Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta gears up for its 19th year

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The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF),  gears up for its next staging of the established aviation event. The 19th fiesta is set on February 12 to 15, 2015, at the Philippine Air Force (PAF) ADAC Hangar in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

Also known as “A Weekend of Everything that Flies”, PIHABF held yesterday, April 15, 2014 (Tuesday) the Signing of Memorandum Agreement by Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president Arnel Casanova, Clark Development Corporation (CDC) president Arthur Tugade, Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) president and chief executive officer Victor Jose Luciano, and Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Foundation Inc. (PIHABF) president Capt. Joy Roa at the Asian Air Safari hangar in Pasay City.

The organizers of the longest running balloon event in Asia – the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF): “A Weekend of Everything that Flies,” maintains its decision not to hold the 19th PIHABF this year, but instead, prepare for a bigger event scheduled for February 12 - 15, 2015.

To explain its decision not to hold a balloon fiesta this year, the PIHABF Foundation issued an official statement to clarify its disassociation from another organization staging a balloon event in Lubao, Pampanga. (Official Statement of the PIHABF Organizing Committee)

“The decision not to hold a Fiesta this year was not undertaken lightly. From the perspective of the PIHABF organizers, our 2013 event (featuring more balloons than ever, the highly impressive Breilting Jet Acrobatic Team, and the myriad of other flying, ground and static events) would be a hard act to follow without allowing sufficient time to plan, prepare and book new and interesting activities.

We believe that by suspending the 2014 Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, allowing our organizing committee more time to secure a suitable venue for the fiesta and investing more time in planning, securing sponsorships and implementing enhancements, we can offer our spectators a truly safe and world-class event in 2015,” reads the statement.

Philippine Hot Air Balloon Fiesta has been an extremely successful event that attracts thousands of spectators both local and international. Aside from the display of a plethora of multi-colored hot air balloons, the festival also features a number of expedition events such as aeromodelling demonstrations, ultralights, and fixed-wing aircraft competitions, kite-flying and more!

For this coming hot air balloon fiesta, there will be more breathtaking performances as PIHABF is a gathering of aviation’s finest from the Philippines and the world. Attendees next year can look forward to non-stop flying activities from kite flying to radio control fliers from electric to turbine jets coming from regions like Dumaguete, Bacolod and Davao. 

There will be paramotors from different parts of the world doing exhibition and formation flying. The public can also look forward to sky diving demonstrations and a chance to do tandem jumping. Ultralight and microlight aircraft will be performing formation flying and holding fun flying competitions. 

Just like cars, private airplanes and helicopters will also be doing a rally in the air to hone their flying and navigational skills.

An aerobatic formation team will once again be invited to demonstrate a heart-stopping aerobatic show.

There will also be a bigger display of local aviation schools for increased public awareness on aviation opportunities in the Philippines. 

The Aviator of the Year Award will once again be awarded to pilots who have made outstanding contributions in upgrading the standards of safety and aviation interests in their regions.

“We want to fuel the passion for aviation in the Philippines, and to showcase the endless possibilities in this field,” Roa said. 

Proceeds of the PIHABF is funneled to a scholarship program which helps underprivileged but deserving youth to pursue a career in aviation. Since 2008, fifteen young men and women have been recipients of the scholarship grant, enrolled in different aviation schools.

The Asian Air Safari hangar where the MOA signing was held is an aviation enthusiast’s dream. Parked in the hangar are different types of fixed wing and rotary aircraft. Displayed alongside the aircraft are radio-controlled aircraft models, balloon baskets, paramotors, as well as kites brought in by members of the organizing committee. 

The PIHABF, according to the organizers, was borne out of love for aviation. What began as a “passion project” has now evolved into the longest running balloon event in Asia flocked by aviation enthusiasts and professionals from all over the country and around the world.

Capt. Joy Roa introduced the members of the PIHABF organizing committee, many of whom have been volunteering since the first balloon fiestas held in Clark. Made up of highly experienced aviators in each of their fields, the committee has worked together to maintain a carefully planned and safety-oriented activity.

The organizers expressed that their longtime objective for the fiesta is to instill discipline in participating young pilots so they can develop into safe aviators, as well as to impart a spirit volunteerism and cooperation to the community.

PIHABF’s new poster for its 19th year was designed by no less than renowned Filipino artist Manuel Baldemor. The poster features colorful renditions of Filipino life and culture within a community setting. An internationally recognized artist known for being frequently featured in UNICEF cards, Baldemor specializes in simplified geometric forms with elements of folk art.

Ambassador Jose Zaide, a fiesta volunteer in charge of external affairs, says, “The fiesta is an opportunity to share and exchange cultures and traditions with visiting pilots from all over the world. They are given a taste of Filipino hospitality and the fiesta spirit, and the visiting pilots become contributors to chosen beneficiaries of the foundation.”

“By creating aviation awareness, educating the young about flying machines, teaching discipline to current and aspiring aviators, and encouraging people to work from the heart and do things with passion, we will strive to bring back the Philippine aviation industry’s good standing in the international community, ” Roa emphasizes.

A very remarkable yearly event in Clark Airbase, Angeles, Pampanga. The PIHABF is the longest running balloon event in Asia. Thousands of visitors from the country and from around the world come annually to see the event.

(17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2012)

The 19th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta will surely continue with these traditions.  

 (17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2012!)

For more information and updates on the 19th PIHABF, visit www.philballoonfest.net.

(A weekend of everything that flies! (Hot Air Balloons 2010)

Other related Post : 
A Weekend of Everything that Flies at 17th International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2012

The 17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival
Everything Flies ! Hot Air Balloons at Pampanga

Official Statement of PIHABF Organizing Committee

18th Philippine Intenational Hot Air Balloon

DOTC Seals Agreement for State-of-the-Art Aviation Safety Systems by 2015

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The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) made an agreement paving the way for a world-class aviation system in the Philippines, ensuring the availability of CNS/ATM (Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management) Systems within two-and-a-half years.

Under a Contract Amendment signed last week between the DOTC and the Sumitomo-Thales Joint Venture, the latter will immediately restart the construction of an air traffic management building and the supply of various components such as automation equipment and terminal radars, to enable the use of the satellite technology-based system.

The original contract between the parties was signed in December 2010, but was disallowed by the Commission on Audit (COA) in May 2011. After a review of its concerns, however, the COA lifted the disallowance in March 2013.

The DOTC and the Joint Venture then worked on the Contract Amendment in order to update the project timeline, scope of works, and prices, to allow the project to proceed.

The state-of-the-art CNS/ATM Systems will modernize aviation safety and security capabilities, increase airport capacity, and minimize flight delays and aircraft collisions by providing safety alerts and warnings, managing the use of the airspace and air traffic flow, and enhancing the communications and monitoring capabilities of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

“This project will bring the country closer to the highest of international aviation safety standards. Ultimately, it will also result in more revenues for the government, bolster the country’s tourism goals, and lower pollution emission levels through efficient air traffic management,”said DOTC spokesperson Migs Sagcal.

Sagcal added that Secretary of Transportation and Communications Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya secured the joint venture’s reassurance that the CNS/ATM Systems will be fully in place within President Benigno S. Aquino III’s term, or by November 2015.

The CNS/ATM Systems Development Project was first conceptualized in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Global Air Navigation Plan, and will replace aging vital communications, surveillance, and air traffic control equipment at selected airports nationwide.

Sources: dotc.gov.ph