Kris Crismundo
I was able to travel the whole Metro Manila in 30 minutes. No joke, I really did. And when I say Metro Manila, I mean from Pasay City to Manila Bay to Makati through EDSA going to Quezon City to Caloocan to Manila Bay and went back to Pasay.
Flying over Manila Bay. Our pilot and co-pilot also serve as our tour guide.
But I travelled for 30 minutes over the metro via charter flight of Philjets Aero Charter Corp. under the Philjets Group, a charter service venture of Filipino, French and Cambodian businessmen.
Ready to take off at Philjets hangar in Pasay City
This charter flight over Metro Manila is part of Philjet’s recently launched tourism and leisure services; they call it Manila Discovery.
As a regular commuter in Metro Manila, I feel nothing special about the tall buildings and most of all the notorious traffic situation in majority of thoroughfares in the metro, specially EDSA.
Aerial view of EDSA’s traffic
But the Manila Discovery tour package gave me a different view of the country’s capital region. It was a cool experience to fly over skyscrapers in the central business districts (CBDs). Makati’s skyline was the best attraction for me during that helicopter-ride.
Makati skycrapers
Not too far from Manila, Philjets’ also cater charter tour in Corregidor. Fly over Manila Bay and gaze the ruins of Corregidor Island, the bastion of allies during World War II. See the lighthouse and hospitals destroyed by enemy warships, then head to Fort Drum on El Fraile Island. You may also opt for a land tour in Corregidor.
Makati’s aerial view
The Corregidor trip duration is an hour.
Going for a retreat in Batangas? Avoid the queue at the tollgates of South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and have a longer time for your leisure as Philjets can carry you to Punta Fuego. This charter service will cut the two-hour drive from Manila to Punta Fuegoto to 30 mins.
Manila Bay via Philjets charter flight
During the flight witness Manila Bay and Kawayan Island as well as the beauty of terrain in the Calabarzon area. Enjoy an overnight escapade in Punta Fuego and return to Manila via charter flight as well.
Want to see the lake within a volcano within a lake within a volcano? And yes, I’m pertaining to the Taal Crater Lake. Philjets’ charter flight can fly you over Cavite and the south Luzon for you to have a different view of Taal Volcano. Also have sightseeing above the agricultural landscapes and green fields of the province before reaching Tagaytay City. You may also want to dine in at Antonio’s Restaurant in Tagaytay — the first Filipino resto to be in the list of 50 Asia’s Best Restaurants 2015.
Manila’s shipyards
Now, why not head up north?
Fly over the Mount Pinatubo in Central Luzon and gaze at the breathtaking scenery of the mountain and its emerald green Crater Lake. Up in the air, see the new shape of this gigantic mountain after its eruption in 1991.
Philjets’ charter flight tours and packages also include Banaue Rice Terraces. Make your eight- to ten-hour drive to the Cordillera an over three-hour flight. Enjoy the view of the famous UNESCO World Heritage site, the breathtaking region of Cordillera, and scenic view in Sagada. You can also land on Banaue Hotel or directly head back to Manila.
My first helicopter-ride deserves a #selfie
Aside from tour packages, Philjets offers services for aerial filming and photography. Among the customers of Philjets in this service were American TV production Survivor USA for their seasons 27 and 28 in Palaui, Cagayan and French environmental documentary producer and photographer Yann Arthus Bertand who filmed part of the movie Human in the typhoon Yolanda-hit Tacloban City.
Philjets charter flights are also availed by businessmen and VIPs as their transport service to avoid heavy traffic in the metro or to save time than booking and waiting their commercial flights in airports.
Philjets Aero Charter Corp. can be reached through +632 851 0639 or +63 998 974 0497. Check their website at www.philjets.com.
