Hot Air Balloon Festival and Heritage Tour of Angeles, Pampanga

It’s the Festival of Everything That Flies!
Join us on Saturday, February 13, 2010 for the 15th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF). Enjoy a day of fun and flight, and feast on local culture and cuisine at the country's biggest aviation sports event today, happening at the Clark Economic Zone in Pampanga.
Bus leaves exactly at 4:00 am from Megamall in time for the 5:30 lift off. Towards midday we will escape the noontime heat by taking in some sights and culture around Angeles City, savoring local cuisine in a big Kapampangan lunch buffet and shopping for Pampanga’s best delicacies. The rest of the afternoon we will spend back in the airfield until the balloons lift off again and disappear into the sunset. Lug your cameras for some colorful and exciting photo opportunities.
All proceeds of this tour will benefit Bahay Tuluyan (www.bahaytuluyan.org), an NGO working to promote, protect and fulfill the rights of children. Cost per pax is P2,000.00 PRE-PAID inclusive of aircon bus, guide, entrance fees, museum visits, AM snacks and buffet lunch. Sign up fast. Limited seats!
Festival website for news and other details: http://www.philballoonfest.net.
To pay, please deposit in the account of Bahay Tuluyan and keep your deposit slip for reference: BPI Harrison Plaza 004943049276.
For more details contact: Richard Burgos 0928-5082004 burgosrp2003@yahoo.com, or Sarah Satira 02-3532350 or 023535320 sarah.satira@bahaytuluyan.org.
The annual Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) is the country's biggest aviation sports event today. Hot air balloon and airplane pilots from all over the world fly into the Philippines to join their local counterparts in this breathtaking event. The balloon pilots pit their skills in aerial competitions such as hesitation waltz, hare and hounds, key grab race, and spectacles such as balloon sky diving, mass ascensions and night glow.

In addition to daily flights of the hot air balloons, other activities include: skydiving, daily flag jumps (a skydiver jumps with the Philippine flag while the National Anthem is played to the start of the day's activities); micro light demonstrations; small planes fly-bys and fly-ins; remote controlled airplanes exhibitions; aerobatics; light airplane balloon bursting competition; ultra-light formation flying and bomb dropping exhibitions; helicopter fly-ins and exhibitions; an air rally; rocketry demonstrations; kite flying exhibitions; and races between ultra lights and motorcycles

The Hot Air Balloon Festival commenced in 1994 when then Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor commissioned Korean businessman and hot-air balloon pilot, Mr. Sung Kee Paik, and British Airways General Manager, Mr. John Emery, to consider the staging of a balloon fiesta in the country similar to the ones mounted in countries like Japan, United States and Europe.

The tandem together with Sec. Gabor then met up with Regional Director Ronaldo Tiotuico to explore the potential of the project. After scouring the length and breadth of the region, the group decided to lay their stakes on the former US Air Force facility, Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga for the holding of the ballooning event. And so the first hot-air balloon fiesta was held in the same year with some 21 balloon pilots from 10 countries participating plus a lone entry from the Philippines with the Department of Tourism (DoT) , the Hot Air Balloon Club and British Airways as organizers.

The ultralight planes became part of the event. In 1995, participation grew to 27 balloons including a basketless one-man balloon and two entries from the Philippines. In 1996, the DoT requested Capt. Joy Roa of Air Ads, Inc. who is himself a licensed balloon pilot, to take over the responsibilities of organizing the fiesta.

The event was enlarged to include other aero-sport activities such as sky diving, aerobatic stunts and precision maneuvers courtesy of the Blue Diamonds and later the Red Aces of the Philippine Air Force, paragliding, motorized hang-gliding, remote controlled model aircraft (aeromodellers) and kite flying.
February 13
SATURDAY THIRD FIESTA DAY
Philippine Army Flag Jump 5:20-5:30AM
Hot Air Balloon Flights 5:30-7:00AM
Philippines/Thailand/Malaysia/Indonesia/UK Paragliding Exhibition 7:00-7:30AM
ACFC Ultralight / Microlight Aircraft Formation Flights & Flour Bombing 7:30-8:00AM
AFP / Civilian Skydiving Exhibition 8:00-8:30AM
Meynard Halili / Bill Wright Aerobatic Air Show 8:30-9:15AM
Helicopter Flight Display 9:15-9:45AM
AOPA-P Light Aircraft Balloon-Bursting Competition 9:45-10:45AM
Philippine Coast Guard Rescue Demonstration 10:45-11:45AM
Airlink/WCC/AAA/Omni/PPA/CA/Orient/Light Airplane Flyby 11:45-12:15PM
Radio-controlled Model Aircraft Demonstration 12:15-12:45PM
Winch-Launched Glider Demonstration 12:45-1:30PM
KAP/KTP Kite Flying Exhibition 1:30-2:00PM
AOPA-P Light Aircraft Balloon-Bursting Competition 2:00-2:45PM
AFP / Civilian Skydiving Exhibition 2:45-3:15PM
CIAC Fire-fighting Demonstration 3:15-3:45PM
Bill Wright / Meynard Halili Aerobatic Air Show 3:45-4:30PM
ACFC Ultralight / Microlight Aircraft Formation Flights 4:00-4:30PM
PHILSCA Rocketry Demonstration 4:30-5:00PM
RP/Thailand/Malaysia/Indonesia/UK Paragliding Exhibition 5:00-5:30PM
Hot Air Balloon Night Glow 5:30-6:00PM

A Power Session

Today was a like a lightbulb moment become reality. So surreal. Uncanny even. In a room near Ateneo de Manila, I shared a chi-gong session with a kababayan who is an anesthesiologist and an old-time friend from the PR industry and we went through some basic moves in chi-gong seated all the while on the edge of some plastic stools. Our session guide has been into meditation for years and and now runs Green Lightworks Co, providing integrated stress management programs, SATTVAH Wellness Group and its mediation and healing center. We had great synchronicity. And the rest is yet to unfold.

I am immediately encouraged to start a new blog about restful renewal, as the new channel of my life passions.

Come and rest with me.