A tragic day for Philippine military aviation

Four Philippine Air Force pilots have lost their lives following a mid-air collision involving two military training aircraft at Fernando Air Base in the Philippines. The pilots involved were from the 102nd Pilot Training Squadron "Cougars".

The accident occurred at approximately 3:51 pm local time on Friday, the 23rd of October 2026, in Lipa City, Batangas province, south of the capital, Manila. The aircraft involved were two Italian-designed SIAI-Marchetti SF-260 trainers operating during a training flight. Both aircraft crashed within the boundaries of Fernando Air Base (RPUL), killing all four pilots aboard.

The Philippine Air Force confirmed the fatalities on Saturday, expressing its condolences to the families, friends and fellow aircrew of the deceased.

No additional casualties on the ground were reported.

The tragedy has once again highlighted the inherent risks associated with military flying, where pilots must operate in close proximity to other aircraft while maintaining precise control, situational awareness and coordination. For the families of the four pilots, however, the loss is far more personal. Four people who went to work performing their duties as military aviators will not be returning home.

Local media reported that the flight involved seven aircraft operating in a coordinated formation. Following the accident, the remaining five aircraft reportedly landed safely. The two aircraft involved have been identified in Philippine media reports as SF-260s carrying the tail numbers 032 and 037.

Another day spotting at Auckland Airport

After a few days exploring the beautiful but chilly Auckland, my wonderful wife gave me a day at Auckland Airport for plane spotting. I have to admit, I often get frustrated at Brisbane Airport, where it’s just Virgin, Jetstar, and Qantas over and over. But after spending a day at Auckland Airport, I feel for their spotters—almost every arrival was Air New Zealand. After a while, I just watched instead of taking photos.

Auckland Airport (AKL/NZAA) is an interesting airport because it operates with one main runway, but its runway numbering, 23L makes it look like there's supposed to be a second one. And there is a very good reason for that! Auckland has been planning a second, parallel runway for many decades. The airport's 2025 master plan places the proposed northern runway in the 2033–2038 development period, although I believe that is a planning target rather than a guarantee of an opening date.

The airport is operated by Auckland International Airport Limited and is located at Māngere, a residential suburb 21 kilometres (13 miles) south of the Auckland city centre. The airport has a single 3,635 metre (11,926 ft) runway, 05R/23L, which is Cat IIIb capable in the 23L direction. It has a capacity of about 45 flight movements per hour and is currently the busiest single-runway airport in Oceania. It has a elevation AMSL 7 metres (23 feet).

DASSUALT FALCON 7X EASY N997X (MSN 144) 15 YEARS

EMIRATES AIRBUS A380-861 A6-EUK (MSN 223)
EK80T ARRIVING FROM DUBAI (DXB) 10 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND DASH 8 300 ZK-NEG (MSN 621)
NZ5164 ARRIVING FROM GISBORNE (GIS) 20 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-VGA (MSN 4899)
JQ232 ARRIVING FROM CHRISTCHURCH (CHC) 14 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A320-232 ZK-OXG (MSN 6460)
NZ580 ARRIVING FROM CHRISTCHURCH (CHC) 11 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 777-319 ZK-OKO (MSN 38407)
NZ284 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 15 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A321-271NX ZK-OYA (MSN 10963)
NZ619 OFF TO QUEENSTOWN (ZQN) 4 YEARS

FIJI AIRWAYS BOEING 737 808 DQ-FJN (MSN 34969)
FJ451 OVERFLYING FROM NADI TO CHRISTCHURCH

AIR CHATHAMS ATR 72-500 ZK-MCO (MSN 628)
3C179 ARRIVING FROM QUEENSTOWN (ZQN) 26 YEARS

LIFE FLIGHT BEECH KING AIR 200C ZK-LFW (MSN BL-156)
LFT02 ARRIVING FROM WELLINGTON (WLG) 16 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-XZJ (MSN 39365)
QF141 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 12 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VZY (MSN 39363)
QF151 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 14 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A320-232 ZK-OAB (MSN 4553)
NZ612 ARRIVING FROM QUEENSTOWN (ZQN) 15 YEARS

KOREAN AIR BOEING 787-10 HL8574 (MSN 60307)
KE412 OFF TO SEOUL (ICN) 1 YEAR

MALAYSIA AIRLINES AIRBUS A330-941 9M-MNL (MSN 2099)
MH145 ARRIVING FROM KUALA LUMPUR (KUL) 1 YEAR

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350-941 B-LRG (MSN 053)
CX113 ARRIVING FROM HONG KONG (HKG) 9 YEARS

AIR TAHITI NUI BOEING 787-9 F-OMUA (MSN 39267)
TN101 ARRIVING FROM PAPEETE (PPT) 8 YEARS

BARRIER AIR CESSNA GRAND CARAVAN ZK-SDC (MSN 208B-2057)
GBA106 ARRIVING FROM CLARIS (GBZ) 18 YEARS

FIJI AIRWAYS AIRBUS A330-243 DQ-FJU (MSN 14146)
FJ411 ARRIVING FROM NADI (NAN) 13 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES BOEING 777-312 9V-SNB (MSN 42241)
SQ285 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 11 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-251N VH-A5B (MSN 12229)
JQ131 ARRIVING FROM GOLD COAST (OOL) 1 YEAR

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBO (MSN 1169)
QF119 ARRIVING FROM BRISBANE (BNE) 16 YEARS

AIR CHATHAMS SAB 340A ZK-CIT (MSN 340A-155)
3C835 ARRIVING FROM WHAKATANE (WHK) 37 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND ATR 72-600 ZK-MVP (MSN 1444)
NZ5540 ARRIVING FROM PALMERSTON NORTH (PMR) 9 YEARS

UNITED AIRLINES BOEING 777-224 N78013 (MSN 29861)
UA916 OFF TO SAN FRANCISCO (SFO) 27 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A321-271NX ZK-OYA (MSN 10963)
NZ548 ARRIVING FROM CHRISTCHURCH (CHC) 4 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND DASH 8-300 ZK-NEQ (MSN 636)
NZ5212 ARRIVING FROM BLENHEIM (BHE) 20 YEARS

CHINA EASTERN BOEING 777-39P B-7883 (MSN 43284)
MU779 ARRIVING FROM SHANGHAI (PVG) 9 YEARS

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRBUS A350-941 B-30CE (MSN 376)
CZ305 ARRIVING FROM GUANGZHOU (CAN) 6 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND DASH 8-300 ZK-NEZ (MSN 654) 
NZ5166 ARRIVING FROM GISBORNE (GIS) 19 YEARS

QATAR AIRWAYS AIRBUS A350-941 A7-AME (MSN 163)
QR915 OFF TO ADELAIDE (ADL) 8 YEARS

CESSNA CITATION CJ2 ZK-KGS (MSN 525A0156) 23 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251NX VH-OYW (MSN 12183)
JQ154 OFF TO BRISBANE (BNE) 1 YEAR

CHINA EASTERN BOEING 777-39P B-7882 (MSN 43287)
MU745 ARRIVING FROM SHANGHAI (PVG) 9 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A321-271NX ZK-OYB (MSN 11049)
NZ625 OFF TO QUEENSTOWN (ZQN) 3 YEARS