If you are traveling through an airport operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), prepare yourself as the passenger service charge has officially been raised since April 21, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the report of the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…
A higher passenger service charge (PSC) has been imposed in all airports operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) starting April 21.
“The increase, primarily adjusted based solely on inflation from 2015 to present, underwent the required public hearing with various stakeholders, as well as the necessary publication,” the aviation authority said in a news release late Monday.
It added that the adjustment supports CAAP’s efforts to enhance passenger experience and improve airport facilities and operations.
In Memorandum Circular 019-2025 signed on April 4, the PSC for international flights rose to PHP900 from PHP550.
From the PHP200 PSC for domestic flights, the rate will be PHP350 for international airports; PHP300 for principal class 1 airports; PHP200 for principal class 2 airports; and PHP100 for community airports. CAAP operates 44 commercial airports.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the hike of the passenger service charge at CAAP airports has been justified? How much did you pay recently at a CAAP-operated airport?
Welcome back, fellow geeks, Blu-ray collectors and movie buffs! Whether you are a fan of Tom Cruise, or a fan of the 1986 classic Top Gun or if you want something new and exciting to add to your collection of 4K Blu-ray movies, November 1, 2022 will be an important for you as Top Gun: Maverick4K Blu-ray will be released on that very day. Here are some good news…Top Gun: Maverick 4K Blu-ray will come with native 4K visuals and if you are convinced to go for it, you can order it in advance right now!
Top Gun: Maverick 4K Blu-ray cover.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the 4K Blu-ray announcement at Blu-ray.com. Some parts in boldface…
Paramount Home Media Distribution has officially announced that it will release on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick (2022), starring Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, and Bashir Salahuddin. The two releases will be available for purchase on November 1.
Studio synopsis: Tom Cruise stars in the global phenomenon Top Gun: Maverick, the #1 film of 2022 with over $1.3 billion in worldwide box office and the highest grossing film of the producer/actor’s acclaimed career. Top Gun: Maverick has been hailed as “spectacular” (Brian Truitt, USA Today), “breathtaking” (Don Kaye, Den of Geek) and “jaw-dropping” (Sean O’Connell, Cinemablend).
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”
Posted below are the specs of Top Gun: Maverick 4K Blu-ray…
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1, 1.90:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Subtitles – English SDH, French
Discs – 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray Disc, Single disc (1 BD-100)
Digital – Digital copy included
Packaging – Slipcover in original pressing
Playback – 4K Blu-ray: Region free
As for the special features and technical specs, posted below are the details sourced from Blu-ray.com…
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
Cleared For Take Off—Witness the most intense film training program as the cast prepare themselves for filming while pulling multiple G’s in a fighter plane.
Breaking New Ground – Filming Top Gun: Maverick—Prepare to take flight as you go behind-the-scenes with the cast and crew of Top Gun: Maverick on a journey to capture the most spectacular aerial sequences ever!
A Love Letter To Aviation – Tom Cruise shares his passion for aviation as he pilots his own aircraft, a vintage World War II P-51 Mustang, which would have been the Top Gun aircraft of its day.
Forging The Darkstar – Pushing the limits beyond Mach-10, the future of aviation is unveiled through an impressive experimental aircraft specially designed for the movie.
Masterclass with Tom Cruise – Cannes Film Festival—Tom Cruise discusses his incredible career at the flagship event of the 75th Cannes Film Festival.
“Hold My Hand” – Lady Gaga Music Video—Watch Lady Gaga’s music video for her standout lead single hit on the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack.
“I Ain’t Worried” – OneRepublic Music Video—Check out the music video to the original new song from OneRepublic.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Teaser Trailer – We all share the same fate. Watch the official teaser trailer for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One starring Tom Cruise. Coming to theatres 2023.
Top Gun: Maverick was released more than thirty years after its predecessor first came out. The 1986 Top Gun itself did not just make a tremendous amount of money in terms of ticket sales as it also made its mark in American pop culture complete with a memorable soundtrack and having notable actors like Val Kilmer, Michael Ironside (note: check out my retro review of V: The Final Battle plus my article about its Blu-ray release), Meg Ryan and Tim Robbinsas supporting cast members. To know more about the 1986 classic, watch Oliver Harper’s in-depth retrospective by clicking here.
More on Top Gun: Maverick, the movie’s success during this COVID-19 pandemic age is astounding as it grossed past $1 billion worldwide and literally it reinvigorated movie theaters around the world! For context, posted below is an excerpt from a recent Forbes.com article regarding the theatrical success. Some parts in boldface…
Top Gun: Maverick’s exceptional success supplied a giant lifeline to theaters and cover for studios willfully underdelivering regular theatrical products in an uncommonly sparse summer. Top Gun: Maverick accounted for 23% of the domestic summer movie line-up. That is partially because it earned around $500 million more than even the rosiest projections.
Top Gun: Maverick also came with the benefits of advanced cinematography technologies and methods which made its flight scenes very pleasing to watch. Practical effects and daring flying methods were used which added to the organic nature of the movie’s visuals which is something that computer-generate imaging (CGI) cannot do. The production team also used IMAX cameras and if the movie is still playing in the near IMAX cinema near you, I encourage you to go watch it while you still have time.
Another notable thing about Top Gun: Maverick is that it defied the wokeness of Commiewood (Communist Hollywood) and emphasized American patriotism. For the newcomers reading this, be aware that there are many millions of socialists, Marxists, Communists and unpatriotic people among young people in America who were brainwashed by the socialists who worked as so-called educators in colleges. Take note from the excerpt posted below sourced from The Daily Mail. Some parts in boldface…
Top Gun is a straightforward action movie that celebrates all that is good about our country and our military.
Add to that the handsome leading men, a romantic drama with Cruise’s love interest Jennifer Connelly, and a new generation of actors and ‘pilots,’ like Miles Teller, and you have darn sequel.
There is also a really moving scene between Maverick and Iceman (Cruise and Val Kilmer) and I am woman enough to admit I cried through it.
But above all else — the movie isn’t overly political, it isn’t depressing, it isn’t focusing on the flaws of the United States of America and why we suck and why our flag and national anthem aren’t worth honoring.
The filmmakers also took a stand against the sickening Hollywood trend of pandering to the demands of the totalitarian Chinese government.
In the 1986 original movie, there is a patch depicting the Taiwanese flag on Maverick’s flight jacket. But during 2019 previews, the patch had been removed to alleged appease Chinese censors.
Movie-goers were happy to see the flag had been restored in the film — a signal that neither the filmmakers nor Cruise are content with being lapdogs to the Chinese regime.
I absolutely loved the movie and I felt good leaving the theatre that evening.
Hollywood must wake up to the reality that ‘go woke, go broke’ is real.
Considering its major achievements that go beyond ticket sales, Top Gun: Maverick is the modern-day entertainment marvel just waiting to be discovered by a lot more people who still have not seen it. Expect Top Gun: Maverick to be among the most wanted titles on Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray formats this coming Christmas shopping season. Watching the Tom Cruise-led movie in the cinemas, on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray is simply better than streaming.
Watch out for Top Gun: Maverick 4K Blu-ray on November 1, 2022.
In closing this Better than Streaming piece, posted below are Top Gun: Maverick-related videos and a few Top Gun videos for your viewing pleasure.
When it comes to playing economic simulation games, I enjoy playing them on the personal computer (PC) using the keyboard and mouse. Back in the mid-1990s, there was one particular economic simulation that I played on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super NES or SNES) and found it to be very enjoyable and easily to play with using the console’s control pad.
That game was Aerobiz Supersonic, a simulation about the airline industry developed and published by Koei for both the Super NES and the Sega Genesis. Here is my look back at this old video game from the 1990s.
The cover of the Super NES version of the game. Its art and style is really nice to look at.
Concept and Game Design
In the game, you get to play the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of an airline and your goal is to beat your rivals in the global air travel industry. How to achieve the goal and succeed? There are tasks that need to be accomplished such as buying commercial airplanes (that include such real-life companies like Boeing and Airbus) for use, establishing flight routes, securing slots in airports worldwide, selling tickets and filling up each flight with as many passengers as possible, achieve profitability and finish the game’s imposed time period ranking #1. Adding zest to the game’s challenge is the selection of a certain era of world history that include 1955-1970 (the dawn of jets), 1970-1990 (the Cold War era), 1985-2005 (the present era) and 2000-2020 (the age of continued flight advancement).
Within the game, time passes by means of clicking a certain on-screen button that ends the player’s current turn. Of course, before pressing that, the player has to set things in motion like sending a representative to a certain overseas airport to negotiate and secure slots (which takes months to complete), set the ticket prices, buy a new airplane or two, etc. The game even allows players to micro-manage their airline like adjusting internal spending (salaries) or adjusting the quality of their airplane and services. Also nice is the option offered for players to buy a hotel or resort, a theme park or a travel agency that can bring in additional revenue.
The airport slots, local businesses, economic and tourism details per city displayed.
Visit an airline and choose from one of many models of airplanes to buy.
There are other small details that need paying attention to such as the economy and tourism meters of each city displayed (note: a higher tourism score means the city is more attractive to travelers), the population, etc. Also noteworthy is the current state of relations between your home nation with the nation of the city airport you are trying to establish routes with which can affect your business.
When the turn ends, a series of events will happen showing what happened around the world, how your company fared in the competition during the lapsed time period, and, occasionally, a random event will occur that most likely will affect your business (examples: the Olympics hosted by a city helps draw in additional passengers or the 1970s oil crisis raises the cost of your operation).
Regarding the game’s imposed time period for competing with the artificial intelligence (AI) opponents, the period is twenty in-game years.
This is part of micro-managing your business in the game.
After the end of each turn, news and updates not only about your company but also your competitors are flashed.
Quality
Being used to playing simulation games on PC, I found Aerobiz Supersonic to be very enjoyable, addicting and easy and efficient to play (in terms of controls). Considering the above-mentioned gameplay options (buying an airline, sending a representative, etc.), they are pretty easy to adjust using the Super NES controller although there were a few moments when I accidentally pressed the button putting into motion a different option.
Gameplay aside, this game has a whole lot of charm with its visual presentation. You launch a brand new flight route, the game shows a short animation sequence of the jet taking off. You buy an airplane, you will see a short animation of it entering your facility once it arrives (complete with a visual design reflecting the model). You conduct a board meeting, your company’s officials are present making reports to you and you get a series of choices to make on what to do next. A historical event or a global development occurs, you get to see original art reflecting them (example: a nation joins the EU with people wearing suits and neckties together in a formal ceremony). You make a move to buy slots at an airport overseas, a company official will have his or her face shown talking to you. When looking at the regional map, you see lines connected between cities (highlighting the establish flight route you made) and there are icons of airplanes flying between them.
Random tourist hot spots get highlighted as you keep playing.
More on the aspect of starting the game, I like the options offered for me to select which city shall serve as my airline headquarters. Among the many cities included, there are cities of my native Philippines namely Manila (the international destination) and the nearby city of Cebu. I still remember how delighted I was to see my native Philippines included in the game, complete with Asian character designs to reflect the company and its region.
Conclusion
Ultimately Aerobiz Supersonic (which was actually a sequel to Aerobiz) is a gem of a console economic simulation released at a time when 2D sprite gaming was still the standard and 3D polygonal gaming was just about to make an impact on the global video game console market. Back then, 2D side-scrolling action/adventure games, sports games and role-playing games (RPGs) were so common on the Super NES and Genesis combined and the idea of enjoying economic simulations on consoles was highly unusual. Aerobiz Supersonic is proof that economic simulations can come with a lot of depth, deliver a good amount of strategy and can be highly playable and enjoyable on consoles.
If you want to enjoy this game, it can be quite difficult to do because you need to acquire an existing copy of the game as well as a fully functioning Super NES or Sega Genesis. As of this writing, there has never been a re-release of Aerobiz Supersonic (note: in line with legitimacy, I will not consider those browser versions or file sharing of ROMs) and it is not even included on Nintendo’s Virtual Console. There’s not even a version made for smartphones.
Now if only the executives at Koei Tecmo Games would consider revisiting Aerobiz Supersonic with today’s consumers in mind.
You can choose what kind of plane, how many planes, how many flights and how much you set the ticket prices whenever you start a new flight route.
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