By ARIS R. ILAGAN
I have always been amazed about flying. It started during my pre-school days, when I watched commercial airlines take off from the runway near our home in Parañaque.
Their loud engines never irritated me. In fact, it made me run outside the house everytime I heard one flying by our village. Up to now, airplanes are wonders of science that I find so magnetic – that I myself want to fly one of those one day.
That day came when Ford Group Philippines recently conducted an informal survey among motoring scribes on what dream adventure we would like most for the "Ford Explorer Road Trails" event. The check list included golf, scuba diving, trekking, kayaking and flying on an ultra-light plane.
With the formation of four competing teams, my prayers were answered when I was included in the ultra-light plane group. We were then asked to proceed to Clark Development Zone in Pampanga.
Upon arrival at the Woodland Air Park at Sitio Talimundok, Sta. Maria, Magalang, Pampanga, a group of Caucasians met us as we alighted from a Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer series.
Driving a R2 million premium 4x4 SUV and a chance to fly an ultra-light plane for P2,500 on a quick 20-minute flight – it’s definitely a perfect day to pretend big time!
Retired US Air Force mechanic Melvin Troth claimed that their group — Angeles City Flying Club – has a good track record for safety.
Dubbed as "Trial Introductory Flight," our group had the rare privilege of flying around the perimeter areas of Pampanga province.
The ultra-light birds, which we were to ride, are powered by a two-stroke engine that has a maximum speed of 45 kilometers per hour and equipped with: aluminum chassis tubings; a pair of bucket seats with four point seat belts; a fuel tank that can allow one and a half to two hours of continuous flying; a control stick with a brake lever similar to that of bicycles. All the control systems work mechanically without the aid of hydraulic systems, except for the brakes.
For R2,500, the operators also allow you to use an open face helmet and a pair of goggles.
Once seated inside the ultra-light, you get the feeling of riding on a go kart. There are no walls or roof for protection and yet it guarantees you the true spirit of flying, feeling the wind and breeze.
Maximo Guevarra, an ultra-light trainor pilot, took the control stick and in full throttle, we took off from the 450-meter grassy air strip. There was noise and vibration of course, but as we took off, the thrill of defying gravity was incomparable.
Immediately, we settled on a cruising altitude of 500 to 600 feet. With an intermittent jolting feeling due to air pockets, Max hovered the three-wheeled light aircraft around Mt. Arayat. After several years of flying around Pampanga, he has come to know which parcel of lands are still for sale.
Occasionally, Max would dive the plane to lower altitude to scare off the cows in farm lands as the farmers lifted their hats to wave at us. From our vantage point, we could easily see the vast Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac and the Clark Development Zone areas.
Strangely, Woodland Air Park operators named the authorized flying areas as "Charlies 1, 2, 3 and 4," a known American GI code during the Vietnam War. At one point, he allowed me to take the joy stick and the pedals for a quick feel of flying. Then I realized that it differed so much from go-karts.
Twenty minutes was over and we had to make a landing which was, for me, always the best part of the flying experience. From an altitude of 100 feet, the ultra-light plane glided downward the airstrip on a heart pumping speed. And touch down!
During lunch break, I started to hallucinate again. If I had two million pesos, would I prefer two brand new ultra-light planes or a new Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer? What’s your guess?
