* * * * * Tacloban, Leyte Island, Republic of the Philippines Monday 16 th December 1996 Unlike the 10 th of December, when I flew a seven-leg d ay, today was supposed to be “easy,” a round trip to Puerto Princesa, then a round trip to Tacloban, resulting in four legs. However, when I began this “easy” schedule, little did I know how challenging it would be, resulting in my last flight for Grand Air. Leyte Island lies southeast of Manila, and measures approximately 110 SM north-south, and nearly 40 SM at its widest point east-west. Leyte is mostly heavily forested and mountainous, but the Leyte Valley in the northeast is flat with a good deal of agriculture. From Manila it took the 737 fifty-five minutes to f...