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Post by milspec on Jan 18, 2007 22:08:15 GMT -5
Greetings Gentlemen, How's everybody? I'm sorry if I've been out for a while but my ancient computer crashed and burned. We tried everything to resuscitate her but alas the technician said that we did not have enough memory to operate her properly. It was a sad day to finally put her to rest after more than 9 years of service. We had to finally send her to pasture. We had to save up to get a new system. So, hopefully I'll have a couple of years of trouble free posting. I see that a lot has happened in my absence. It will take me awhile to update myself on whats new. In the meantime I was able to find some pictures a friend sent me of the Philippine Air force Museum in Villamor Airbase. I hope you enjoy them. They used a lot of plastic models to depict various aircraft that were in service through the years.  P-51D near the entrance. Last I heard this plane was traded off to Taiwan for an operational F-5A.  Inside Photo, Medals, and Scale Model Displays.  Modern and early 1950s aircrew flight gear displays.  Shadow box diorama of the dogfight between Philippine Army Air Corps P-26A Peashooters vs. Japanese A6M2 Zero 21s in 1942.  The 1950s thru 1960s. Top picture is a shadow box diorama of PAF F-86Fs in formation. Bottom photos are of PAF P-51Ds conducting air operations in some remote airbase against Huks.  Detailed shots of the P-51Ds. Milspec |
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Post by milspec on Jan 18, 2007 22:15:10 GMT -5
Greetings again, Here is the website for the Philippine Air Force Museum or should I say the Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum. I wonder what kind of aerospace assets the PAF has. www.paf.mil.ph/UNITS/pafmuseum/pafmuseum.htmlMilspec |
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Post by VeeVee on Jan 18, 2007 22:55:58 GMT -5
Milspec! Good to hear from you again. Thanks for the pictures.
I heard all the PAF jets have been grounded for lack of funds. They're still operational but the gov't would rather not spend the money required to keep them flying. Sad.
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Post by milspec on Jan 23, 2007 0:50:46 GMT -5
Greetings Victor,
I'm glad to be back. Its really sad the about the Philippine Airforce but its really expensive to keep those jet aircraft flying. It takes a lot of man hours to maintain jets plus they consume a very large amount of fuel.
Milspec
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Post by legionnaire on Jan 23, 2007 2:23:57 GMT -5
Greeting milspec! Welcome back! WOW! I have almost the same pictures you took of the scale model dioramas at the PAF Museum in 2000. But you have better close ups! Philip The new the PAF stealth fighter seen! ;D  |
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Post by VeeVee on Jan 23, 2007 22:57:42 GMT -5
Is that an airhog remote control model? (looks like an "aswang")  |
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Post by milspec on Mar 12, 2007 20:22:51 GMT -5
Greetings Gentlemen, This might be a little off topic but I wanted to share some photos that were given to me a long time ago of "modern" Philippine Airforce aircraft during their operational life except for the F-8. I scanned some squadron patches along with the Photos. I hope you like them. I don't have any stealth fighter squadron patches though, must still be classified. 6th Fighter Squadron Northrop F-5A  Northrop F-5A with 5th and 6th Fighter Squadron Patches.  CASA S211 with squadron patch. I'm not really sure about the name of this squadron and its function. Can anyone give us some information. Thank you.  Vought F-8H "Crusader" in derelict condition with 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron Patch and F8 patch.  milspec |
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Post by VeeVee on Mar 13, 2007 5:51:04 GMT -5
Nice pictures milspec. Thanks for sharing. Where is that Vought carrier plane located? Is that somewhere in central Luzon?
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Post by S211 on Mar 13, 2007 9:10:52 GMT -5
Just a Comment.
Great Pictures.
The S211 was manufactured by SIAI Marchetti not CASA and the one pictured was assigned to the 105th Training Squadron of the PAF. Their patch is the Orange shield with the talons and what looks like three arrows is actually three arrowhead shaped jets in V formation
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Post by milspec on Mar 22, 2007 20:33:53 GMT -5
Greetings Victor, According to my friend these pictures were taken at Basa Airbase in Floridablanca Pampanga. The LTV F-8Hs were parked at the edge of the flightline. Apparently some of them were used in a movie about the Cuban missile crisis that starred Kevin Costner. They played the role of RF-8s and were painted in USN colors. Latest news is that they were being auctioned of to collectors. Rumors were that they were purchased because they were capable of carrying and launching the Exocet anti-shipping missile supposedly to be used to defend the Spratley Islands. Here is another look at a once proud fleet.  Greetings S211, Thank you for the correction and for identifying the patch. milspec |
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Post by milspec on Aug 1, 2007 22:27:38 GMT -5
Greetings Gentlemen, Here is write -up about the PAF museum.    milspec |
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Post by legionnaire on Aug 2, 2007 11:53:21 GMT -5
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Post by VeeVee on Aug 3, 2007 5:25:51 GMT -5
Great I'll go check it out in December when I visit the PI. That's very close to me in-laws house.  |
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Post by milspec on Aug 3, 2007 17:25:38 GMT -5
Greetings Philip,
That just shows you how long its been since I've been to the in the Philippines. Wow! after about ten years the Philippine Air Force has been able to come up with a great looking world class museum, an Aerospace Museum at that. The displays look great and much more spectacular than the old museum. I wonder if they have decided to put their Aircraft displays indoors instead of letting it languish outdoors. Do you know if this museum is near the old one or in a totally different location. It looks like it has a purpose built building. Thanks for this great video link, Philip.
Greetings Victor,
Please take some pictures on your next trip to the Philippines and post them here. Thanks in advance.
milspec
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cco23i
History Student
"But I don't wanna go back to the States"
Posts: 94
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Post by cco23i on Aug 3, 2007 21:18:26 GMT -5
Great pics! I almost shed a tear when I saw the F-5 as I use to work on those also. ;D
Scott
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Post by VeeVee on Aug 7, 2007 9:41:26 GMT -5
You're dating yourself. (grin)
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av8tor
History Buff
Posts: 125
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Post by av8tor on Aug 7, 2007 22:09:34 GMT -5
It really is a world class museum! It's so sad though that the P51 "Noli Me Tangere" from milspec's picture has to be traded to have an operational fighter. A P51 now commands a hefty price in the civilian market.
The jet that Joey De Leon was sitting on was actually the Super Pinto. Purchased by the PAF and was renamed "Cali", it was supposed to be manufactured in the Philippines. During my college days I was able to see the original one with the name Col. Platon painted right below the canopy, and next to this aircraft was the copy (clone) being made. Unfortunately during one of it's flight during take off, the Cali lost it's canopy and hit the vertical stabilizer and crashed killing Col. Platon and with it the entire program.
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Post by milspec on Aug 14, 2007 23:04:30 GMT -5
Greetings av8tor,
I have the same sentiments regarding the lose of the P51 at the PAF museum. But if you would look closely this particular aircraft has had a lot of its parts already removed and replaced. The propeller was a fiberglass replica and much of the duraluminum skin panels had been replaced with sheet metal replicas. Note the shape of the small intake just behind the propeller. The cockpit had been totally stripped and the canopy is not the original one. I don't believe that the Packard built Merlin engine was in there since the exhaust were dummies. The only all original P51D that I know that still exists is the "Shark of Zambales" which I last saw in the Air Park in Basa Airbase. There is a picture of "Skipper" a P51D which used to reside in the PMA grounds in the PMA museum section of this website. That P51D has unfortunately also been sold a long time ago for a rumored sum of $50,000.00. I am still hoping that they will decide to put the remaining aircraft on display in Villamor under cover and restore them accordingly.
Would you have any pictures of Philippine Air Force aircraft that you would be willing to share in this forum?
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and information about the Cali/Super Pinto. I never knew about the events that led to the cancellation of that project.
milspec
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av8tor
History Buff
Posts: 125
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Post by av8tor on Aug 19, 2007 18:56:42 GMT -5
Hello Milspec, You got me looking at the picture closely. I was comparing it to the picture of "Ferocious Frankie", they did a good job replicating the blades. And I'm almost certain that you're right about the engine not being there because of the dummy exhaust. The canopy might be the original one (with tint), it's the windshield that might have been replaced with flexis. Believe me I have done it on my Grumman Yankee AA1-A when I was still there in PI and it worked  . As far as some pics, I do have some PAF images that I took in the 80's but I have to look for it in the countless boxes I got stocked. I got more of the US planes I took during my service. Thanks for sharing the pictures, I really enjoyed seeing the F5's and the Crusaders again. Donald |
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Post by milspec on Aug 21, 2007 22:30:18 GMT -5
Greetings av8tor,
Nice to know that you have a keen interest in aviation. Your observations on the P51 are probably correct. Pardon my ignorance but what is a Grumman AA1-A? I'm curious as to what it looks like. I have a little interest in military aviation spanning from WWII to current aircraft leaning more on US manufactured aircraft. I would be interested to see your pictures whether USAF or PAF. The pictures of the PAF in the 80's would be very interesting to see. Was the PAF still flying the F86s during the 80s? Were you a pilot(av8tor) in the service? What aircraft did you fly?
I happy that you enjoyed the pictures of the F-5 and the F-8.
milspec
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