Airlines, Airplanes, and Airports

[renell]

oh i forgot to tell i got a hold of this T3 brochure, but it's quite old. ill scan it, but it probably contains what the website says

[ryanr]

Originally Posted by renell

i guess it's just all due to competition. but good thing it's not complete cut-off of European flights. it is true that in Frankfurt-Bangkok flights, the airplane is full, but in the Bangkok-Manila sector, there are considerably less people

Yeah, i bet thats true renell.

Well, if our country promotes itself more and the security problems lessen, we should see more tourism come in. Its good that despite all these problems, there are still a growing number of tourists. Much more without these problems, eh?!!

[renell]

well at least the flights are still there. maybe this gives PAL a chance to kickback their Manila-Europe direct flights with no competition

[ryanr]

True, but i also like it if more international carriers fly to MNL.

[SunKing]

I don't think many people know that the first transpacific flight terminated in Manila, on November 22, 1935. The flight was operated by Pan American World Airways using the Martin M-130 'China Clipper.' That flight started fifty years of partnership between Pan Am and the PI until Pan Am sold its Pacific routes to United. United ultimately dropped MNL as a destination.

<img src="http://www.zpub.com/sf/history/Pa014.jpg"></img>

If you look closely, you'd be able to see the Manila Hotel in the background.

[ryanr]

Yeah i can see Manila Hotel. Looks like its one of the tallest back then

Interesting... So before NAIA, planes used to land on the water?
To bad United dropped its long past if flying to MNL.

[SunKing]

Yeah, before NAIA and Nielsen (Filipinas Heritage Library now), which used Ayala Avenues as a runway, the big ocean-going airplanes took off and landed on water because they were too heavy to be launched from land.

[ryanr]

Oh yeah i forgot about Nielsen. Ayala ave and Makati ave used to be runways Interesting.

So Manila's aviation history was....manila bay then Nielsen and now NAIA...future is Clark!

[SunKing]

Originally Posted by GreyX

....manila bay then Nielsen and now NAIA...future is Clark!

I certainly hope so!

[ryanr]

Me too And i'm certainly sure the future is Clark

btw, please reply in the "roll call" thread, Sunking

[renell]

oh i just remember Iren Dornier, grandson of the maker of Dornier airplanes in the 30's and 40's, is flying a restored classic airplane to promote the Philippines as a tourist destinations.i believe he's based in Clark. and he's not a local, but a German.

[SunKing]

Originally Posted by renell

oh i just remember Iren Dornier, grandson of the maker of Dornier airplanes in the 30's and 40's, is flying a restored classic airplane to promote the Philippines as a tourist destinations.i believe he's based in Clark. and he's not a local, but a German.

Yeah, I read about that in the Inquirer, <a href="http://www.inq7.net/nat/2004/feb/09/nat_10-1.htm">"German Pilot to fly Museum Plane to Promote RP."</a>

[renell]

here's for those people who have slow connection

German pilot to fly museum
plane to promote RP
Posted: 3:20 AM (Manila Time) | Feb. 09, 2004
By Tonette Orejas
Inquirer News Service

CLARK SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE, Pampanga -- For 12 months, German pilot Captain Iren Dornier will fly a family heirloom across 52 countries to promote the Philippines as a tourism and investment destination.

Dornier's world tour, possibly the longest international campaign blitz ever made for the Philippines, will be via the Do-24ATT, now hailed as the first seaplane in the country.

The aircraft was unveiled on Saturday night at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport here where Dornier's domestic airline company, South East Asian Airlines (Seair), has been serving 20 routes in the last nine years.

Designed and built in 1939 by Dornier's grandfather Claude, the aircraft and 200 more similar models rescued more than 11,000 people at sea, mostly Europeans, during World War II.

Dornier, 45, got the plane back from the German museum Flugwerft Oberschleissheim where it had been lent.

The aircraft, which was originally called "Do-24," had been restored by Dornier and his team of Filipino engineers. It has been kept at the Seair hangar in the last 13 months since it arrived via the Subic Freeport in December 2002.

Nikos Gitsis, Seair director, said the company invested six million dollars (about 336 million pesos) on the aircraft.

Now fitted with turbine engines, expanded wing and landing gear, Dornier said the aircraft would be one of the contributions of the Philippines in the world celebration of the centennial of the aviation industry.

Dornier said getting the aircraft from the museum and bringing it to this former American military base were "very difficult."

Gitsis said it was the centerpiece plane for the German museum. There, it had been exhibited as an archetype of modern seaplanes, having been converted in 1971 into an amphibious aircraft.

Dornier also said it was a "logistical nightmare transporting the plane from one side of the earth to the other."

The Philippine government has featured the Do-24ATT on limited commemorative stamps in celebration of the aviation industry centennial this year.

"We want to hit the destinations. We want to visit many, many people and show them this aircraft around. We have the intention to invite business partners for the Philippines, to come to the Philippines, to invest in our company or in the Philippines to improve what needs to be improved here," Dornier told the Inquirer.

He said the plane's stopovers would include the Hudson River in New York, Hong Kong's harbor, and the coasts of South America.

Germany and Switzerland are also in the route because Claude first launched the Do-24 in those countries.

While the world tour is every bit a sales pitch for the Philippines, Dornier will also bring into this undertaking a sense of heritage. The plane, he said, has a "sentimental value for me."

"It represents the spirit of my grandfather and the family Dornier, which stands for quality and commitment. I'm trying to continue to live that way and to be that way with my co-workers and people, to work hard, and to focus on the right thing to do and provide some quality that is needed here," he said.

Dornier may have imbibed his grandfather's love for building and flying planes, and contributing pioneering achievements in aviation history.

Gitsis, writing for Seair's magazine InFlight, said Claude built the world's largest "flying boat," the Do-X. The 12-engine and three-deck aircraft flew successfully in 1929. On board were 169 passengers.

"[Claude] Dornier made and broke many records and still holds many. One record Dornier still holds is that of the fastest series piston engine aircraft, the Do335 built in 1943 as a multipurpose fighter aircraft," Gitsis wrote.

Gitsis said Claude built the Do31 three years before his death in 1969. It was the "first and still the only vertical take-off jet transport built in the world." Gitsis said.

By the time of his death, Claude had designed more than 70 aircraft models.

But Claude's biggest contribution is in the aspect of aviation engineering.

Claude, according to Gitsis, "established the three basic principles which were to guide the entire development of the aircraft industry over the next century." These were the use of "metal structural frames (versus wood); use of smooth aluminum skin surfaces (versus cloth and corrugated metal); and components must be connected by rivets and screws."

The Do-24ATT, according to Dornier, evolved from the line of aircraft that Claude patterned after whales.

"He loved the ocean, he loved the sea and enjoyed building planes," Dornier said of his grandfather.

Dornier's world tour takes off as soon as the major sponsors are finalized.

"I'm very limited with my funds, but I, more or less, have given my heart and my soul into this company," he said.

He is, as he avowed, a pilot and businessman "with full faith in the Philippines."

"It's going to a point where you have realized that there is no perfect place on this earth, and I believe the Philippines is definitely a country with a lot of future. And I hope to do my part that this country will improve one way or the other and even though it takes a lot of time," he said.

What he particularly likes about the country are its workers.

"I like very much to work with Filipinos; they're very intelligent and hardworking. All they need is a little bit of guidance and I believe this is what the country needs. This is an extraordinary country and has a lot of potentials also in tourism development," Dornier said.

Seair's operations began in Clark Air Field in 1994 when it was still buried under tons of Mt. Pinatubo's ash and sand.

From one Dornier plane doing once-a-day flight to Boracay and Palawan, the company now has nine 19-seat LET410 planes.

Gitsis said the firm's gross revenue grew by 25 percent last year.

After the world tour, the Do-24ATT will join Seair's fleet as a luxury charter plane for exclusive resorts and travelers.

The aircraft's original gun dome had been converted into a glass dome. This two-seater area provides a full view of the sky. The 19-seater plane has a bar, kitchen, television monitors and leather seats.

Gitsis said chartering the plane would cost 150,000 pesos an hour.

"This is a commitment to doing a unique project. This is not a money-making venture. It's an investment in the image of the company, in the image of Philippines as a tourist and business destination," Gitsis said.

"You can't find the Do-24ATT anywhere. This is something special to the Philippines," he said

[absent-minded]

yeah... I read about that before. its nice to see foreigners like these who go out of their way to help and preserve the rich history of the country they now call home - something that many others just take for granted. also good to see how Lucio Tan takes pride in PAL - Asia's first and best airline - and pours in so much money into it to keep it alive.

oh yeah... another good thing about Philippine aviation - we've got some of the world's BEST PILOTS. and I say that proudly as a Pinoy!! my mom just left for NY this morning and on the way to the airport, she was telling us how smoothly PAL landed the flight she came into YVR on last month... I've heard a whole lot of other people saying how amazingly smooth PAL's pilots can land planes - even on NAIA's bumpy runway! that's no exaggeration! something some of the world's best airlines (Cathay, hint hint - sorry, but Cathay's pilots suck at landing, even at HKIA's pretty new runway. peace!) can't beat, boast or argue aboout! and PAL's pilots are purely Pinoy trained at PAL's own flight school...!!

[SunKing]

Originally Posted by absent-minded

we've got some of the world's BEST PILOTS. and I say that proudly as a Pinoy!!

I agree, there are times when I don't feel that the plane has already landed, especially if the asphalt is in very good condition! I also remember reading about a bomb that detonated aboard a PR 742 while on approach to NRT and it blew a hole into the fuselage yet the pilot managed to land the plane safely!

PR has really stepped up its service! Their international flights have excellent service: outstanding food, outstanding wine, courteous crew, and clean planes. Their Mabuhay magazine won best inflight magazine last year, I think. I hope to see them restore flights to Europe and the East Coast soon, but I think this could only happen if they get more planes.

[absent-minded]

holy sweeet! how can you possibly land a plane with a hole blown through it??? hahaha... that is so cool! sounds like some of the plane hijacking movies. that's how good Pinoys can be!!! and all the other so-called "best" airlines claim to go as deep as into the last, tiny detail. well, they forgot the landing - and it's one of the biggest details on a flight....!

yeah... I remember PAL winning that prestigious inflight food award too... the Chaines des Rotisseur. it was the first airline to ever win the award!!! and PAL's Inflight Center caters to all airlines that land at Manila! maybe that's why they get such good food on Cathay's flights out of NAIA! hehehe.... j/k! I think I've also heard about the thing on the magazines. I believe PAL is one of Asia's most under-rated airline, which is why it's losing so much money....

all PAL needs is to improve on its planes. they should get the economy class upgraded to finally accomodate personal TVs. that's one thing it lacks. other than that, PAL can easily size up to Cathay/SQ/Thai/Malaysia... (Cathay is just plain overrated to me, sorry....) Pal's cabins have so much more legroom and the economy seats have great pitch. a little improvement on bus/first class won't hurt either... Lucio Tan should shell out a little more on PAL and it'll probably bring back so much more..

[absent-minded]

oh... I just found out that some of PAL's planes actually have personal TVs on economy. my bad....

read about it on some reviews here. from many of these good passenger comments, it's pretty obvious that ratings given by many other sites are extremely and unfairly under-rated.

[renell]

i just read something from my newspaper archives i brough to Belgium. Cebu City's Mactan International Airport's runway 22 needs repaving. apparently planes landing there creating so much smoke.

[ryanr]

Yeah PAL won the best Inflight magazine award for Asia last year.

I dunno, i was too happy with the breakfast meals in PAL. Not that good. But lunch and dinner are delicious.

I agree with Lance. PAL really needs to improve their planes. Their seats are not on par with SQ and other airlines. They need to improve their economy class by installing more personal TVs, especially for long haul flights. Not all their A340s and 747s have personal tvs for economy class. I think only one or two planes have them. They also need to put more legroom for economy class. I find it really small. SQ is so much more comfortable. Yes, our service is improving but still needs to catch up to SQ.

Yeah, Mactan International Airports runway is in need of repairs. It has loose pebbles and is not smooth. It damages the airplanes tires, which is quite dangerous. They should repair them routinely. The airport authority shouldn't be told to repair them and have this big controversy. This is what i dont like about the philippines. They should just automatically repair the slightest damage without all the "blah, blah, blah"!

[ryanr]

oh yeah, PAL's pilots are indeed some of the best in the world. They are smooth and their landings are just perfect. When i ride SQ or Cathay i can feel the thud of the landing but in PAL, it is so smooth.

btw, there were some nice reviews of PAL in that website, absent. Impressive. But it also got bad reviews, especially in the Jakarta-Manila flight. And i do agree with them. Jakarta-Manila PAL flight is horrible! Thats why i always use SQ!