Norman Experiences Storms and Triffids

Norman has sent an update about his day to day activities during his stay at Woodland Air Park near Angeles City on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. He has talked about the never-ending writing of emails and endless phone calls to the different agencies coordinating with him in his efforts to get the paperwork sorted out to enable the continuance of his journey, and of course the infinite waiting around for replies.


Norman’s stay at Woodland’s was exasperated by a massive electrical storm a few days ago that knocked out all the power to the region, leaving him without internet access and more importantly…air conditioning! A sticky situation only alleviated by having regular cold showers through the oppressive heat of the night.


This stormy scenario may have been on Norman’s mind as he flew towards Woodland Air Park last week after leaving Laoag, as can be seen from this photo of the gathering storm systems taken by Norman en-route.

(Time to be on the ground)

Norman did have a break from the frustrations of bureaucracy and managed to visit the nearby Clark Air Base. A major US base from 1903 until the USAF departed in 1991. It played a pivotal part in World War 2 and was a major base for operations during the Viet Nam conflict.


Below is a photo of Family housing for US military personnel at Clark AB during the 70’s and is included as a comparison to the photo taken by Norman on his visit.

(Family Housing 1970's Style)

Norman now tells us in his own words about his visit to Clark.

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Day of the (different) Triffids

I recently went for a 10 km walk with fellow pilot Jay Cooke (from the Angeles Flying Club) around the far flung corners of the old Clark US air force base situated nearby. After Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 the base was wound down and much of the base housing (away from the main bustling central area around the runways) fell into an advanced state of disrepair.... this, despite the Base becoming a Freeport with minimal taxation in recent years. Much evidence of half renovated schemes that had apparently run out of money in recent years was plain to see as we progressed around. It was interesting all the same to imagine how this base housing must have appeared back in its heyday, a leafy suburban idyll no doubt, cocooned and protected in its own Little America.
Now, even newly constructed walls only a few years old are being smothered and re-consumed by sprawling, pervasive and encroaching “Triffid” like jungle flora. This all dominating, force of nature, taking command once again of its natural habitat without fuss, as it would have done after countless ground smothering and clearing volcanic eruptions in the past millennia, way before Military Aeroplanes and their sprawling, pervasive and encroaching Triffid like support mechanisms were ever invented....

I have added a photo of “officers housing” - a “leafy suburban dream home” it once undoubtedly was for someone....The new residents are definitely more leafy and less suburban....

(Triffids Reclaim the Kitchen)

Cheers Norman.

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