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June 5, 2017

FoilaFly Offers Airplane Ownership at a Fraction of the Cost


Quick: name a destination you can get to from Manila in about an hour and a half using your fancy super car? No matter how many horsepower it packs, the usual answers would be Tagaytay or when traffic permits, probably Batangas or Subic. But what if there’s a way to get to more alluring destinations such as Boracay, Palawan, or Cebu in the same amount of time at the cost less than owning a super car? That’s the concept behind FoilaFly, a new division of the ever-growing Foilacar Industries.

“FoilaFly aims to bring flying to a bigger audience,” said Mr. Lester Codog, CEO of FoilaFly and Cirrus Aircraft brand ambassador. “Instead of going to the usual destinations for the weekend, imagine being able to go to Cebu with your significant other, family, or friends. This is the sort of adventure I’m looking to give with FoilaFly.”

With new planes costing anywhere in the region of 15 million pesos and up, FoilaFly is able to cut that prohibitive cost through a co-ownership arrangement with four to five other individuals. This easily brings down the cost of purchasing a new 4-5 seater recreational aircraft at a cost less than that of a typical super car. Additionally, FoilaFly offers extensive (three-month or 40 to 50 flying hours) training to pilot-owners, tie-downs, 24-hour fuel availability, and a guarded hangar for safety and security. Quick and dirty math reveals that for frequent flyers, this time-sharing ownership experience can match the typical fares charged by commercial carriers, especially when the plane is flown fully loaded.

FoilaFly aims to bring the very best experience to its clients and as a result, inked a deal with the makers of the smartest, safest, and most advanced single engine aircraft maker in the world: Cirrus. All Cirrus aircrafts feature innovation at its core providing a safe and comfortable experience. The all-composite body offers lightweight performance increasing its overall payload capacity and flying range while the proprietary glass cockpit Cirrus Perspective powered by Garmin avionics offers all the information and controls (including Auto Pilot) at the pilot’s fingertips. And at a slightest sign of trouble, all planes come with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). FoilaFly exclusively uses the Cirrus SR22T, SR22, and SR20 airplanes with the Cirrus Vision Jet arriving soon.

As part of FoilaFly, you can access the most picturesque locations that the country has in store quickly and conveniently. In a matter of minutes, you can be in Bohol or Bacolod without the hassle of having to lineup at the airport, go through security, or wait through constant delays when flying commercial.

Codog, who is a trained and licensed pilot himself, showed us what a typical FoilaFly client can experience.

Upon arriving at Plaridel Airport in Bulacan, it took just a couple of minutes to file the necessary paperwork before flying off to Bacolod in FoilaFly’s Cirrus SR20. After about an hour and a half of flight time, it was a smooth landing at the Bacolod-Silay International Airport. There, Vice-Mayor Hon. Gerany Suatengco and his son Gabby Suatengco treated us to lunch at Aboy’s. After getting our fill of Kapampangan cuisine with a Negrese twist, it was off to Cebu next. Interestingly, this route wouldn’t have been possible because there’s no commercial route that directly connects Bacolod and Cebu. On any other occasion, we would have had to fly back to Manila. Touching down at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Captain Jithin Bhadran of Continental Aero greeted us and prepped our plane for our flight back to Manila. In this two-day itinerary, we flew through four destinations (it could have been five or six if we wanted to) with zero delays and zero waiting time. Such is the convenience of FoilaFly.

“We want to bring back the romance of air travel,” said Codog. “We have plans not just to acquire more aircraft, but to put up full-service rest houses at select destinations that FoilaFly members can enjoy. Imagine being able to land and park your airplane next to your beach house. This is the type of experience we want our clients to enjoy. I believe there’s no better way to experience the beauty of our country’s 7,107 islands.”

FoilaFly conforms to the standards of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). It’s a division of Foilacar Industries (yes, the same guys who pioneered the foil wrapping in cars) with business address in Brixton Street, Barangay Ugong, Pasig City.

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