Some people might call me weird. People who knew me as a child, even back in my elementary days, already knew about my love for planes. Planes were all I talked about then. Fast forward more than four decades, and that childhood love finally turned into something real, since I am now an aviation content creator. Still, there are certain aircraft I connected with on a deeper level. One of them goes even deeper than my love for the F-15 Eagle, and that is Philippine Airlines’ Airbus A350-1000. I am not talking about every A350-1000, either. I mean one special PAL A350-1000, RP-C3510, the airline’s first A350-1000.
Since we are celebrating Valentines Day today, I want to share a love story between me and a plane. Yes, a very beautiful plane. It still does not feel right to call it a “queen” because that title belongs to the Boeing 747. For me, my connection with the first PAL A350-1000 goes beyond the features, the Business Class seats, the range, the carbon composite fuselage, and the ultra-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines that deliver 97,000 lbf of thrust. The real reason is the story behind me and this aircraft, and how it became part of my life in a way I never expected.
Most of the time, my life as an aviation content creator means I see an aircraft at the airport, flying above me, or when I ride it. It is rare to witness a plane’s journey from manufacturing and final assembly all the way to riding it on its “first” revenue flight. I never thought I would experience that until this PAL A350-1000 made it possible.
When PAL announced the order of nine A350-1000s, with an option for three more, I got excited. For me, it was the right aircraft for the airline because it brings range, capacity, and efficiency. It also belongs to a newer generation of commercial airliners that moves away from traditional aluminum construction, since it uses a structure that is about 50% carbon composite by weight. I also looked at what it could mean for PAL’s product offering. Still, this is not about the seating layout and the usual details. This is about why RP-C3510 feels special to me, and why I feel like I developed a real affection for it.
The beginning of a love story
It started when Philippine Airlines invited me to Toulouse, France in June 2025 to get a first look at the A350-1000 with its tailfin on. I was with other media people from the Philippines. I could not believe it until we were there, inside the Airbus A350 final assembly line, and I saw the aircraft in front of me, with the tailfin carrying the PAL logo. I used to look at planes in photos. Then I found myself staring at the PAL A350-1000 as it went through its final stages of assembly. I once hoped I would at least see it when it landed in Manila, yet I was already standing there with it, inside the Airbus final assembly line. I tried to take in every detail and stay present in that moment, because I knew it was a moment I would never get back. I also felt proud. PAL’s A350-1000 was no longer an announcement. It was no longer a plan. It was real, right in front of me.
I fell in love with the aircraft right away. The aviation enthusiast in me felt full in a way I did not expect. I had finally seen the first PAL A350-1000 in the final assembly line, and it felt like watching a dream take shape with my own eyes. It felt personal, because I knew I was not only looking at a plane. I was looking at a new chapter for PAL, and somehow, I was also looking at a new chapter for myself.
December 20 became another special moment. That was the day RP-C3510 would arrive in Manila. I felt excited all over again. I went from seeing it being assembled in Toulouse to seeing it land in its new home. I kept thinking, “I saw you when you were bare, and now you are beautifully clothed in PAL colors”. When the plane touched down, I felt happy just seeing its first arrival in Manila. The aircraft looked even better than I imagined. I stood there thinking about how fast time moved, from the assembly line to that first landing at home, and how lucky I was to witness both.
I thought my story with the first PAL A350-1000 would end there. Then, at the last minute, I got the chance to take its “first” revenue flight to Bangkok. It felt like we were “meant for each other”. Not because a plane and a person are the same kind of story, but because the timing felt so close to my heart. Some moments land in your life at the exact time they are meant to, and you just feel it.
After PAL announced the A350-1000’s first few regional flights, I got even more excited. I saw that the first revenue flight was set for December 30 from Manila to Bangkok as PR730, so I booked it right away. I also decided to fly Business Class on board the PAL A350-1000. That choice mattered to me because this was my first time flying Business Class in 20 years, and I wanted that moment to be something I would remember for the rest of my life.
The biggest selling point for PAL’s A350-1000 is the Business Class seat. It is the first in the PAL fleet to feature Business Class suites, with a privacy door. Sitting on that Collins Aerospace seat felt like a personal milestone for me. It was not only about comfort. It was about the feeling of finally being there, inside the aircraft I once watched from the outside, and realizing that some dreams do not stay dreams when you keep showing up for them.
Finally being on board
I thought my December 30 flight would be the first revenue flight, as announced. The aircraft ended up getting a last-minute flight on December 29. That news disappointed me at first, yet I still consider December 30 my “first” revenue flight in my own records, because that was the flight that was announced. That was the flight I held onto in my mind. That was the flight I prepared my heart for. That was the date I circled and looked forward to.
The moment I stepped on board, everything came back. I remembered Toulouse, then I looked around and realized I was now boarding the aircraft itself in Business Class. I remembered seeing it in the Airbus final assembly line, and now I was walking into it, hearing the sounds of the cabin, seeing the lighting, feeling the quiet, and realizing that this aircraft was no longer something I watched. It was something I was living. My affection for the plane grew even more.
Business Class felt on another level, and PAL really did well with it. The seat felt comfortable, the features felt thoughtful, the food was great, the cabin felt quiet, and the cabin crew service felt top notch. This became my best PAL flight experience so far. I did not even care much about Bangkok. I cared about being on that aircraft, and the whole experience felt worth it. It felt like a full circle moment. It felt like something I was never supposed to take for granted.
My most recent encounter with RP-C3510 happened during its formal launch to the public and media at an exclusive event. I had time to walk around the A350-1000, get close to it, and even touch parts like the engine and the tires. From Toulouse, to Manila, to flying on it, to standing beside it again, this aircraft has brought me real happiness. It reminded me why I do what I do. It reminded me why I stayed in this path. It reminded me that the child in me who kept looking at planes in the sky was not wrong for loving something so deeply.
PAL is set to receive more A350-1000s in 2026, yet RP-C3510 will always feel special to me. It is the first. It is the one I saw before it was fully completed. It is the one I watched arrive home. It is the one I flew on during its early revenue flights. It is the one that became part of my personal aviation story in a way I never expected.
Love, in many ways, feels like this. Love is not always loud. Love is not always perfect. Love can be built through moments, through timing, through effort, through patience, and through the quiet decision to keep showing up. My story with RP-C3510 reminds me that the best love stories are not always about romance. Some love stories are about purpose. Some love stories are about dreams that stayed alive. Some love stories are about God letting you witness something you never thought you would, then letting you live it too. If a plane can remind me of that kind of love, then it also reminds me that my heart can still hope, still believe, and still move forward, because the right things will always find their way to you at the right time.
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