Departure
95%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Clark International Airport, also known as Clark Air Base, lies at Mabalacat in Central Luzon, Philippines, and is a major gateway for the Philippines with a long and storied aviation history stretching back to the days of the US Army and Air Force presence. For the simulator pilot it offers a substantial pair of parallel hard runways, full instrument approach facilities and a busy mix of airline and general aviation traffic.
Clark International Airport, officially Diosdado Macapagal International Airport but universally still referred to by its historic name Clark Air Base, sits at Mabalacat in Pampanga Province, Central Luzon. It is one of the principal airports serving the northern Philippines and functions as both a commercial international gateway and a former major US military installation, a combination that gives it an unusually long runway and generous ramp space by regional standards. For a visiting VFR or IFR pilot in the simulator, Clark presents a large, well-equipped field with parallel runways, an ILS, and a layered set of radio services befitting a large international airport.
Clark lies within the Manila Flight Information Region and sits under controlled airspace commensurate with a large international airport, given its scheduled airline traffic and approach control services. The field is located at Mabalacat in Pampanga Province, Central Luzon, within the wider Clark Freeport Zone area, and pilots should expect to operate under approach and tower control rather than as an uncontrolled circuit.
Clark International Airport has two parallel hard-surfaced runways, both lit. The primary runway, 02/20, is 10,473 feet long and equipped with an ILS. Alongside it runs a second parallel runway, 02L/20R, of 10,501 feet, also hard-surfaced and lit. Field elevation is 427 feet.
Clark provides a full suite of radio services befitting a large international airport. Published frequencies include Aerodrome on 119.2 MHz, Approach ATIS on 127.2 MHz, a further service on 125.2 MHz, a clearance delivery/FSS frequency on 544.75 MHz, and Radio/Tower on 118.7 MHz. The airport's 02/20 runway is served by an ILS, supporting instrument approaches in poor weather.
As a controlled international airport with airline traffic, arrivals and departures at Clark are handled by approach and tower control rather than through an informal circuit join; pilots should expect to be sequenced by ATC and to follow instrument or radar-vectored procedures appropriate to a large civil aerodrome.
Clark began life as Fort Stotsenburg and later Clark Air Base, a major installation of the United States Army and subsequently the United States Air Force in the Philippines, and for decades it was one of the largest American military airfields outside the continental United States. Its long runway and extensive support facilities reflect this military heritage. The base's history includes the disruption caused by the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, after which much of the facility was rebuilt and the airfield transitioned toward civilian and Philippine Air Force use. It was subsequently redeveloped as a civil international airport, becoming Diosdado Macapagal International Airport while retaining the Clark name in common usage.
Today Clark operates as a busy civil international airport serving Central Luzon, handling scheduled airline services alongside general aviation and military-linked activity. Its two parallel hard runways and ILS-equipped approach make it a capable diversion or destination field for simulator pilots flying in the Philippines. Prior permission is required for general aviation operations.