From CGY, To CEB, To CRK
Let's continue my story from where I earlier finished!
Delayed departure from CGY for about an hour. ETD was 1505H, but at 1607H here I was with my fellow passengers still walking to Laguindingan Airport's Gate 3. GoRa!
If you noticed, there's an aerobridge at left, but this flight was not boarded that way!
Boarding Propeller Planes At Laguindingan
We went down this way: via the stairs, to the tarmac, and on to our tiny little plane!
Hey, some of you (including me 'sometimes') may hate the thought of walking down stairs and on the tarmac's pavement, just to board an aircraft. But I liked it this time!
It's Best When Not Raining or Sunny Hot
Late-afternoon orange sunrays, wide field and sea views, gentle warm breeze. Nice!
I said warm, not cool - that is because this airport vicinity is far from mountains or hills. That said, you know what that means, right? Yes, the air has that "beachy" feel!
Why I Like Propeller Planes
By the way, I keep referring to these propeller planes as tiny, small or little. But they are not microscopic! It is just that they are not as big as Airbus jets we often ride on.
I think I mentioned many times already, that some people I know (or maybe I should say quite a lot?), are terrified at even just the thought of riding these "little" airplanes.
I guess I also said many times that, I'm happier flying in these planes than the jets!
Why? Well, 1] they don't fly far --> less time sitting in a cramped aircraft seat; 2] they don't fly very high --> I can see more islands and seascapes that the plane flies over.
Of course I know, that world airline statistics reveal, there are more propeller-plane accidents than jet-planes. But fewer fatalities (as they carry fewer people per flight)!
Weh, no matter, whatever, I still fly with these "small" propeller planes!
Remember: When it's your time.., oras mo na!
What's A Q400NG? Is It New?
Okay.., boarding! Planes in the Philippines are all relatively new. Look at this:
This plane was delivered to PAL only in OCT2017, direct from its factory in Canada. Airline folks call it Dash 8 or DH8D or Q400 or Q400NG, depending on who they are!
Yup, at times confusing when we passengers talk to airline people hehe! A pilot call it this, cabin attendants call it that and the check-in guys call it by yet another name!
Sometimes you will hear it named DHC or Bombardier. It just has so many names!
Whatever they're called, the real full name of these PAL propeller planes (complete with middle-initial prefix and suffix hahaha) is: De Havilland Canada Dash 8-Q400NG.
Nag-research ako, because I was getting confused. So I came to know that: the DH or DHC means De Havilland of Canada - the airplane-maker, like Airbus and Boeing.
The Dash 8 means the kind of airplane that they make - just like A320, A319, A380 etc for Airbus, or B737, B747, B757 etc for Boeing. Or Vios, L300, CRV, kung sa lupa!
The letters and numbers are codes to indicate (or differentiate) the type. Q means quiet - that's the engine in general. Baka pag walang Q maingay ang tambutso hehe!
400 is the series of such Dash 8 aircraft being made. I remember not very long ago, PAL still had the 300 series. They're all gone now, replaced by the newer series 400.
And the NG means NextGen or New Generation - a variant that can accommodate up to 90 passengers - although PAL only has either 86 or 88 seats in their airplanes.
Woh! Ayan, very technical hahaha! But nice to know some of those nerdy details!
Anyway, I think my favorite thing about this kind of aircraft is: it has wider windows!
Departure On A Golden Hour!
Let's depart na! We have already been delayed by an hour. Pushback at 1620H.
Lucky I was able to snap a pic of those cargo offices while the plane turned, as we were not going that way. That's east of the passenger terminal, we were going west!
1621H. Yes 4:21PM, part of the golden hour as my photography coach would say.
Remembering that axiom, I kept clicking, even if without a subject in mind. And yes, I noticed.., my pictures have that orangy-goldish tint, with a sky so beautifully blue!
Ganoon pala. Hah, now I can say I'm learning or applying what I learned. Aliw din eh!
It's not really exactly an hour, and the time-frame may vary depending on where you are. It is just before, during and after sunset - kung me araw at hindi bumabagyo ha?!
I think I have had opportunities of taking pictures during those golden hours, like here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and many more, andami pala!
Just search for "sunset" in this blog for more!
What I remember my kodaking titser tried to stress was: the orange and the reds are common in sunset subjects, but try to capture the beautiful blue! Oo nga naman ano?!
Oh, before I forget.., let me share with you that the coach told me, there is another golden hour: early in the morning - moments before, during and after the sun rises.
I tried searching back at my stories.., well yes, the pictures in my Silay Morning Walk had this interesting goldish touch, making the old houses look dramatic! Ang galing!
Ay, even my old pic of the San Carlos City Church looked good kahit blurred hahaha! But don't laugh. That was history recorded: gadgets of the past weren't that great yet!
Hey, I already had some nice morning shots even before I met my photog coach. At sya ang nagsabi nyan! Like here, here, here and here.O ha?! Nakapag-yabang din ah!
Hep hep hep... lumiko nanaman ang usapan! Ang sunset naging sunrise na! Back to the topic: my now-delayed-flight from CGY to CEB, going onwards to CRK. Haruy ko!
In Laguindingan, It's Runway 09/27
See the picture above again. That is the eastern end of the Laguindingan runway (Runway 27). Beyond that is Bohol Sea. But, we were going left, to the western side.
Alright. Here here... our little plane taxied leftwards in this picture, to Runway 09.
The grass was brown on a December. Wow, mala-Australia ang dating. Summer ba!
Hey, do you see that orange thing waving in the middle of the (brown) grass? You already know its name/s right? Do you? Just checking if you still remember hahaha!
That orange thing is a Wind Cone (Windcone) or Wind Sock (Windsock).
If you already forgot the windcone, go review, dahil me exam tayo mamaya!
Here we were taxiing out of the tarmac, going west to Runway 09 for takeoff.
Did you know that like many, Laguindingan doesn't have a full-length taxiway (yet)? I think that's common worldwide, but a must at the busiest runways like MNL or CEB.
Look at the photo above. We were heading left, that is still the tarmac (apron), then turning right to that pavement that connects to the runway. That is the only taxiway!
Runways Are Taxiways Too At Small Airports
In busier airports such as MNL and CEB, their taxiways are very long, parallel to the runway such that, airplanes only enter the runway during actual takeoff and landing.
That way, the next airplane, whether taking-off or landing can use the runway ASAP.
Eh ano naman ngayon sa atin yon, eh pasahero lang tayo hindi driver ng edroplano? Well, "plane spotting"! More chances to see other planes para maka-picture hehehe!
Have you seen the long line of airplanes inching their way to the end of the runway, to takeoff at either MNL or CEB? That's possible for us to see since both airports have long dedicated taxiways, and a lot of airplanes leaving at about the same time.
Elsewhere, it's not that busy, so no need yet, for very long dedicated taxiways.
Look here.., our plane just entered the runway, but this wasn't takeoff position yet.
This plane still had to turn left and continue our terrestrial joyride for roughly about a kilometer more, to the end of the runway -that is a plane's normal takeoff position.
By the way, when an airplane touches any of its parts on a runway, no other craft big or tiny (even land vehicles) may also do so. Kaya kung piloto ka, aba bilisan mo 'noh!
That's why at busy airports a long taxiway is needed, so planes that just landed can immediately get off the runway and those not yet taking-off can wait on the taxiway.
Ah CGY isn't a busy airport. I enjoyed looking out as we slowly taxied on the runway!
That's the VOR/DME Station of this airport. Nice location, just above beach resorts!
What's a VOR/DME?
Ah, it's a navigational aid for pilots when flying their planes. It is a combination of two technologies VOR and DME, that (unless you're an enthusiast) you don't need to know more about, as it's so complicated and slowly being phased out na daw!
Those things will probably be still around our airports in this decade (they're costly to upgrade) but if you start hearing of PBN, RNAV & RNP, then change has come na!
Don't worry too, unlessss you're going to be a pilot, you probably won't hear those!
If you remember the June 2010 issue at MNL, those things I named above, plus this thing called ILS, all conked out. Ay, all of them at the same time! It was grand chaos!
Those things are very important in present times, and we have to keep upgrading!
That, is technology in general - mahal pag bago!
U-Turns At The End Of A Runway
O tara na let's go! We reached our takeoff position and I clicked this series of pics:
Wala lang, aliw lang. But you should have noticed, this aiplane was making a u-turn, right? Syempre, since we were at the end of the runway. Lilipad kami, hindi lalangoy!
That U-turn maneuver was what I wanted to capture. Ayay, sana nag-video ako 'no?!
What about the u-turn? Ah, I had been so curiously intrigued for so many years until today, that almost always, when planes made a u-turn (i.e., at a runway's end) it had always been clockwise (to the right). I kept wondering, why not a counter-clockwise?
As an example, look at the series of 8 photos above (sana lang na-video ko para mas klaro). From the middle of the runway, our aiplane veered slightly to the left, then made that rightwards u-turn (clockwise). Ba't hindi pakaliwa? I wanted to know why!
Along with that question, I sent those pics to friends - who I thought could educate me. Ayy, as expected, replies were crazy. Nagtanong pa kasi sa kapwa dispalinghado!
One said: ayaw nila pakaliwa, me reklamo? Another said: gusto nila eh, agrabyado ka? Eto pa: dami mo probs wawa ka nman! One more: stop me! [meaning: tigilan mo ako]
One of these crazy friends said: since pilot sits on the left side, it's better if his u-turn is to the right so he can see where he is going, parang sa kotse. Da! At least me rason!
Sige, for now, I'll take that as THE reason why plane u-turns are usually clockwise!
Center Of Runway Photo Challenge!
Now look at this picture... I got it with the camera at dead center of the runway!
Oy, as someone who is still grappling with photography dos and don'ts, I am already proud of that shot. My tutor even said it's a rare-best cellphone shot! O ha, bow agad!
Wala nang kokontra, nag-bow na ako, tinanggap ko na ang crown, walang soli-an!
Photographers know better, so I asked why was that shot a "rare best"! Coach said:
...you are not a pilot so you were not at the plane's nose but just a side window. Yet you were able to take that shot at dead-center of the runway, and I know planes don't make long crossbeamed pauses on a runway, so it was turning maybe faster than a car...
Woh! Tama sya ha!
Well that photographer, my tutor, is a civil engineer, son of an ex-747 pilot, and can also fly small planes. So I had good reason to believe when he applauded my photo!
Oo na, okay na, sige na, bow uli, but let's take off na hahaha!
The Flight To Cebu
[I'll post here, vids from this flight. pramis!]
Arrival AT MCIA
Anyway, here's a view of the plane beside us as we arrived at CEB MCIA.
There is something interesting about that scene, that I just accidentally captured on my picture! Two men are raising their arms for different reasons! Do you see them?
An Extra Hand Guiding Who?
That guy on foreground has his right hand raised with a thumbs up sign, to tell pilot it's okay, so far. As if me magagawa ang signal nya kung talagang me babanggain o masasagasaan. Aru! His purpose if at all, is just like the orange cone in front of him.
To tell people and vehicles on ground, to stay away from this moving craft. Sa tingin nyo ba, pag nag-thumbs-down sya, eh biglang makakahinto ang plane na yan? Weh!
But let's give it to him. Utos ng boss eh! Madami tayong manpower. Dis is Pilipins!
I would be more concerned about why he is covering his nose with his left hand. It is because of the fumes from that aircraft (engine) behind him - not even ours (yet).
From what I learned years ago, airport and airline "ramp employees" are supposed to be provided with earplugs and gas masks (face masks). Aeh, baka ayaw gamitin!
Aircraft engine fumes, like automobile exhaust, do not make us drop dead pronto, especially if inhaled only from time to time. But if you do it daily, delikado pa rin yan.
Anyway, let's look for that other guy raising his arm, aw arms pala, as in both!
He is that dude (also wearing a yellow vest), beside the lady in blue overalls, beside the airstairs. He has both arms raised, ngunit walang holdapan na nagaganap doon!
'Security' At Planeside
At the time I clicked my phone, he was being frisked by a security guard, reason why he had to raise both arms. Actually, moments from that, the lady in blue also did so.
It's not clear in the picture, but the other guard (lady) was already bent on her knees, patting the thighs and legs of the blue lady. PAL requires that, before cleaners enter the plane. And through these years, I've been observing, it is only done on cleaners.
Bakit kaya? Security risk? Your guess is as good as mine! I say, security loophole! Ah that's a long and interesting topic. We better talk about that in a separate blog entry.
Managing Mis-connections!
Let's proceed with my flight. I was also just transiting in CEB, remember?
Oh well, yes I was. And for some reason, I slowed down instead of rushing through. It was useless to do so! My CEB-CRK flight was supposed to depart at 5PM. Eh that pic above was already 1705H and my plane from CGY wasn't even on blocks-on yet.
Misconnected na. But I told the Mabuhay Girls and Gate Staff at CGY about it. They said they have messaged PAL CEB about that for them to do something to help me.
I was at ease, having full trust in PAL Cebu's ground staff (I know many of them now). But I didn't know yet, what of many options they could have concocted for me.
Options? Yes, there were many churning in my head!
One could be:
In case my PR2833 flight to CRK was also delayed (and I was praying this was the case), one of them could just zip me to that plane. It happened to me before, on 5J!
But cabin crew on this CGY-CEB flight did not talk to me. And I was looking outside, there was no vehicle waiting to rush me to another plane! So, maybe not this option.
Another could be:
They may have transferred me to another flight also going to Clark at a later time. But I doubted that. CEB-CRK is a new route. PAL can't do many flights in an evening.
An option too, could be:
They'd probably billet me in a hotel, and put me on tomorrow's flight. Attractive but unacceptable. Unless that flight arrives CRK at 5AM as I am flying 6AM out of there!
Yet another option could be:
They'll put me on a flight of another airline. Meron kaya at this time? Hmm, maybe?
Other outlandish options may also be possible. Like they could fly me to MNL and put me on a cab to CRK? Jusko! Ah whatever! I just went on to arrival area unsure of what's next! Well, I was confident that these PAL CEB folks are friendly to me. Kulba!
Then I showed up at the transfer desk. Note that the Cebu Transfer Desk is real. As in there are check-in and baggage counters, always with airline staff to attend to us.
When I checked with the PAL agent, she got her 'walkie-talkie' and said something like counter this is transfer desk, di-a ra ang miscon pax CGY to CRK. Naintindihan ko! She meant: andito na ang misconnected passenger from Cagayan De Oro going Clark!
I didn't expect that call would elicit a crazy cacophony of responses from many who had walkie-talkies! One said: pa-uli-a, taga Banilad na, duna pud balay sa Lacion! One other said: ingna hulata ko's arrival, 8 pa akong out, naay bag-ong imnanan sa Pusok!
I was laughing hard since I could hear everything. And the shy newbie transfer desk staff tried to decrease the volume of her radio but I said I wanted to hear more of it!
She blushed embarassed as she could not make them stop (due to seniority haha)! But she (and I) had to listen and wait for a reply from her check-in counter manager!
Still laughing, while others more were also still butting-in on that radio talk, I told the check-in girl don't worry, they're my friends, I know all of them just hearing their voices!
That's why I consider PAL's Cebu Station as the most cheerful bunch of airline staff. They're crazy fun to be with, when they know you. Otherwise, they're friendly helpful.
They were all busy at their respective assignments all over the airport, but the radio banter didn't stop. I became like their stress-reliever as joke-of-the-day, and I liked it!
Until the check-in manager replied again with a break, transfer desk counter, palihug re-print iyang boarding pass sa imong tapad, checked-in na ni sya sa 5J608. Bad news social drinkers, M-R pax siya 'ron kay horror guest sa inaugural ugma ETD CRK 0600H.
And I burst laughing again, as I totally understood everything! She said excuse me transfer desk, this is counter. Yes 'break' or 'breaker' on radio means excuse me or let me talk. She asked the girl to re-print my boarding pass at the Cebu Pacific counter beside her's, as I was already checked-in on 5J608. M-R-pax is must-ride passenger.
As my boarding pass was being re-printed by the Cebu Pacific agent, the fun banter on the PAL walkie-talkie did not stop. Another voice came-on saying transfer lounge [transfer desk this is Mabuhay Lounge], ingna ang pax PAL passengers only hahaha!
Of course I knew who that was, ang "rayna sa mga rayna"! Yet another voice replied saying: hurot na ang arroz caldo sa duha ka-delayed-flights. I am that notorious hehe!
Aw, all along, the arrivals manager was just behind me listening and laughing. When I turned and saw him, he said boarding na, karon pa, you can still smoke! We went up!
So I was suddenly flying on Cebu Pacific Air. Yes, the yellow plane! Because my PAL flight from Cebu to Clark left me behind, since my PAL flight from CGY was 1hr late!
Oh well, that happens, even to those who plan their flights very well, like me hehehe! And good that it happened to me, so I have something to tell you like I'm doing now!
Let's talk about some not so common things.
Here are front & back images of my boarding pass (given at CGY) for PR2833, the PAL flight to CRK that left me. I took pics before they got it from me. Remembrance!
You already know everything about that front face of the boarding pass, right? So let's look at the backside. Not the fine-print notices, we'll discuss them another time.
The MAAS Sticker
I want to highlight that yellow sticker that says MAAS. Do you remember what it is? I said, it's an important communication tool when we discussed that sometime ago.
Notice the diffrence. In my Caticlan-Cebu-Tacloban flight, the sticker was placed on my chest. This time it was on the back side of my connecting flight's boarding pass.
This practice of putting the MAAS sticker on the reverse side of a boarding pass is not usual - especially that our planet is fast adopting & adapting-to paperless travel.
The IATA prescribed way is still to stick that thing on the chest of the passenger for easy identification. In the recent past however, airliners had to chime with the times.
Because many people (not me) don't like stickers in their chests; while others are so restless, fidgety, hyperactive and/or burara that a sticker gets accidentally detached.
One of their solutions is to attach the sticker to the back of the boarding pass, like above. In my case, I only had to show or wave my 'connecting flight's boarding pass' (yun na nga ang nasa picture), so assigned airline people would come to assist me.
Wheh, bakit walang sumalubong para tulungan ako?!
Ah eh.., mis-connected na ang flight in the first place, no need to hurry. Siguro inisip ng mga gi-ahak kong 'migo sa Cebu hayaan nyo sya, alam nya ang gagawin. Ganyan!
What Is An FIM?
Anyway.., here was my boarding pass for the Cebu Pacific flight they put me into:
You also already know how to read and interpret that, right? Except probably for the bracketed (TFIM) code at the bottom? That's where I want to draw your attention to!
I'm not even sure what the T stands for. Maybe it means ticketed via FIM or ticket is an FIM or anything else similar. But I know what's a FIM so I want to tell you about it!
FIM is Flight Interruption Manifest.
It was/is like a replacement or substitute ticket, or a voucher, that airlines may issue during flight disruptions, which are, used as ticket on other airlines' available flights.
Note that I said was/is - because I am not updated as to how airlines in our country treat that 'facility' nowadays. Such as: do they still write on FIM forms of years ago?
Let's expound on this, especially for the younger generations/s. An FIM (it's an IATA prescribed form btw) is helpful tool for both airline and passengers when itineraries are involuntarily disrupted (mainly due to the airline's fault). It is a faster way to help.
Let's take my case as example: the delivering PAL flight (CGY-CEB) did not arrive on time, causing me to miss my connecting PAL flight (CEB-CRK). Wasn't my fault right?
But how would I have gotten to Clark when PAL had no more flights from Cebu that day? There were options (earlier discussed, above). But, I needed to be at Clark that very evening, since I was flying out of there to another place at 6AM of the next day.
Solusyon! Ayan si Cebu Pacific o, me flight din sila papuntang Clark, aabutan pa ni PT! But how, eh di naman PAL yan? Give money to buy a ticket? No, because by the time PT arrives from CGY their check-in counters would even probably be already closed.
So, issue an FIM.
You see, from the airlines' point of view, an FIM is actually just like a promisory note saying "please take this passenger on your flight kami magbabayad pramis peks man".
The receiving airline (Cebu Pacific) has to note that: ang pasaherong ito isinakay na walang ticket, utang ni PAL. Thus, the note on my boarding pass, and their computer!
If you noticed, this FIM thing, is generally more of just an airline-to-airline talk. Often (like in my case), we do not anymore see or know what happens behind the scenes. All we stumble upon, is already the new boarding pass on a new flight. That, is nice!
Reflecting on the above, now I also realize that, somehow, these airline folks have to be friends with one another! Because they first have to ask, to confirm availability of space, before they can issue an FIM to a passenger. Note, it's them who talk, not us.
In my case, they already talked, even before my delayed flight from Cagayan arrived in Cebu. That is why I did not see any FIM, I just saw it written on my boarding pass.
What if Cebu Pacific said "ah wala, puno kami"! Ayay, problema ako ni PAL hahaha!
There are many things more about the FIM, but we better discuss those details in a separate story as its a long though interesting topic. Few passengers know about it.
Well, I now know (therefore you too), because I am atrevida! I keep asking!
The Final Leg Of The Day
Okay, boarding of 5J608 Cebu to Clark! Luck was still on my side. Mabait kasi ako!
Those were the last passengers boarding. Ako pinaka-last. Nag-yosi pa kasi heheh!
Cebu To Clark At Night On A Jet!
Cloudy night. Nothing to see, even if I was lucky to have a window seat. I still kept looking out anyway, perchance I spot anything interesting in the darkness. And I did!
That was an hour and a quarter after we took off at Mactan, so that would probably be Metro Manila, since there is no other very wide bright place in Luzon at night, right?
4 minutes after the above pic, it was still a bright area. This must be Metro Manila!
I could just imagne, if it was not cloudy, the views could have been more fantastic.
After 21 more minutes, we descended towards Clark. This should be Angeles City.
Sorry if it's blurry. I am not a photographer, I just aimed my phone, and I don't know how to adjust me camera settings for night-time shots (and speeding at that) hehe!
I'll still say however, that it's nicer riding propeller planes over Metro Manila at night, than on jets - as the plane is lower (nearer to earth) and slower (more viewing time)!
Oh well, compared to what I got in 2009, with a point-and-shoot camera, that one and only one photo that I snapped with my phone, is much better, kahit blurry pa rin!
Basta, it is still better viewed with your human eyes, live!
Nakarating Din Naman!
Anyway, the best thing is: I arrived at Clark. Delayed, but still on the date expected!
Here's a cute pic I took at 8:45PM, just before disembarking from the yellow plane!
Do you know what that is? Yeah, the crew bag and hat of a cabin crew. Wala lang, I just felt like taking the pic, since it was at my eye level as I piled out with other folks.
Hindi pala eye-level, chin-level pala hahaha!
So I arrived at Clark, out of the airport at 9PM, NOW WHAT?!
Ah, let's talk about that in my next story!
Delayed departure from CGY for about an hour. ETD was 1505H, but at 1607H here I was with my fellow passengers still walking to Laguindingan Airport's Gate 3. GoRa!
Boarding Propeller Planes At Laguindingan
We went down this way: via the stairs, to the tarmac, and on to our tiny little plane!
It's Best When Not Raining or Sunny Hot
Late-afternoon orange sunrays, wide field and sea views, gentle warm breeze. Nice!
I said warm, not cool - that is because this airport vicinity is far from mountains or hills. That said, you know what that means, right? Yes, the air has that "beachy" feel!
Why I Like Propeller Planes
By the way, I keep referring to these propeller planes as tiny, small or little. But they are not microscopic! It is just that they are not as big as Airbus jets we often ride on.
I guess I also said many times that, I'm happier flying in these planes than the jets!
Why? Well, 1] they don't fly far --> less time sitting in a cramped aircraft seat; 2] they don't fly very high --> I can see more islands and seascapes that the plane flies over.
Of course I know, that world airline statistics reveal, there are more propeller-plane accidents than jet-planes. But fewer fatalities (as they carry fewer people per flight)!
Weh, no matter, whatever, I still fly with these "small" propeller planes!
What's A Q400NG? Is It New?
Okay.., boarding! Planes in the Philippines are all relatively new. Look at this:
Yup, at times confusing when we passengers talk to airline people hehe! A pilot call it this, cabin attendants call it that and the check-in guys call it by yet another name!
Sometimes you will hear it named DHC or Bombardier. It just has so many names!
Whatever they're called, the real full name of these PAL propeller planes (complete with middle-initial prefix and suffix hahaha) is: De Havilland Canada Dash 8-Q400NG.
Nag-research ako, because I was getting confused. So I came to know that: the DH or DHC means De Havilland of Canada - the airplane-maker, like Airbus and Boeing.
The Dash 8 means the kind of airplane that they make - just like A320, A319, A380 etc for Airbus, or B737, B747, B757 etc for Boeing. Or Vios, L300, CRV, kung sa lupa!
The letters and numbers are codes to indicate (or differentiate) the type. Q means quiet - that's the engine in general. Baka pag walang Q maingay ang tambutso hehe!
400 is the series of such Dash 8 aircraft being made. I remember not very long ago, PAL still had the 300 series. They're all gone now, replaced by the newer series 400.
And the NG means NextGen or New Generation - a variant that can accommodate up to 90 passengers - although PAL only has either 86 or 88 seats in their airplanes.
Woh! Ayan, very technical hahaha! But nice to know some of those nerdy details!
Anyway, I think my favorite thing about this kind of aircraft is: it has wider windows!
Departure On A Golden Hour!
Let's depart na! We have already been delayed by an hour. Pushback at 1620H.
1621H. Yes 4:21PM, part of the golden hour as my photography coach would say.
Ganoon pala. Hah, now I can say I'm learning or applying what I learned. Aliw din eh!
It's not really exactly an hour, and the time-frame may vary depending on where you are. It is just before, during and after sunset - kung me araw at hindi bumabagyo ha?!
I think I have had opportunities of taking pictures during those golden hours, like here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and many more, andami pala!
Just search for "sunset" in this blog for more!
What I remember my kodaking titser tried to stress was: the orange and the reds are common in sunset subjects, but try to capture the beautiful blue! Oo nga naman ano?!
Oh, before I forget.., let me share with you that the coach told me, there is another golden hour: early in the morning - moments before, during and after the sun rises.
I tried searching back at my stories.., well yes, the pictures in my Silay Morning Walk had this interesting goldish touch, making the old houses look dramatic! Ang galing!
Ay, even my old pic of the San Carlos City Church looked good kahit blurred hahaha! But don't laugh. That was history recorded: gadgets of the past weren't that great yet!
Hey, I already had some nice morning shots even before I met my photog coach. At sya ang nagsabi nyan! Like here, here, here and here.O ha?! Nakapag-yabang din ah!
Hep hep hep... lumiko nanaman ang usapan! Ang sunset naging sunrise na! Back to the topic: my now-delayed-flight from CGY to CEB, going onwards to CRK. Haruy ko!
In Laguindingan, It's Runway 09/27
See the picture above again. That is the eastern end of the Laguindingan runway (Runway 27). Beyond that is Bohol Sea. But, we were going left, to the western side.
Alright. Here here... our little plane taxied leftwards in this picture, to Runway 09.
Hey, do you see that orange thing waving in the middle of the (brown) grass? You already know its name/s right? Do you? Just checking if you still remember hahaha!
That orange thing is a Wind Cone (Windcone) or Wind Sock (Windsock).
If you already forgot the windcone, go review, dahil me exam tayo mamaya!
Here we were taxiing out of the tarmac, going west to Runway 09 for takeoff.
Look at the photo above. We were heading left, that is still the tarmac (apron), then turning right to that pavement that connects to the runway. That is the only taxiway!
Runways Are Taxiways Too At Small Airports
In busier airports such as MNL and CEB, their taxiways are very long, parallel to the runway such that, airplanes only enter the runway during actual takeoff and landing.
That way, the next airplane, whether taking-off or landing can use the runway ASAP.
Eh ano naman ngayon sa atin yon, eh pasahero lang tayo hindi driver ng edroplano? Well, "plane spotting"! More chances to see other planes para maka-picture hehehe!
Have you seen the long line of airplanes inching their way to the end of the runway, to takeoff at either MNL or CEB? That's possible for us to see since both airports have long dedicated taxiways, and a lot of airplanes leaving at about the same time.
Elsewhere, it's not that busy, so no need yet, for very long dedicated taxiways.
Look here.., our plane just entered the runway, but this wasn't takeoff position yet.
By the way, when an airplane touches any of its parts on a runway, no other craft big or tiny (even land vehicles) may also do so. Kaya kung piloto ka, aba bilisan mo 'noh!
That's why at busy airports a long taxiway is needed, so planes that just landed can immediately get off the runway and those not yet taking-off can wait on the taxiway.
Ah CGY isn't a busy airport. I enjoyed looking out as we slowly taxied on the runway!
What's a VOR/DME?
Ah, it's a navigational aid for pilots when flying their planes. It is a combination of two technologies VOR and DME, that (unless you're an enthusiast) you don't need to know more about, as it's so complicated and slowly being phased out na daw!
Those things will probably be still around our airports in this decade (they're costly to upgrade) but if you start hearing of PBN, RNAV & RNP, then change has come na!
Don't worry too, unlessss you're going to be a pilot, you probably won't hear those!
If you remember the June 2010 issue at MNL, those things I named above, plus this thing called ILS, all conked out. Ay, all of them at the same time! It was grand chaos!
Those things are very important in present times, and we have to keep upgrading!
That, is technology in general - mahal pag bago!
U-Turns At The End Of A Runway
O tara na let's go! We reached our takeoff position and I clicked this series of pics:
That U-turn maneuver was what I wanted to capture. Ayay, sana nag-video ako 'no?!
What about the u-turn? Ah, I had been so curiously intrigued for so many years until today, that almost always, when planes made a u-turn (i.e., at a runway's end) it had always been clockwise (to the right). I kept wondering, why not a counter-clockwise?
As an example, look at the series of 8 photos above (sana lang na-video ko para mas klaro). From the middle of the runway, our aiplane veered slightly to the left, then made that rightwards u-turn (clockwise). Ba't hindi pakaliwa? I wanted to know why!
Along with that question, I sent those pics to friends - who I thought could educate me. Ayy, as expected, replies were crazy. Nagtanong pa kasi sa kapwa dispalinghado!
One said: ayaw nila pakaliwa, me reklamo? Another said: gusto nila eh, agrabyado ka? Eto pa: dami mo probs wawa ka nman! One more: stop me! [meaning: tigilan mo ako]
One of these crazy friends said: since pilot sits on the left side, it's better if his u-turn is to the right so he can see where he is going, parang sa kotse. Da! At least me rason!
Sige, for now, I'll take that as THE reason why plane u-turns are usually clockwise!
Center Of Runway Photo Challenge!
Now look at this picture... I got it with the camera at dead center of the runway!
Wala nang kokontra, nag-bow na ako, tinanggap ko na ang crown, walang soli-an!
Photographers know better, so I asked why was that shot a "rare best"! Coach said:
...you are not a pilot so you were not at the plane's nose but just a side window. Yet you were able to take that shot at dead-center of the runway, and I know planes don't make long crossbeamed pauses on a runway, so it was turning maybe faster than a car...
Woh! Tama sya ha!
Well that photographer, my tutor, is a civil engineer, son of an ex-747 pilot, and can also fly small planes. So I had good reason to believe when he applauded my photo!
Oo na, okay na, sige na, bow uli, but let's take off na hahaha!
The Flight To Cebu
Arrival AT MCIA
Anyway, here's a view of the plane beside us as we arrived at CEB MCIA.
An Extra Hand Guiding Who?
That guy on foreground has his right hand raised with a thumbs up sign, to tell pilot it's okay, so far. As if me magagawa ang signal nya kung talagang me babanggain o masasagasaan. Aru! His purpose if at all, is just like the orange cone in front of him.
To tell people and vehicles on ground, to stay away from this moving craft. Sa tingin nyo ba, pag nag-thumbs-down sya, eh biglang makakahinto ang plane na yan? Weh!
But let's give it to him. Utos ng boss eh! Madami tayong manpower. Dis is Pilipins!
I would be more concerned about why he is covering his nose with his left hand. It is because of the fumes from that aircraft (engine) behind him - not even ours (yet).
From what I learned years ago, airport and airline "ramp employees" are supposed to be provided with earplugs and gas masks (face masks). Aeh, baka ayaw gamitin!
Aircraft engine fumes, like automobile exhaust, do not make us drop dead pronto, especially if inhaled only from time to time. But if you do it daily, delikado pa rin yan.
Anyway, let's look for that other guy raising his arm, aw arms pala, as in both!
He is that dude (also wearing a yellow vest), beside the lady in blue overalls, beside the airstairs. He has both arms raised, ngunit walang holdapan na nagaganap doon!
'Security' At Planeside
At the time I clicked my phone, he was being frisked by a security guard, reason why he had to raise both arms. Actually, moments from that, the lady in blue also did so.
It's not clear in the picture, but the other guard (lady) was already bent on her knees, patting the thighs and legs of the blue lady. PAL requires that, before cleaners enter the plane. And through these years, I've been observing, it is only done on cleaners.
Bakit kaya? Security risk? Your guess is as good as mine! I say, security loophole! Ah that's a long and interesting topic. We better talk about that in a separate blog entry.
Managing Mis-connections!
Let's proceed with my flight. I was also just transiting in CEB, remember?
Oh well, yes I was. And for some reason, I slowed down instead of rushing through. It was useless to do so! My CEB-CRK flight was supposed to depart at 5PM. Eh that pic above was already 1705H and my plane from CGY wasn't even on blocks-on yet.
Misconnected na. But I told the Mabuhay Girls and Gate Staff at CGY about it. They said they have messaged PAL CEB about that for them to do something to help me.
I was at ease, having full trust in PAL Cebu's ground staff (I know many of them now). But I didn't know yet, what of many options they could have concocted for me.
Options? Yes, there were many churning in my head!
One could be:
In case my PR2833 flight to CRK was also delayed (and I was praying this was the case), one of them could just zip me to that plane. It happened to me before, on 5J!
But cabin crew on this CGY-CEB flight did not talk to me. And I was looking outside, there was no vehicle waiting to rush me to another plane! So, maybe not this option.
Another could be:
They may have transferred me to another flight also going to Clark at a later time. But I doubted that. CEB-CRK is a new route. PAL can't do many flights in an evening.
An option too, could be:
They'd probably billet me in a hotel, and put me on tomorrow's flight. Attractive but unacceptable. Unless that flight arrives CRK at 5AM as I am flying 6AM out of there!
Yet another option could be:
They'll put me on a flight of another airline. Meron kaya at this time? Hmm, maybe?
Other outlandish options may also be possible. Like they could fly me to MNL and put me on a cab to CRK? Jusko! Ah whatever! I just went on to arrival area unsure of what's next! Well, I was confident that these PAL CEB folks are friendly to me. Kulba!
Then I showed up at the transfer desk. Note that the Cebu Transfer Desk is real. As in there are check-in and baggage counters, always with airline staff to attend to us.
When I checked with the PAL agent, she got her 'walkie-talkie' and said something like counter this is transfer desk, di-a ra ang miscon pax CGY to CRK. Naintindihan ko! She meant: andito na ang misconnected passenger from Cagayan De Oro going Clark!
I didn't expect that call would elicit a crazy cacophony of responses from many who had walkie-talkies! One said: pa-uli-a, taga Banilad na, duna pud balay sa Lacion! One other said: ingna hulata ko's arrival, 8 pa akong out, naay bag-ong imnanan sa Pusok!
I was laughing hard since I could hear everything. And the shy newbie transfer desk staff tried to decrease the volume of her radio but I said I wanted to hear more of it!
She blushed embarassed as she could not make them stop (due to seniority haha)! But she (and I) had to listen and wait for a reply from her check-in counter manager!
Still laughing, while others more were also still butting-in on that radio talk, I told the check-in girl don't worry, they're my friends, I know all of them just hearing their voices!
That's why I consider PAL's Cebu Station as the most cheerful bunch of airline staff. They're crazy fun to be with, when they know you. Otherwise, they're friendly helpful.
They were all busy at their respective assignments all over the airport, but the radio banter didn't stop. I became like their stress-reliever as joke-of-the-day, and I liked it!
Until the check-in manager replied again with a break, transfer desk counter, palihug re-print iyang boarding pass sa imong tapad, checked-in na ni sya sa 5J608. Bad news social drinkers, M-R pax siya 'ron kay horror guest sa inaugural ugma ETD CRK 0600H.
And I burst laughing again, as I totally understood everything! She said excuse me transfer desk, this is counter. Yes 'break' or 'breaker' on radio means excuse me or let me talk. She asked the girl to re-print my boarding pass at the Cebu Pacific counter beside her's, as I was already checked-in on 5J608. M-R-pax is must-ride passenger.
As my boarding pass was being re-printed by the Cebu Pacific agent, the fun banter on the PAL walkie-talkie did not stop. Another voice came-on saying transfer lounge [transfer desk this is Mabuhay Lounge], ingna ang pax PAL passengers only hahaha!
Of course I knew who that was, ang "rayna sa mga rayna"! Yet another voice replied saying: hurot na ang arroz caldo sa duha ka-delayed-flights. I am that notorious hehe!
Aw, all along, the arrivals manager was just behind me listening and laughing. When I turned and saw him, he said boarding na, karon pa, you can still smoke! We went up!
So I was suddenly flying on Cebu Pacific Air. Yes, the yellow plane! Because my PAL flight from Cebu to Clark left me behind, since my PAL flight from CGY was 1hr late!
Oh well, that happens, even to those who plan their flights very well, like me hehehe! And good that it happened to me, so I have something to tell you like I'm doing now!
Let's talk about some not so common things.
Here are front & back images of my boarding pass (given at CGY) for PR2833, the PAL flight to CRK that left me. I took pics before they got it from me. Remembrance!
The MAAS Sticker
I want to highlight that yellow sticker that says MAAS. Do you remember what it is? I said, it's an important communication tool when we discussed that sometime ago.
Notice the diffrence. In my Caticlan-Cebu-Tacloban flight, the sticker was placed on my chest. This time it was on the back side of my connecting flight's boarding pass.
This practice of putting the MAAS sticker on the reverse side of a boarding pass is not usual - especially that our planet is fast adopting & adapting-to paperless travel.
The IATA prescribed way is still to stick that thing on the chest of the passenger for easy identification. In the recent past however, airliners had to chime with the times.
Because many people (not me) don't like stickers in their chests; while others are so restless, fidgety, hyperactive and/or burara that a sticker gets accidentally detached.
One of their solutions is to attach the sticker to the back of the boarding pass, like above. In my case, I only had to show or wave my 'connecting flight's boarding pass' (yun na nga ang nasa picture), so assigned airline people would come to assist me.
Wheh, bakit walang sumalubong para tulungan ako?!
Ah eh.., mis-connected na ang flight in the first place, no need to hurry. Siguro inisip ng mga gi-ahak kong 'migo sa Cebu hayaan nyo sya, alam nya ang gagawin. Ganyan!
What Is An FIM?
Anyway.., here was my boarding pass for the Cebu Pacific flight they put me into:
I'm not even sure what the T stands for. Maybe it means ticketed via FIM or ticket is an FIM or anything else similar. But I know what's a FIM so I want to tell you about it!
FIM is Flight Interruption Manifest.
It was/is like a replacement or substitute ticket, or a voucher, that airlines may issue during flight disruptions, which are, used as ticket on other airlines' available flights.
Note that I said was/is - because I am not updated as to how airlines in our country treat that 'facility' nowadays. Such as: do they still write on FIM forms of years ago?
Let's expound on this, especially for the younger generations/s. An FIM (it's an IATA prescribed form btw) is helpful tool for both airline and passengers when itineraries are involuntarily disrupted (mainly due to the airline's fault). It is a faster way to help.
Let's take my case as example: the delivering PAL flight (CGY-CEB) did not arrive on time, causing me to miss my connecting PAL flight (CEB-CRK). Wasn't my fault right?
But how would I have gotten to Clark when PAL had no more flights from Cebu that day? There were options (earlier discussed, above). But, I needed to be at Clark that very evening, since I was flying out of there to another place at 6AM of the next day.
Solusyon! Ayan si Cebu Pacific o, me flight din sila papuntang Clark, aabutan pa ni PT! But how, eh di naman PAL yan? Give money to buy a ticket? No, because by the time PT arrives from CGY their check-in counters would even probably be already closed.
So, issue an FIM.
You see, from the airlines' point of view, an FIM is actually just like a promisory note saying "please take this passenger on your flight kami magbabayad pramis peks man".
The receiving airline (Cebu Pacific) has to note that: ang pasaherong ito isinakay na walang ticket, utang ni PAL. Thus, the note on my boarding pass, and their computer!
If you noticed, this FIM thing, is generally more of just an airline-to-airline talk. Often (like in my case), we do not anymore see or know what happens behind the scenes. All we stumble upon, is already the new boarding pass on a new flight. That, is nice!
Reflecting on the above, now I also realize that, somehow, these airline folks have to be friends with one another! Because they first have to ask, to confirm availability of space, before they can issue an FIM to a passenger. Note, it's them who talk, not us.
In my case, they already talked, even before my delayed flight from Cagayan arrived in Cebu. That is why I did not see any FIM, I just saw it written on my boarding pass.
What if Cebu Pacific said "ah wala, puno kami"! Ayay, problema ako ni PAL hahaha!
There are many things more about the FIM, but we better discuss those details in a separate story as its a long though interesting topic. Few passengers know about it.
Well, I now know (therefore you too), because I am atrevida! I keep asking!
The Final Leg Of The Day
Okay, boarding of 5J608 Cebu to Clark! Luck was still on my side. Mabait kasi ako!
Cebu To Clark At Night On A Jet!
Cloudy night. Nothing to see, even if I was lucky to have a window seat. I still kept looking out anyway, perchance I spot anything interesting in the darkness. And I did!
4 minutes after the above pic, it was still a bright area. This must be Metro Manila!
After 21 more minutes, we descended towards Clark. This should be Angeles City.
I'll still say however, that it's nicer riding propeller planes over Metro Manila at night, than on jets - as the plane is lower (nearer to earth) and slower (more viewing time)!
Oh well, compared to what I got in 2009, with a point-and-shoot camera, that one and only one photo that I snapped with my phone, is much better, kahit blurry pa rin!
Basta, it is still better viewed with your human eyes, live!
Nakarating Din Naman!
Anyway, the best thing is: I arrived at Clark. Delayed, but still on the date expected!
Here's a cute pic I took at 8:45PM, just before disembarking from the yellow plane!
Hindi pala eye-level, chin-level pala hahaha!
So I arrived at Clark, out of the airport at 9PM, NOW WHAT?!
Ah, let's talk about that in my next story!
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