As we now know, Philippine Airlines will begin flights between Cebu and Baguio on December 16. After a 24-year absence, this will be PAL’s first return to Loakan Airport. In fact, I never expected Baguio to accept commercial flights again after such a long time. We will now discuss the various PAL planes that flew the Manila-Baguio routes.
Baguio holds a special place in the heart of PAL because it was here that the airline flew as Philippine Air Lines on March 15, 1941. A Beech Model 18 with 5 passengers took off from Nielsen Field in Manila.
Since then, PAL has operated flights between Manila and Baguio using a variety of aircraft until the route was closed in 1998. Highways now make it easier to travel from Manila to Baguio, where land travel time was reduced from 8 hours to 2 to 3 hours. After retiring their Fokker 50 turboprops the same year, PAL also began operating an all-jet fleet.
It’s time to go back in time and look at the planes that PAL used to fly to Baguio.
Beech Model 18
The Beech Model 18 was PAL’s first aircraft, and it was from here that the company began commercial operations. Bearing the registration NPC-54, PAL began daily flights from Manila’s Nielson Airfield to Baguio just nine months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the following year.
The Beech Model 18 (or “Twin Beech”) is a six to eleven-seat, twin-engine, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft produced by Wichita, Kansas-based Beech Aircraft Corporation. Over 9,000 were produced continuously from 1937 to November 1969 (a world record at the time), making it one of the world’s most widely used light aircraft. It was sold all over the world as a civilian executive, utility, cargo, and passenger airliner on tailwheels, nosewheels, skis, or floats, as well as a military aircraft.
Douglas DC-3
Following the war, PAL purchased the Douglas DC-3 in 1946, which became the airline’s backbone at the time. This new Douglas aircraft was powered by two 710 hp Wright Cyclone engines designed for the needs of Transcontinental and Western Air, later known as Trans World Airlines or TWA.
The DC-3 is widely regarded as the most important airliner in history, having served in both commercial and military capacities. It was also used in a variety of configurations for freight and personnel transport.
Over the next 32 years, from 1946 to 1978, PAL operated 5 to 30 DC-3s for commercial and freight operations. “PAL Freighter” was the name given to the full freighter versions. It was also the second longest-serving aircraft in the PAL fleet, after the Boeing 747.
The Douglas DC-3 flew domestic routes, including Manila to Baguio.
Fokker F27 Friendship Mark 100
As a replacement for the DC-3, PAL purchased the Fokker F27 Mk 100 in 1960. This plane first flew in 1955, and it outsold other twin-engine turboprops. PAL operated 18 F27s until 1972, when they were retired. This aircraft flew domestic routes such as Manila to Baguio.
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a twin-engined turboprop regional airliner produced by the Dutch manufacturer Fokker N.V.. The F27 was also license-produced by the US-American manufacturer Fairchild / Fairchild-Hiller as the Fairchild F-27 and FH-227. The Friendship is powered by two 2,050 horsepower Rolls-Royce Dart Mk.536-7R engines. The aircraft has a range of 1,040nm and a cruising speed of 509 kph.
Hawker Siddeley HS 748
The Hawker Siddeley HS 748, also known as the “Jetprop” due to its speed, supplemented the BAC 1-11 on domestic routes. The HS 748 entered the PAL fleet in 1967 and quickly became the airline’s standard turboprop for domestic operations until May 1989. I have a detailed write-up about PAL’s HS 748 available here.
Never glamorous, the HS748 was remarkably successful and has been an effective Douglas DC-3 replacement, in many inhospitable parts of the world. A total of 381 aircraft were built including 89 aircraft manufactured by HAL, the first Indian-built aircraft flying on 1st November 1961.
The type was designed from the outset for operation from short, unimproved airstrips and was aided by the fitment of large Fowler flaps and reverse thrust propellers with and effective braking system. The use of the Rolls-Royce Dart engine also ensured excellent reliability.
NAMC YS-11
Three 1962 Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (NAMC) YS-11s were added to the PAL fleet when it took over Filipinas Orient Airways in 1974 to become the Philippines’ sole domestic carrier. Aside from the three YS-11s purchased by Filipinas Orient Airways, PAL purchased six more from NAMC.
The YS-11 was retired by PAL in 1984. It served domestic PAL routes such as Manila to Baguio.
The Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, a Japanese consortium, designed and built the NAMC YS-11 turboprop airliner. It was the only postwar airliner designed and manufactured entirely in Japan until the Mitsubishi SpaceJet was developed in the 2010s, roughly 50 years later.
Fokker 50
In 1988, PAL acquired the Fokker 50 turboprop intended to replace the ageing HS 748s in the fleet. While it did resemble the F27, the Fokker 50 was an all-new type with advance avionics, cabin, engines, and systems.
The Fokker 50 is a twin-engined turboprop regional airliner produced by the Dutch company Fokker N.V. with a maximum seating capacity of 58 passengers.
The Fokker 50 is a development of the Fokker F27 Friendship, but it only shares about 20% of its predecessor’s components. Only four Fokker 60s, a stretched military version of the Fokker 50, were built. It is propelled by two PW125B turboprop engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada. This gives the aircraft a range of 2,632 kilometers and a speed of 526 kilometers per hour.
The last PAL plane to fly from Manila to Baguio is the Fokker 50
Cebu to Baguio will be flown by the DHC Dash 8-400 New Generation
The new Cebu to Baguio route will be flown by the De Havilland Canada DHC Dash 8-400NG which will begin on December 16, 2022.
The Dash 8-400, which seats up to 90 passengers, is the highest capacity turboprop on the market today and has the lowest unit cost. In addition to passenger configurations, the Dash 8-400 can function as a freighter, firefighting aircraft, missionized aircraft, and more.
The Dash 8-400’s superior performance characteristics allow it to operate in difficult conditions such as on unpaved runways, in hot and humid environments, and in remote communities where airport infrastructure may be lacking. In addition, compared to conventional turboprops, it has 40% more range and 30% faster cruise speeds, making it the most productive turboprop on the market. Since its introduction, more than 620 Dash 8-400 aircraft have joined the fleets of more than 70 owners and operators around the world.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
