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