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Plane flights commercial, not tests by student pilot

December 9, 2001 - Bohol Sunday Post - THE early morning flights of small planes these past few weeks are commercial flights, not test flights made by student pilots.

Airport manager Justo Cabahug of the Air Transportation Office (ATO Tagbilaran) here issued the clarification to allay fears expressed by some residents that a repeat of the freak accident a few months back might happen.

Manned by a budding pilot, that plane cartwheeled upon landing, earning the fellow some broken ribs, a broken arm and a broken leg.

The city airport was busy lately however because this plane manned by a commercial pilot went to and fro filling orders for milkfish or bangus fry from Bohol to Dumaguete and Butuan cities.

Fry are best transported by plane. Outside of their habitat, these are delicate. To ensure a high survival rate, they are best transported as quickly as possible to their new "home." This plane, Cabahug explained, puts in flights only during fry harvest season.

As a secondary airport, Tagbilaran has complete facilities and meets all requirements of pilot training schools.

As early as August 1984, retired Brig. Gen. Jesus Singson of the Philippine Air Force and director for air transportation of ATO issued a memorandum circular to all pilot training schools.

The memorandum states that in the interest of safety and in accordance with requirements prescribed in an earlier administrative order, pilot schools must have aircraft with functioning VHF two-way radio contact with the control tower.

The pilot, it continued, must make his first solo flight in an aerodrome with control tower and firefighting facilities except at the Manila and Mactan airports, and the budding pilots must not land on or take off from an airport's operational traffic circuit.

Along this line, when the Lahug airport closed down, the chief of the air traffic service in Mactan wrote to the DOTC assistant secretary, ATO and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, recommending the Tagbilaran airport for training flights because it is less affected by other air traffic.

However, Cabahug advises aspiring pilots not to fly out in the mornings because of relatively heavy traffic compared to the afternoons.

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