival at Shuangliu International Airport is at 1:00 p.m. The return flight, PR 355, departs Chengdu on the same days at 2:00 p.m. and touches down in Manila at 5:35 p.m.

New Airbus A320 aircraft, which seat 12 in Bussiness Class and 144 in economy, will be deployed on both routes.

Chongqing and Chengdu are PAL’s fourth and fifth destinations in mainland China. The airline already operates daily services to Shanghai and Xiamen, and a five-times-weekly service to Beijing.

On March 15, 1941, with a single-engine Beech Model 18 aircraft, PAL entered the ailine bussiness, when it completed a flight from Manila to Baguio. That trip made PAL Asia’s first airline. Over the years, PAL has grown to become the country’s national flag carrier and largest airline. It currently operates a fleet of 34 aircraft, including five Boeing 747-400s, four Airbus A340-300s, eight Airbus A330-300s, 13 Airbus A320s and four Airbus A319s.