THE TRUTH ABOUT RINGMASTER AIRCRAFT:

Mr. Obi Mapua is no stranger to the field of aviation. As a designer, collector, and builder of remote-controlled aircraft, the birth of his passion goes back to the year 1956. He still continuously shares with the world the beauty of how a 1:50 ratio small aircraft can contribute greatly to an aviator’s life.

His passion became even more endearing like the clear blue skies on October 1, 2022 at Barradas Airfield in Batangas, where he invited selected PATTSeans to be part of a potential world-breaking event for the most number of ringmaster aircraft flown in a day.

The humble and bright personality of Mr. Mapua was shown to be prevalent when the participants arrived on the scene at 10 a.m. "He was a very energetic and enthusiastic person when he was discussing the ringmaster aircraft [...] he was very welcoming and accommodated us immediately after we parked the service," participant Mr. Calvin Diaz said.

The event, "15th Annual Worldwide Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon 2022," aimed to introduce the ringmaster aircraft and to celebrate the annual ringmaster fly-a-thon that is conducted all throughout the world. Mr. Mapua taught the history and basic flight controls of the ringmaster aircraft, and how it was first introduced in the Philippines.

Flying a ringmaster may be fun, but dizziness might be the enemy as it takes a participant to turn multiple times while controlling the small aircraft connected to a steel wire. The said aircraft is gas or electric powered and was flown in circles.

The event indeed put a smile on the young PATTSean aviators' faces. Not only did they learn something from the experiences of the one and only Mr. Obi Mapua - the experience will undoubtedly be part of their core memories about a plane connected to a string of their passion.