Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum (Manila, Philippines)

We recently discovered another hidden gem right here in Manila and it’s The Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum.

Definitely a haven for aviation enthusiasts and little kids who are all about planes, cars and trucks. We visited here with my 3 year old boy and his 2 friends and they had a terrific time!

(Ironic that my husband wasn’t able to join because of a sudden appointment! He’s the biggest aviation geek in the group and was the one bugging me to schedule this visit for the longest time!)

The Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum

The Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum is located at the Philippine Air Force Headquarters at Villamor Air Base, Manila.

Surprisingly, very easily accessible; you can just walk-in (unlike our PNP Museum visit.) Who knew right? I know most people aren’t familiar with this place even though it was inaugurated more than 10 years ago already way back in 2017!

Outdoor Airpark Area

We entered Villamor Air Base and was directed to the parking area. The parking lot was right beside the outdoor airpark area. And because the gates were just wide open (no one was manning it or anything,) we went in to explore immediately.

It was hard to stop the kids from running anyway, after they saw the big open space!

The Presidential Plane

And what a wonderful space they had! There were displays of all kinds of aircrafts (most from WW2) and some were even interactive. The first aircraft we checked out was this presidential plane used by Ferdinand Marcos.

It was Luke’s favorite too, though the stairs led to a closed door haha! He didn’t want to leave and kept asking why we had to transfer to the next plane when he was perfectly happy there. Valid point.

*NOTE: I saw from some pictures online that you can actually go inside this aircraft! But when we visited it was closed and there were hardly any staff available so we weren’t able to go in. Maybe we’ll go back for it next time!

Helicopters!

When the boys saw the helicopter though, of course, they just had to go and explore on their own!

This US Army helicopter is nicknamed “Huey” and was used extensively during the Vietnam War. The Philippines received 75 Hueys from the US Government under the RP-US Military Assistance Program.

TIP: Wear sunblock, hat and a pair of shades. Good job little Mati! Haha!

We started our visit at 9am. It was raining the past few days so we were so glad the sun was shining during our visit. BUT it also got a little too hot as the day went on. I forgot to put on sunblock so we were literally being baked as we explored! We couldn’t stop though because the kids were having too much fun and it would be a pity to ruin it for them.

Learning About the Planes and (a little) History

Tried to make the visit a little more educational by reading the inscriptions about the different aircrafts to the kids. Luke remembered quite a few after, like this one, the needle nosed jet (more popularly known as “The Freedom Fighter”) and the T-Bird!

A monument dedicated to Jesus A. Villamor, a Filipino American pilot who fought the Japanese during World War 2.

“I’m the best mom right?! Tell me now!” Hahaha jk. No need to give a fake smile because he was smiling from ear to ear the entire time we were here…

…well, except for this shot, where he decided he didn’t want to cooperate for the photos anymore. Haha. We asked the boys to do an “airplane” pose and Luke defiantly said he would not do an airplane pose for the rest of the day. Ok fine, fine.

After a while (and because the sun was really burning us up already at almost 10:30am,) we decided it was time to proceed to the indoor area of the museum. This was when we realized we must have entered the wrong side, because the guard directed us to the back door to enter.

Automobiles and Other Displays

But wrong side or not, it didn’t matter. We were in! And the first displays we saw were these jeeps and presidential cars.

Upon entry, we were asked to pay P20/head, which is a steal if you ask me. To think that the place is clean and fully air-conditioned too. Definitely the best 20 pesos I’ve spent recently!

Back to Planes!

And we are back with more aircrafts!

Cool trivia: We were told that most of the aircrafts displayed here were actual aircrafts that were used and not just models of the planes.

Sharing this photo so you can all see how we are behind the scenes, unfiltered. Hahaha.

The boys loved what they called “The Shark Plane” and had fun pretending the shark was out to get them.

Further along, there were some interactive displays. It’s still a little too complex to explain what these are to the kids so we just let them tinker with the buttons. (I think everyone was happy with that!)

Even 2 year old Mati enjoyed the exhibits!

Second Level

We went up the second level for more. They featured different collections of small model aircrafts, photos, flags and uniforms.

By the way, you might have noticed from our photos that it looks as though we were the only ones there. Well, we kind of were! There were probably two other people with their kids but that’s about it.

It’s actually a pity that they didn’t have more people inside because the place is pretty nice.

The ground level is definitely more interesting for these little boys and so we were back downstairs after a while. They also begged for one last run outside the airpark so we let them have a quick run before we left for lunch!

Visit the Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum

The Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum is located at the Philippine Air Force Headquarters at Villamor Air Base, Manila. It’s beside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport 3, a.k.a. NAIA 3. (For those driving, it’s on Waze!)

It is open Mondays to Fridays, 8am-5pm and on Saturdays, 8am-12pm. We visited on a Saturday morning at 9am and was able to finish before 12, just in time for lunch!

*And a little mom info: You can actually book their function room here for your own celebration! Perfect for an airplane or pilot themed party, don’t you think? 😉 

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LOOKING FOR PLACES TO VISIT IN MANILA? CHECK OUT MORE ARTICLES HERE!

(NOTE: THIS POST IS ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE LAST SEPTEMBER 2018.)