Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival marks 19th year, all set for another historic Weekend of Everything That Flies
The 19th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival
The Philippines’ first, foremost and
longest-running gathering of aviators and aviation enthusiasts from around the
globe is back for another Weekend of Everything That Flies.
This year’s Philippine International Hot
Air Balloon Festival (PIHABF) is set on February 12 to 15 at the Philippine Air
Force ADAC Hangar in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.
Earlier this year, a memorandum of
agreement to hold the annual balloon fiesta was signed by Bases Conversion and
Development Authority (BCDA) president Arnel Casanova, Clark Development
Corporation (CDC) president Arthur Tugade, Clark International Airport
Corporation (CIAC) president, (then) 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.
Four full days of flying
activities—including hot air ballooning, aerobatic exhibitions, skydiving,
powered paragliding, aviation formation, search and rescue flight
demonstrations, and balloon bursting, among other aviation spectacles—await
attendees and participants to the highly anticipated event.
This year’s highlights include a total of
32 hot air balloons participating from all over the world, with special-shaped
balloons featuring Old MacDonald’s Farm, Maximus the Beagle Dog, Burnie the
Little Devil, Upside Down Balloon, Miss Daisy, Old Lady & the Shoe, Little
Girl and Little Boy, Pink Elephant, Octopus, and Vincent Van Gogh, among a host
of colorful traditional balloons.
After the 6:00 AM balloon launch, attendees
can also look forward to non-stop flying exhibitions which include skydiving,
motorized paragliding, aerobatics, formation flying, radio-controlled model
flights, kite-flying, and rocketry, before the balloons fly in again at 5:45 in
the afternoon, weather-permitting.
The 19th PIHABF Schedule of Activities
Activities are not only limited skyward, as
the festival grounds are also brimming with fun for the whole family. Watch
car-drifting exhibitions while airplanes try to drop flour bombs overhead;
catch firefighting and safety demonstrations by the Clark International Airport
Corporation (CIAC); discover unique goods and food finds at the “Fly Market”;
see your favorite OPM bands perform onstage courtesy of Radio Republic; for
would-be aviators, visit the displays of various aviation schools; learn more
about birds and other animal species at the Zoocobia mini zoo; and for lovers, attend
a free Valentines Concert staged by Jeepney TV on the 3rd Fiesta night, which
falls on Valentine’s Day. A fireworks display and nightglow culminates the
four-day event the following evening.
Beauty for a cause
As part of this year’s activities, PIHABF
also launched the search for Miss Aviation. First staged in the 1970s, this
one-of-a-kind beauty pageant aims to promote, advocate and inspire the youth to
take up a career in aviation, and support the country’s local tourism efforts.
Twenty (20) female aviation students and professionals will vie for the title
which will be awarded on February 10, 2015 during the Annual Aviator’s Ball to
be held at the Manila Peninsula.
An outstanding pilot will also be receiving
the Aviator of the Year Award during the Annual Aviator’s Ball which is a
recognition given to aviators who have made outstanding contributions in
upgrading the standards of safety and aviation interests in their regions.
Other recognitions to be awarded during the event are: Fixed Wing Pilot of the
Year, Helicopter Pilot of the Year, Flight Instructor of the Year, Female Pilot
of the Year, CAAP Check Pilot of the Year, CAAP Controller of the Year and
Aircraft Mechanic of the Year.
According to Captain Joy Roa, event
director, the fiesta is a platform for improving the country’s aviation
standing through collaboration and interaction with international aviators. “We
have so much to learn from our foreign counterparts, and this fiesta is an
opportunity to share and exchange cultures and ideas. Of course, this is also a
chance for us to showcase the world renowned Filipino hospitality,” he said.
The PIHABF organizing committee is composed
of volunteer aviation experts and industry practitioners who make sure that the
fiesta is carefully planned and safety-oriented.
Roa added, “Despite the challenges and the
setbacks, we are dogged in our determination to mount this event year after
year because more than a spectacle, this is an advocacy for us. We want to
educate everyone, especially the youth, about the beauty of aviation and the
many life lessons we can learn from it.”
The PIHABF 2015 was made possible with the
support of the Bases Conversion Development Authority, Clark Freeport, Clark
International Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, together with media partners the Philippine
Daily Inquirer, Malaya Business Insight, Business World, Business Mirror,
Pilipino Mirror, Natural 97.9 FM, DWIZ, ABS CBN, and sponsors, SM City Clark, UPS,
Prudential Guarantee, Hotdog on Stick, CDO Bibbo Hotdog, Segway, Qube, Kopiko,
Rudy Project, The Medical City, Yellow Cab, Tempra, Snow Cone, Flanax,
Bonamine, Garant Group and Radio Republic.
Entrance tickets are at Php300 each, which
is a donation to the PIHABF Foundation Scholarship Fund, granting scholarships
to deserving but underprivileged students pursuing an aviation career in
partnership with Air Link International Aviation School and the Philippine Air
Transport and Training Services.. Tickets may be purchased at the fiesta’s
official website, at Ticketnet outlets, or at the event gates.
For more information and updates on the 19th
PIHABF, visit www.philballoonfest.net
or its official Facebook page, at http://www.facebook.com/pihabf.
Thank you for always being here amazing peeps! Hope it wouldn't take much of your time if I'd ask you to
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