MT. PINATUBO

We met Col. Jimmy Boyd, through Dave, the owner Kokomo's Restaurant in Angeles City.  Jimmy retired as a Marine Corp pilot after the American bases were closed in the Philippines and now runs a part time air tour company called NAvion Air Service out of the old Clark Air Force base.  For a total of $105 (USD) he will fly two people ($125 for three people) plus luggage from Clark, around Mt. Pinatubo and land either at the Iba or Subic airports.  Not only is he a good pilot with a very safe plane, he's also a good tour guide with plenty of information.  Our flight was from Angeles City to Iba, Zambales but Jimmy routinely picks up and delivers people in Subic and Iba.  If you've got enough money, he'll even pick you up in Manila and fly you to the destination of your choice.  You can contact him at country code (63), phone number 46-331-7181 or at [email protected]

The flight follows the lahar up to the crater rim.   The lake in this picture appears silvery only because the sun is reflecting off the surface.  You can see the stream where the lake overflows after a typhoon fills up the lake.  

Then Jimmy slowly circumnavigates the crater rim until he attains enough altitude to fly over the mountain. Once you have reached over 7000 feet, he will head over the crater.

The color of the lake is not an artifact nor a reflection.  This light green is caused by the chemical composition of the water.

The light smears are caused by reflections from the cockpit window.

One last look at the crater before heading west.

After leaving Mt. Pinatubo we fly over the Zambales Mountains and onto the west coast.

This is where the lahar reaches the South China Sea.

The town of Botolan that was almost destroyed by the lahar.

Just across the river the flight ends at the Iba airport.   Before landing Jimmy will call the Palmera Gardens Hotel and they will have a trike waiting to pick you up.