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Never-before-seen airshows at PH hot air balloon fest 

This year’s Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta will be taking off with never-before-seen airshows. 

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ANNA CEREZO

ABS-CBN News

<p>This year’s Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHAF) will be taking off with never-before-seen airshows.</p><p>Among the thrilling events to be staged for the festival, running from February 16-18, is the exhibition of UK’s Jet Para Hawks, the world’s very first jet-powered paramotor display team.</p><p>According to the group, they will be doing action-packed stunts in the sky which had only been seen in movies. The set will be fueled by the innovation of renowned film stunt coordinator and the brains behind the jetpack paramotors, Alan Hewitt.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:505px;height:285px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1757748939200295291&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fpersonal%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Anews-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-02-15T06%3A53%3A20.198349%3A3ef7e703-40b6-498b-83b3-72bbbb8e4d9d%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=b4c39657e6ffeed27f58acfee40c8058f21d9de9&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="1757748939200295291"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Hewitt has worked closely with Hollywood star Tom Cruise for some of his most daring stunts.</p><p>“He is a crazy engineering genius. He invented the world’s only jetpack powered motors. He invented them for film stunts. James Bond, &#x27;Mission Impossible,&#x27; anything that has some crazy stunts, he has thought them up,” said Gordon Oliver, the man behind the Jet Para Hawks.</p><p>“I do a lot of design work. I design, develop, and test parachute equipment, and coordinate film stunts for a living. I came up both a jet idea, let’s put a jet on your back and let’s fly at speed wind. I wanted a small wing with a big jet to fly fast. That was the concept. I would sell them to film producers but then I met Gordie. Forget film, let’s fly then with a display team,” Hewitt added.</p><p>The highly-anticipated demonstration will only be their second stop, following their leg in Qatar.</p><p>According to Oliver, part of their display will be a scene that was considered in the latest “Mission Impossible” movie.</p><p>“Nobody has really seen it. You got it right when it is new and fresh. So we are really excited about that as well. And I have my team here, they are at the top of their game, they are the elite pilots. We put a jetpack on them and they are like driving a Ferrari in the sky,” Oliver enthused.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:560px;height:316px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1757750348130001138&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fpersonal%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Anews-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-02-15T06%3A53%3A20.198349%3A3ef7e703-40b6-498b-83b3-72bbbb8e4d9d%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=b4c39657e6ffeed27f58acfee40c8058f21d9de9&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="1757750348130001138"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Sought after and in-demand aerobatic team Global Star Pilots, meanwhile, will be doing a series of airshows.</p><p>The elite team, which will be using “high-performance aerobatic” crafts, promises their display will be a first for Philippine skies.</p><p>“Usually planes go a straight line, but we will tumble, end over end, go sideways, and rotate. It is very skillful, it takes years of training. You train for the g-force,” team leader Mark Jeffries said.</p><p>“They are very high-performance airplanes. The g-force you can feel the plane is capable of is very high. You can perform stunts in them that you have never seen in the Philippines before literally. Mark and I will be flying the same plane, the Extra 300. It will be up to 15 minutes,” pilot Chris Burcket said.</p><p>The Global Star Pilots will be holding three shows daily from Feb. 16-18.</p><p>“We will also be flying in the evening, in the twilight, just before the darkness with pyrotechnics. We will be flying with fireworks with the wingtips. That will look really amazing,” Burcket added.</p><p>Meanwhile, Americans Sheryl Reichert and Penny Kachuk will be bringing their Party Hot Air Balloon for the first time in the Philippines. It will be among the innovative and creatively shaped eyes-catching balloons to be flaunted at the fiesta.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/C08IhO0rE_f/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=596&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A9167440.799999999%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="542" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>“I designed it myself. If you look at this shape, this was how I imagined what balloons should look like. When you are a little kid, and you have balloons, you would imagine this is how you’d float of like. And one thing I learned with balloons, is it teaches children to expect the unexpected,” Reichert said.</p><p>“A special thing we did, I got a basket designed for wheelchairs. We wanted to take some wounded warriors. So those in a wheelchair can see outside the basket when they ride,” she added.</p><p>The 2024 PIHAF will also be holding the Philippines’ inaugural FAI-sanctioned drone race.</p><p>“Every year we try to come up with something new,” event director Captain Joy Roa said. “It will be an international race. I would say it is like space rockets zooming around really fast.”</p>

<p>This year’s Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta will be taking off with never-before-seen airshows. </p>

This year’s Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta will be taking off with never-before-seen airshows.