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Flag of the Philippines.

Manila, Luzon Island, Republic of the Philippines

Saturday, 5^th October 1996

     The Philippine Archipelago is situated in the western Pacific Ocean and consists of roughly 7,641 islands.  It’s also resting on the “Pacific Ring of Fire” and is subject to frequent volcano activity, earthquakes and typhoons.  I had the privilege of flying over many of these islands, and discovered them to be extraordinarily beautiful.

     The arrival of Portuguese explorer, and Spanish subject, Ferdinand Magellan, in 1521 at the Philippines, marked the beginning of Hispanic colonization, which would continue for the next 300 years.  With the advent of the Spanish-American War of 1898, lasting only three months and three weeks, both Cuba and the Philippines were wrestled away from Spanish control.  This was followed by the Philippine-American War, lasting three years and five months, resulting in America wrestling away the Philippines from the short-lived First Philippine Republic, and becoming an “American Protectorate.”

     In 1934 the Philippine Independence Act created the Commonwealth of the Philippines, then a limited form of independence the following year, with an established process ending in full Philippine independence originally scheduled for 1944.  However with the advent of World War II, and the Japanese occupation, Philippine independence got pushed back to 1946.

Magellan’s discovery and death at the Philippines.

     Since then, the Philippines have often had a tumultuous experience with democracy, fraught with corruption and assassinations.

     Manila was originally founded by the Spanish in 1571, on the western edge of Luzon Island, and the eastern shores of Manila Bay.  It became the hub of the Trans-Pacific trade route, connecting Asia with Acapulco, Mexico, employing the famous Manila Galleons, which could carry 300 to 500 passengers, and were the largest wooden ships ever built.  They were in service from 1565 to 1815.

     Manila is the capitol of the Philippines, and is the most densely populated city on the planet, with one of the highest crime rates.

     There are sixteen cities that make up Metro Manila, and, when I visited the City of Makati, I got my first clue regarding the crime rate.

     Makati is the financial center of the Philippines, and has the highest concentration of multinational and local corporations in the country, with major banks, shopping malls, and foreign embassies being based there.  On my original visit to one of its modern shopping malls, I did a double take when spotting an ATM.  Standing on either side, guarding the ATM, were two gentlemen, one armed with a 12-gage shotgun, and the other with an M-16 assault rifle.

     Unlike Bangkok, dear reader, where one wouldn’t encounter armed guards at ATMs, I never felt safe wandering the streets of Manila; too many people with guns and big knives.

     As for the airline, Grand Air, it was established when the Philippine Government started to deregulate its domestic aviation industry, after decades of monopoly by Philippine Airlines wholly owned by the government.

     Grand Air, on the other hand, was owned by the wealthy Panlilio family, who also owned several hotels.  When I joined the airline, their fleet consisted of a single Airbus A300; used on the Hong Kong and Taipei runs; plus a single B-737-200B operated domestically.

Airbus A300.

B-737-200B. 

     This particular 737 held a bit of nostalgia for me, dear reader, for it had originally been owned by Western Airlines in the 1970s, and had no doubt been pre-flight inspected and flown by my ex-wife, Valerie.

     Whenever I did a walk-around pre-flight, I always got the feeling she was walking with me, helping with the inspection; strange how my mind works.

     The Panlilio family had a very unique and comfortable set up for the Grand Air Terminal.  They owned the eight-storied Philippine Village Hotel, which sat alongside Runway Three-One/ One-Three, at the Manila International Airport.  So they turned their hotel into an airline passenger terminal, whereby a passenger could check into the hotel, and their flight, then comfortably wait until ultimately getting bussed directly to the aircraft; cutting out all the hassle of parking and standing in line at the airport’s main terminal.

     The airline put me up at the same hotel, on the 6^th floor, in a large, comfortable room.  In the morning I’d order room service, and after an excellent breakfast, I’d linger over an extra cup of coffee, as I watched CNN, while keeping track of my 737, which I could actually see on the other side of the runway, parked in front of the maintenance hangar.  

The view outside my window.

     When the tug hooked up to the nose wheels, and began to move my 737 to this side of the runway, it was time for me to go to work.

     I’d then take the elevator to the hotel’s second floor, where Grand Air Flight Operations was located, pick up my paperwork, my First Officer, my four Flight Attendants, and then we’d all get bussed to our 737.

     Never had to worry about traffic, or being late for work, dear reader.  What a relaxed way to start the day.

     The Philippine Village Hotel had been in operation for over twenty years and possessed an interesting history.  For example:

    The contestants for the 1974 Miss Universe Pageant were billeted at this hotel.

     The following year the Ali – Frazer fight occurred.  According to boxing promoter Bob Arum, the real “Thrilla in Manila” took place when they all came back to the Philippine Village Hotel after the fight, and, for the next two days, participated in a sexual, nonstop, marathon orgy.

     No wonder, dear reader, the furnishings in my room appeared so tired and worn out.  I shuddered to think of the sloppy sexual activity they had witnessed.

     As for the flight crews, they kept four, drop dead gorgeous, Filipina Flight Attendants on board for all flights, who were well trained and quite switched on.  

     Unlike the “Singapore Girl,” all of these kids could swim!

     As for the pilots, I flew with two of the nuttiest Australian First Officers that I’ve ever encountered.  

     But aside from their crazy antics, which kept me in stitches, they were both “good sticks,” and I never had any qualms with regards to letting them fly a leg.

     The other Captain was an American, a true gentleman, named Chris, who was an airline pilot with US Airways presently on “furlough,” because the airline had fallen on hard financial times.  Chris ran the operation, and checked me out on all the routes.

Capt. Chris with one of our FAs.

      In the words of Forest Gump, dear reader, Chris and I got along like “peas and carrots.”  He had a lot of experience on the 737 and was a total delight to fly with.

     As for the Airbus crews, I never met them as they kept exclusively to themselves.

     The fly in the ointment was the maintenance of both 737s.  Someone, I would later learn, was siphoning-off the money earmarked for maintenance; resulting in our elderly 737s having a plethora of important things wrong with them, which I’ll describe at the end of this segment on the airline. 

     However, keep in mind, dear reader, that Grand Air was founded in 1995, and, as they had hired me, acquired the “Chisholm Curse” and would go bankrupt in 1999; similar to those five airlines I flew for in the States.  Due to Grand Air’s in-house corruption though, it came as no surprise to me.

     As for the Manila International Airport, things had changed since my last visit in SAUDIA’s 747 way back on 2^nd January 1985.

     For example: The airport had changed its name on 17^th August 1987 to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, naming it after Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., who was assassinated at the airport on 21st August 1983.

Aquino being tossed into the AVSECOM Van after being shot.

     If you’ll remember, dear reader, I described witnessing this assassination from the cockpit of my 747, previously in Chapter Seven. 

     Even so, despite this long, fancy name, the airport was referred to as Manila International, and even Nichols Field, the U.S. Army Air Corps base it had been prior to World War II.

     Operating my first flight for Grand Air out of Manila, on 5^th October 1996, I found it to still be a modern, well equipped airport, which possessed two runways laid out at a ninety-degree angle to one another.  For example, the older, original Runway One-Three ran SE/NW (130°/310° magnetic) with a length of 7,956 feet, and the newer, Runway Six ran NE/SW (060°/240° magnetic) at 11,768 feet in length, with two ILS approaches at either end.

     The airport was situated along the border between the cities of Pasay and Parañaque, about 4.3 miles south of Manila proper, and southwest of Makati.  It lay on a narrow strip of land between two large bodies of water; Manila Bay to the west, and Laguna de Bay to the east.

Approaching Manila Airport from the South-East.

Approaching Manila Airport from the South-West.

     The Filipino Air Traffic Controllers were USAF trained, could radar vector us, and spoke understandable American English.  Flying in and out of Manila International was dead easy.

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