The Early Days . . . Flights on Video!

Thanks again to Erik.  Without his conscientious record keeping, these videos, which he filmed in December 2006, would have been lost.  In the course of posting the videos on You Tube this afternoon, I learned to convert from one video format to another and trim and edit the same.  Neat stuff.  All for free and within the immediate realm of your computer . . . with internet access of course.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxApb4EothM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_JDrP0Ll-g&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmfbiyzFHqc&feature=BFa&list=ULUnBTw3LVcBM&index=3

A couple of fly-bys . . .

The Early Days with my Nephew, Sijbren

Courtesy of my brother-in-law, Erik Kramer, an avid photographer and very organized record keeper, the following are photographs of my nephew, Sijbren, visiting the farm and checking out the microlight.  Photos were taken in December 2006, when I was accumulating my solo flight hours.  Sijbren is twice as big now . . . how time flies!

Sijbren getting comfy at the pilot's seat

Sijbren checking-out the helmet

Sijbren talking shop with Tito Tutu 

Sijbren posing for the shot

My First Cross Country Flight

September 12, 2011, Monday, 6:40 am, I take-off on my first cross country flight to the nearby airstrip of the Angeles Flying Club (AFC)--just shy of 55 kilometers south of Nampicuan as the crow flies.  I have flown farther than that in the past (e.g., Nampicuan to Fort Magsaysay, which is nearly 70 kilometers) but I never actually landed at my destination.  I would simply meander in the air at my destination for a few minutes and then return to my home airstrip in Nampicuan.  This time is different.  I am landing at the AFC and I will fly back to Rancho Caridad the following day--so I thought.

As it happens, I set my alarm clock incorrectly and instead of waking-up at 5 a.m., I open my eyes to see the light of day at about 6:20 am.  So, I rush to the airstrip, where my trusted crew is wondering why I am unusually late, fill-up the tank with gasoline, conduct my pre-flight checks and off I go--immediately banking to the left for a 180 degree turn to the south for Magalang, Pampanga.  There are plenty of low altitude clouds, which can be a bit threatening when it's the first time you are visiting a place and you are entirely dependent on a pocket-size GPS to reach your destination.  I thought about changing the batteries of my GPS for this cross country flight but I didn't.  Murphy's Law got the better of me when the GPS flashed a "low battery" reading about half of the way to AFC.  Turned off the GPS and turned it back on about 5 minutes to my destination.  It should have at least that much juice left for a safe landing.  Distance to destination on the GPS read 755 meters yet I did not have a visual of the AFC airstrip.  For a second, I thought I might have inputted the wrong coordinates in my GPS until I looked straight down and realized I was right on top of my destination.  Whew!  Touched down at about 7:20 am and the staff of the AFC was just about trickling-in for the opening at 8 am.

My friend, Albert Mendoza (who was also my microlight instructor), invited me to come over because GMA (the TV station) was going to feature microlights this morning.  Gordon, a seasoned microlight et al instructor from the United Kingdom with over 2,000 flying hours on a microlight, agreed to perform some microlight competition-type maneuvers, among other things, for the TV crew.  And so, he did and Albert took my trike together with the camera man to take aerial shots of the action.  The TV host was an enthusiastic and brave young lady who came along with Gordon for some of the maneuvers.  "Aha!"  That's the name of the TV show at GMA and it’s suppose to air in a week or so.  We will see.

We all hand lunch at a local carinderia (eatery), which served an exceptional sizzling sisig and pinapaitang kambing.  We filled-up and parted ways.  Albert and Gordon checked-out my wing and concluded that my wing had too much "reflex," proceeded to make some adjustments, which slightly improved its handling.  I will need to secure a copy of the shape of the battens of my wing from the original manufacturer, as these may need to be flattened to correct the performance of my wing.  That's homework for me.

Just after lunch was a downpour of rain.  It lasted for 2 maybe 3 hours and the skies cleared-up with a bit of haze.  With the ground cooled by the seasonal rainfall, I was assured that there would hardly be any thermals for the rest of the afternoon.  It was also evident that the rest of the afternoon would experience relatively calm wind conditions.  And so, I decided to return to Rancho Caridad in the afternoon.  Took off at at around 3:45 pm and arrived in Nampicuan at around 4:45 pm.  The trip was about 1 hour and unusually long for the distance.  This was due to a nearly frontal headwind, though consistent, allowed me to cruise at speeds below 40 kph.  Hence, the long ride back, which is still faster than going by car with all the traffic.  Oh . . . I did remember to change the batteries of my GPS before returning home.  So goes my first cross country flight on September 12, 2011.

There will be more cross-country flights to come as soon as I purchase my airband transceiver--that is a fancy name for a walkie-talkie for aviation purposes--my headset and the push-to-talk switch that goes along with this communication system.

Lolo Ego and Lolo Bino

I have the distinction and good fortune (through no merit of my own) of having not one but two distinguished grandfathers, who served the Filipinos in earnest as senior government officials at the relatively early stage of our nation’s quest for self-determination.  I find that the easiest way to brag about this (though, once again, I can’t claim any credit) is to show a picture of a historical plaque at the site of our national monument, the Rizal Monument (the Philippines' equivalent of the Statue of Liberty).

Rizal Monument

The First Cabinet and the First Supreme Court Justices

The plaque, on the upper half, enumerates the first cabinet of the so-called Third Republic of the Philippines (i.e., after the Commonwealth era of the Philippines under the sovereignty of the United States), which includes the Honorable Manuel V. Gallego, then Secretary of Public Instructions (that’s Lolo Ego), and, on the lower half, enumerates the first justices of the Supreme Court, which includes the Honorable Sabino Padilla (that’s Lolo Bino).  They were indeed honorable men at a time when public service in the Philippines was not yet wrought with corruption and incompetence.

The exemplary public service of both my Lolo Ego and my Lolo Bino were remembered on the year of their respective birth centenary through the Great Filipinos series of commemorative stamps issued by the Philippine Postal Corporation.

http://vincemd.blogspot.com/2010/01/manuel-v-gallego-on-stamps.html

https://www.geni.com/people/Sabino-Bibby-Padilla/6000000015949985248

https://darthphilatelist.blogspot.com/2017/06/justice-secretary-sabino-padilla.html

Lolo Ego

Lolo and Lola Ego

http://vincemd.blogspot.com/2010/07/sabino-padilla-on-stamps.html

Lolo Bino with Family at Supreme Court

Lolo Bino with Mom before Wedding

My Hazard Wing

Crack of dawn, Saturday, August 13.  I’ve switched from my slow (Gibbogear Butterfly) wing (cruises at about 60 kph without head or tail wind) to my intermediate (Pipistrel Hazard) wing (cruises at about 80 kph without head or tail wind).

It doesn’t look different but it’s a different flying animal.  You’ll be surprised how much more area you can cover with a slightly higher cruising speed.  I did not bring a camera on this flight as I wanted to re-familiarize myself with my intermediate wing, which requires more active handling during flights.  I also did not bring my GPS (global positioning system for navigation) as the sky was quite clear and I had no intention of flying beyond a 30 kilometer radius.

Take-off took a little longer than my slow wing (as expected) and was nice and smooth.  I did not feel like I was gaining altitude quickly enough, so I kept the engine at about 5,000 RPM for a few minutes.  I then tapered to between 4,600 to 4,700 RPM until I felt pretty cold.  Without my GPS, it appeared I was climbing slowly even at 4,600 RPM, so I settled at 4,500 RPM, probably at an altitude of nearly 1,000 meters.  I visited Rosales, Pangasinan to look for another lake (besides Lake Paitan) that was supposed to be nearby.  Meandered through the river along Rosales—no such lake.  Visibility was terrific as I could see Lingayen Gulf—roughly 30 kilometers from Rosales as the crow flies.

My intermediate wing, rightly or wrongly, settles comfortably at the front aluminum post of the trike in the absence of any pilot intervention.  During calm flying conditions (as in most of my flight this morning), I can actually take photographs using a camera on my wrist mount.  I’m really excited to get this going.  Just haven’t gotten around to buying a decent compact digital camera for my wrist mount.  Details, details!

I flew the rest of the way home at around 4,300 RPM leisurely loosing altitude until a smooth landing.

It’s reeeal puhrty (pretty) up here!

TPLEX and Low Altitude Clouds

Crack of dawn, Thursday, August 11.  There are plenty of low clouds scattered all over the sky and the sunrise looks promising.  It’s going to melt those clouds in no time—so I thought.

Something exciting (I think) is happening in Nampicuan.  A significant highway extension is finally going to be built that will bring this town, among other economically challenged rural towns, closer to Metro Manila (2 hrs by car, no rush) and other growth centers such as Clark (1 hr by car, no rush) and Subic (1.5 hr by car, no rush).  I say “no rush” because I can achieve these times without the highway extension by driving aggressively.  Anyway, I decided to take some aerial photos of the TPLEX, which is short for the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway—particularly the portion that passes alongside the family farm—Rancho Caridad.  While the interchange or the exit coming out of the TPLEX is approximately 3 kilometers from the farm, the TPLEX itself barely misses the westernmost tip of the farm, the tangential distance of which is less than 100 meters from TPLEX—as seen in the photographs, which are taken from a northeast orientation heading southwest.

TPLEX and Rancho Caridad from a distance . . . coming closer . . . closer . . .

TPLEX and Rancho Caridad from a distance . . . coming closer . . . closer . . .

TPLEX and Rancho Caridad from a distance . . . coming closer . . . closer . . .

. . . until you see the gap with a portion of a mango orchard that needs to be chopped away
Rancho Caridad is less than 100 meters to the left of TPLEX

. . . until you see the gap with a portion of a mango orchard that needs to be chopped away
Rancho Caridad is less than 100 meters to the left of TPLEX

It sort of reminds me of a Charles Bronson movie I saw about the Wild West and the excitement that came along when the railroad was built through your town.  In many cases then, US towns sprung-up because of the railroad.  (Although in a more recent context, some would argue that small town USA died because of the interstate highway replacing the old Route 66.)  I’m optimistic that TPLEX is going to be a blessing for Central Luzon.

From Metro Manila, you would pass through NLEX (Northern Luzon Expressway) to SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway) going to Tarlac, which connects to the TPLEX that will eventually reach La Union or the base from which to start your climb to Baguio.  See the following W Growth Corridor illustration.

W Growth Corridor of Central Luzon
Rancho Caridad, Nampicuan is at the central tip of the W Growth Corridor
Only 3 kilometers drive from the Anao Interchange or Exit of TPLEX

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65007685@N08/6346631406/sizes/l/in/photostream/

It’s one of those not so usual days of low altitude clouds and it’s plenty of fun flying above them.  You see this all the time when you hop on any jet plane that usually flies at altitudes of around 30,000 ft.  The clouds are way below during most of the trip—except shortly after take-off and shortly before landing.  When you’re flying recreationally, you decide (within prudent and safe limits, of course) what altitude to fly . . . and I chose to fly not too high above the clouds.  It’s reeeal puhrty (pretty) up here!

Low Altitude Clouds
That mountain on the right foreground, approximately 50 kms north, would be about Baguio

Banking the aircraft into the sunrise

Low Altitude Clouds . . . and the 3 giant monsters beneath
Mt Balungao, Mt Bangkay and Mt Cuyapo

Rancho Caridad was covered in clouds when I returned.  This could be terrifying for a first-timer, even with the GPS on-board.  I had to look for the airstrip before I lined-up my trike for landing.

Low Altitude Clouds Just Above Rancho Caridad
How do I land if I can't see the airstrip?

Ready for Some Cross-Country Action!

Wednesday, August 10.  I just had my aircraft mechanic check my carburetion in connection with my uneven EGT (exhaust gas temperature) readings and he gave it the clean bill of health; that is, after we cleaned the gunk (residual resin from my gas tank) we found in the carburetors and replaced the damaged gas filter.  It appears my water temperature gauge, which is working wonderfully registering a cool 65 degrees Celsius at my solo cruising 4,200 RPM, is the more critical instrument.  Apparently, it’s not unusual for dual EGT readings to be different.  As long as any single EGT reading does not exceed 650 degrees Celsius (1,200 degrees Fahrenheit), I should be within acceptable engine parameters.  This also resolves my final technical concern post engine replacement; ergo, we are clear to launch!  That just means I’m finally ready for some cross-country flights as I have been flying short distances since July 1, 2011.


Below is a preview of my initial cross-country destinations, including Angeles Flying Club, Iba, Hermana Minor, Hermana Mayor, Baler, Lingayen, Laokan, San Fernando, Bagabag, among others.