Finally the long wait is over, the Philippines’ first, foremost and longest-running gathering of aviators and aviation enthusiasts from around the globe is back for another Weekend of Everything That Flies.

This year’s Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival (PIHABF) is set on February 12 to 15 at the Philippine Air Force ADAC Hangar in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

Earlier this year, a memorandum of agreement to hold the annual balloon fiesta was signed by Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president Arnel Casanova, Clark Development Corporation (CDC) president Arthur Tugade, Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) president, (then) chief executive officer Victor Jose Luciano, and Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Foundation Inc. (PIHABF) president Capt. Joy Roa at the Asian Air Safari hangar in Pasay City.

What to expect on a four full days of flying activities?

• hot air ballooning
• aerobatic exhibitions
• skydiving
• powered paragliding
• aviation formation
• search and rescue flight demonstrations
• balloon bursting
• and other aviation spectacles 

This year’s highlights include a total of 32 hot air balloons participating from all over the world, with special-shaped balloons featuring Old MacDonald’s Farm, Maximus the Beagle Dog, Burnie the Little Devil, Upside Down Balloon, Miss Daisy, Old Lady & the Shoe, Little Girl and Little Boy, Pink Elephant, Octopus, and Vincent Van Gogh, among a host of colorful traditional balloons.

After the 6:00 AM balloon launch, attendees can also look forward to non-stop flying exhibitions which include skydiving, motorized paragliding, aerobatics, formation flying, radio-controlled model flights, kite-flying, and rocketry, before the balloons fly in again at 5:45 in the afternoon, weather-permitting.

Activities are not only limited skyward, as the festival grounds are also brimming with fun for the whole family. Watch car-drifting exhibitions while airplanes try to drop flour bombs overhead; catch firefighting and safety demonstrations by the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC); discover unique goods and food finds at the “Fly Market”; see your favorite OPM bands perform onstage courtesy of Radio Republic; for would-be aviators, visit the displays of various aviation schools; learn more about birds and other animal species at the Zoocobia mini zoo; and for lovers, attend a free Valentines Concert staged by Jeepney TV on the 3rd Fiesta night, which falls on Valentine’s Day. A fireworks display and nightglow culminates the four-day event the following evening.

Beauty for a cause

As part of this year’s activities, PIHABF also launched the search for Miss Aviation. First staged in the 1970s, this one-of-a-kind beauty pageant aims to promote, advocate and inspire the youth to take up a career in aviation, and support the country’s local tourism efforts. Twenty (20) female aviation students and professionals will vie for the title which will be awarded on February 10, 2015 during the Annual Aviator’s Ball to be held at the Manila Peninsula.

An outstanding pilot will also be receiving the Aviator of the Year Award during the Annual Aviator’s Ball which is a recognition given to aviators who have made outstanding contributions in upgrading the standards of safety and aviation interests in their regions. Other recognitions to be awarded during the event are: Fixed Wing Pilot of the Year, Helicopter Pilot of the Year, Flight Instructor of the Year, Female Pilot of the Year, CAAP Check Pilot of the Year, CAAP Controller of the Year and Aircraft Mechanic of the Year.

According to Captain Joy Roa, event director, the fiesta is a platform for improving the country’s aviation standing through collaboration and interaction with international aviators. “We have so much to learn from our foreign counterparts, and this fiesta is an opportunity to share and exchange cultures and ideas. Of course, this is also a chance for us to showcase the world renowned Filipino hospitality,” he said.

The PIHABF organizing committee is composed of volunteer aviation experts and industry practitioners who make sure that the fiesta is carefully planned and safety-oriented.

Roa added, “Despite the challenges and the setbacks, we are dogged in our determination to mount this event year after year because more than a spectacle, this is an advocacy for us. We want to educate everyone, especially the youth, about the beauty of aviation and the many life lessons we can learn from it.”
The PIHABF 2015 was made possible with the support of the Bases Conversion Development Authority, Clark Freeport, Clark International Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, together with media partners the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Malaya Business Insight, Business World, Business Mirror, Pilipino Mirror, Natural 97.9 FM, DWIZ, ABS CBN, and sponsors, SM City Clark, UPS, Prudential Guarantee, Hotdog on Stick, CDO Bibbo Hotdog, Segway, Qube, Kopiko, Rudy Project, The Medical City, Yellow Cab, Tempra, Snow Cone, Flanax, Bonamine, Garant Group and Radio Republic.

Entrance tickets are at Php300 each, which is a donation to the PIHABF Foundation Scholarship Fund, granting scholarships to deserving but underprivileged students pursuing an aviation career in partnership with Air Link International Aviation School and the Philippine Air Transport and Training Services.. Tickets may be purchased at the fiesta’s official website, at Ticketnet outlets, or at the event gates.

For more information and updates on the 19th PIHABF, visit www.philballoonfest.net or its official Facebook page, at http://www.facebook.com/pihabf.