Nielson Field Multi-cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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Nielson Field
Not too many people know that the Philippines is one of the first countries to have an international airport in this part of the world.
Before the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, there was Nielson Field. Inaugurated in 1937, Nielson Field was the Philippines' first modern airport and was the biggest, best-equipped terminal in the Far East. The control tower and passenger station was built between the runways. When seen from the air, Nielson Tower resembles the body of an aircraft. It was in this building where passengers showed their passport and gathered their luggages.
It was a busy airport. In 1941, Philippine Airlines began flying to Baguio and Paracale from Nielson Field. In 1946 operations expanded northward to Baguio, Bagabag, Tuguegarao, and southward to Cebu and Tacloban. The first international flights also took off from Nielson in 1946, departing for Shanghai, Bangkok, and Singapore, and across the Pacific to San Francisco via Guam and Honolulu.
Ayala Triangle
In 1948, the airport ceased operations in Makati and moved to its current site adjacent to the Villamor Airbase, which was then called Nichols Field. The ownership of the airport’s permanent facilities was passed on to the owner of the land, Ayala y Cia. The runways were eventually converted into roads, Paseo de Roxas and Ayala Avenue. Other airport structures were sacrificed to give way to the development of the Makati business and commercial district.
The remaining central tract of land surrounded by the runways is now called the Ayala Triangle. A former runway, Ayala Avenue is now one of the busiest thoroughfares in Metro Manila, crossing through the heart of Makati's central business district. Because of the many businesses located on the avenue, Ayala Avenue is aptly nicknamed the Wall Street of the Philippines.
The owners preserved the airport’s passenger terminal and control tower, which is still called Nielson Tower. During the late 1970s up to 1994, Nielson Tower was converted into a semi-private and first-class restaurant.
Filipinas Heritage Library
In 1996, after almost two years of renovation work, Nielson Tower finally and officially became the home of the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL). This library is a division of the Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI). This is a wonderful library and electronic research centre that has over 2,000 rare books on microfiche, 13,000 contemporary volumes about Philippine history, art, language, religion and culture, and more.
In 2001, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia-Pacific Cultural Awards recognized FHL for its outstanding conservation and adaptive reuse of Nielson Tower's elegant Art Deco Structure.
Recent Renovations
In January 2013, Filipinas Heritage Library transferred to Ayala Museum. It was turned over back to its original owner, Ayala Land Inc., a real estate arm of the Ayala Corporation. On early 2014, Nielson Tower was closed for renovation. Then in July 2014, Nielson Tower once again became a venue for social events and fine dining, which makes it more attuned to it's surroundings.
References
More information can be found on the following sites:
Nielson Field - Wikipedia
Pacific Wrecks
The cache
This cache will walk you through the Nielson Field, from the terminal to the runway.
The given coordinates will bring you right at Nielson Tower. Here you will find n number of columns supporting the facade and a black plaque stating in Filipino the year when it was built, abcd. (Don't forget to say Hello! to the friendly guards.)
The final cache will bring you right next to one of the runways (now Makati Avenue) at:
N 14° 33.n(b-4)(d+2)'
E 121° 01.(c+1)(d-2)(a+4)'
At the final coordinates, please use extreme stealth, take your time and effort not to be discovered, as there are always people around. Please bring your own pen.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
zntarg, gvr lbhe fubr ynpr