Here’s a picture my dear wife , the Unofficial Cook snapped a month or so ago when we were at Clark for lunch. The exact same picture could have been snapped about 60 years ago because I would “escape” to the airport (at that time, 
N07, Lincoln Park) every chance I had to escape. Watching airplanes on a sunny morning is something good for the soul.
Of course later on I did more than watch. One thing that amazes me about how much things have changed over the years is America’s attitudes toward pilots. When I was a little boy, it was almost every boy’s dream … now, today … even though we make so much more use of air travel, it’s something hardly anyone thinks of.
Not so here in the Philippines. Every flight school in existence is chock full of students, and there at the Omni Aviation strip at Clark there is a dedicated school run by Philippine Airlines that is what we call ab initio (from the begriming) where they train young man and women from day one. Many other schools in Asia are struggling to crank out enough pilots and there in the US there is going to be a shortage over the next few years as well as the current glut of overage pilots who got a special exemption from Congress finally have to let go of their death grip and retire.
Here’s an example of a current Philippine flight school. Omni Aviation located on their own little runway on the former Clark AB, now the Clark Special Economic Zone.
Of 
course if you would prefer your flying a little more rustic and open air the Angeles City Flying Club … located out in the countryside a bit north and east of Angeles City, can accommodate you. Ultra light aircraft don’t have to follow the same rules as conventional aircraft do, and you don’t need a pilot license for one .. but they require the same skills, give the same thrills and build the same pilot experience as their “heavier” brethren do.
Whatever your choice, the storms are only here a certain short time, the rest of the year you can have fun and enjoy the sunshine. I think we’ll go to Clark/Angeles Tuesday am, the sun should be shining nicely by then.
Popularity: 2% [?]
