Lima’93

I took my wife Josephine and son Ian to the air show held at Pulau Langkawi from the 7^th of December to the 12^th December. It was my first visit and the main venue was at the International airport itself at Padang Matsirat.

Lima means Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace. It was the show case into advance technology and sophistication of the Aviation and Naval hardware. It was the greatest show ever to be staged in this region besides the Asian Aerospace in Singapore.

The top aerospace and the naval defence manufacturers are eyeing for their share of Asia and South East Asia market.

The Russian made a significant presence with their 4 jet-engine Antonov-124 strategic air-lifter the mighty “Ruslan” (NATO code name Condor). The gigantic aircraft had a maximum payload of 150 metric tons and 24 wheels undercarriage to support the massive weight. First flown in December 1982 and entered service with the Soviet air forces in 1987. It could be opened from the front with up-ward hinging “visor-type” nose and for easy loading the nose-wheel could be retracted to allow the nose-down positioning. The interior revealed a large cargo hold with titanium flooring capable of loading virtually anything from tanks, helicopters, aircraft to other military stores. It had a wingspan of 240 ft, length of 226 ft and the height of 69 ft. For performance it had maximum cruising speed of 537 mph and the altitude of 39,380 ft. It had upper cabin after the wings for 88 passengers and 350 troopers on the lower deck.

The Russian monster Antonov AN-124 “Ruslan” heavy lifter

The two giant AN-124’s brought in 4 Mikonyan-Gurevich designed super fighters the MIG-29 (NATO code Fulcrum) an incredibly agile and capable supersonic interceptor. First flown in 1977 had a wingspan of 37 ft 3 ins, length of 48 ft. 9 ins. and height of 15 ft 6 ins with speed Mach 2 that is twice the speed of sound. They were built in substantial numbers equipping the Russian Air Force, Eastern block countries and exported to their allies China and India. Ukraine besides Russia was a major operator of the MIG-29 and had an aerobatic team called the “Russian Knights”. Other aircraft was MIG-31 (NATO code Fox hound) and Sukhoi SU-27 (NATO code Flanker) supersonic interceptors. There were also two helicopters.

The Russian MIG 31 super fighter MIG-29 aerobatic team

Also came a big three jet engine type Tupolev T-154 airliner displaying the logo of their national carrier “Aeroflot” Last and not least the tiny “Baby Mig” a single seat ultra-light Aviatika built type 890; the 890-U was a dual-seat version. I was more interested in this tiny ultra-light rather than the huge fighter. That was something that I could fly and may even have the opportunity when they are brought into the country. One Aviatika 890-U dual seat side-by-side model was presented to the Prime Minister as a token of good will. Solidly built to Russian requirements this Ultra-light can withstand rough handling.

It appeared that the Russian were in a serious business mood and were there to draw interest from the ministers, the military leaders from the Asian countries. It was their chance to demonstrate their product superiority over or at least equivalent to western standard. Their aerobatic team was a thriller as it went through various maneuvers loops, rolls and spirals. It was obvious that they also wanted to be included as a strong competitor in the defence market. It was a good exposure to the International Press and the Media on what they had in store unseen in this part of the World.

In one scenario trailing colourful smoke vapors of red, white and blue the world renowned British aerobatic team the “Red Arrows” burst into the sky above in a fantastic display of aerial maneuvers that thrilled the huge crowd. All eyes were glued on the formation of British built BAE Hawk jet aircraft painted red as they went through their stunts. They loops, rolls, converging head-on and criss-crossed each other what seems to be dangerously close. It drew the excitement of the crowd and to their hair-raising stunt.

The Royal Malaysian Air Force also had their own aerobatic teams made up of a 7-ship formation aircraft type Northrop F-5E Tigers called “Kris Mas”. Another a 4-ship formation team called “Cakera Mada” flying the old MacDonald Douglas A-4 Sky Hawks and the “Taming Sari” flying propeller driven newly acquired Swiss-built Pilatus PC-7 trainers.

Another classic performance was by a single F-18 “Hornet” of No.75 squadron the Royal Australian Air Force. The powerful twin-engine jet shot into the sky in a tremendous display of skill, daringness and thrilled the whole crowd.

I was particularly drawn to the flying display by the Ultra-light “Aviatika 890” a multi-

purpose ultra-light that could be employed as a trainer, spotter, air patrol or aerial photography. It is the product of MAPO the same factory that makes the big MIG fighters. The power-plant a 64 hp “Rotax 582”engine is from Austria... It had a wingspan of 26 ft 6 ins, length of 17 ft 4 ins and empty weight of 451 lbs. Maximum speed at level flight 75.6 knots. The flight endurance is about 3.5 hours.

In the cockpit of the single-seat Aviatika 890

It was my first visit to Pulau Langkawi a beautiful island paradise, smaller than Singapore and situated at the North Western part of Malaya near to southern tip of Thailand. The island covers some 52,618 hectares mostly forested by tropical jungle. The highest point on the island is Mount Raya about 869 m above sea level. The population numbering some 40,000 is largely concentrated around the main town of Kuah.

We stayed at a wonderful beach resort of “Pelangi” located at the Pantai Cenang comprising of a cluster of low two storied wooden buildings in beautiful landscape setting. It is fringed by coconut palm, shrubs, ferns and link by walk-ways creating a homely atmosphere; kampong style. The swimming pool had excellent facilities with a bar by the edge, serving customers seated on the stool in the water.

We took time to pay a visit to the tomb of the legendary figure of Mahsuri. The beautiful maiden was wrongfully accused of adultery and subsequently put to death. It was said that during the execution white blood flowed out instead of the usual red. That was firm testimony of her innocence but before her death she laid a curse on the island for 7 generations. The place was destroyed by external enemies thus fulfilling the curse that only castor trees could grow and doves could live there, Generally people still came to pay homage and to pray at her tomb; anyway it has become a tourist attraction.

Josephine at the tomb of Mahsuri

Author with son at Pelangi resort poolside bar

After some days we took a boat out to sea off Tanjong Mali where the anchorage was located for the naval review. Unfortunately most of the ships had already sailed off, however we managed to take some photos of the remaining warships. A British Royal Navy 4,100 tons destroyer type 42 name HMS “ Glasgow” and pennant No.(D 88)

HMS Glasgow Sagitario

Two Italian frigates of 2,525 tons of the “Lupo” class name and pennant numbers “Sagitario” ( F 565) and ? (F 552)

Vaederen (F 359) KD Rahmat (F 24)

A 3,500 tons frigate from Denmark name “Vaederen” with pennant no. ( F 359) and

lastly a Royal Malaysian Navy frigate name KD “Rahmat” with pennant no. (F 24)

All the naval ships had flight deck at the stern to accommodate a helicopter for offensive role, maritime patrolling and anti-submarine work.

We had a hectic day in the hot sun cruising about a small boat along a line of warships at anchor, looking and a admiring the machines of war at sea. At the end of the day we were really glad to be back to our hotel for refreshing up and ready for our meals. After that we watch TV or just relaxing in a cozy corner before retiring to bed.

Gelang Patah/Nusajaya

 

 

In the year 2000 Bill obtained a land parcel for lease from Messrs Prolink to build his flight park on his own, He erected a 2000 ft x 30 ft runway with hanger, workshops and store facilities at Gelang Patah. Bill operated under the name of Nusajaya Flight Park; I salute that Yankee for his daring entrepreneurship, dedication to the sports he loved and for his contribution to aviation. Some had advised him against the idea from the beginning stating that from past experiences such adventure could not succeed unless there is strong sponsorship either from the Government or someone with lots of money.

The location he selected I would say ideal owing to close proximity to Singapore where most of the students came from. It took only 15-20 minutes traveling time from my house at Jurong to the airfield via the second link. Of course one must leave early so as to avoid the morning build up of traffic at the checkpoint. More over it is convenient with easy access to the flight park. And should there be any cancellation of training due to bad weather or some other reasons one could return to Singapore without any fuss or problem. There is no need to look for accommodation as required if one is at Batu Pahat, Mersing or Desaru and thereby would save a lot of time and money.

Nusajaya Flight Park

Bill operated the Flight Park with his son Steven assisting; they had quite a collection of micro-light including a single Quick Silver Mx II “Sports”, 2 New Zealand-built Bantam B-20, B-22, a flexi-wing trike, powered parachutes both backpack and a buggy-type. He catered for those that are interested in micro-light flying both for recreational or for those interested in General Aviation licence. In Malaysia all hours flown in 3-axis micro-light aircraft are accepted as in General Aviation. In addition all micro-light exams are 100% applicable to General Aviation licence.

My first courtesy visit to Nusajaya was flown on the 14^thMay, 2000 from Batu Pahat taking off at 0730 hours and landing about one hour fifteen minutes later. The flight path taken was along coastal heading southward and from Pontian detour inland straight to Gelang Patah. However the project did not flourished and prospects did not look appear good, owing to poor response probably owing to the slowing down of economical growth. For some time the situation was not improving for the better and Bill was unable to continue with the tenure of the land. He then made an offer to EAA to take over upon an understanding that operation be carried out by him on behalf of the Association. He as a member licensee would continue to provide the usage of the facilities and his aircraft by the members of EAA.

My next visit was on the 3^rdAugust, 2003 after a long absence but stayed longer that time and temporary operated from there for quite a while. By then Bill finally called “quits” and prepared to migrate to the Philippines to settle down with his family. All that I can say is best wishes to this daring old man, who had the courage to go on his own in setting up his Flight Park. May the good Lord bless him and that he may enjoy his retirement years doing what he desires.

In 2004 a Singapore businessman Victor Lim on a visit to Thailand was fascinated by a micro-light that flew overhead. At first he thought that it was an over-sized model aircraft. He followed it to the airfield at Chonburi and discovered to his surprised that it was a full scale micro-light aircraft. Eventually he signed up with the flying club, doing his flying lessons there and clocked some 60 flying hours. He was not only keen but had the means to promote the sports and to bring joy by making it accessible to everybody. When he came to know of Nusajaya Flight Park he thought of it as ideal location just minutes away from his Tuas office. He ventured to purchase 3 Quick Silver Mx’s (2 Sports model and 1 Sprint) at $40,000 apiece. He then gladly leased it out to EAA for the purpose of flight training. We were roped in to help in the assembly of the 3 aircraft being carried out at the hanger. On weekends, Lee, Moo, David Leong and I would come down to the Nusajaya from Singapore to assist Rick and Paul. Anyway it was our passion and joy to work on it. Our ultimate reward was the satisfaction to see it taking shape to finally take to the sky for the maiden flight.

From left: Victor, Secretary, Rick, Capt.Siva and author

In 2006 the Secretary of EAA Malaysia Flying Club, Ms Rani (Capt. Siva’s wife) gave notice to all members for a get-together at the flight park renamed “Adrenaland Nusajaya”. In conjunction with the move, the General Committee invited all members for the weekend gathering on 15^th and 16^th July at the airfield. The two days events are programmed as follows:-

Saturday 15^th July Sunday 16^th July

0800 – 1000 Dawn Patrol Dawn Patrol

Breakfast Breakfast

Spot Landing Spot Landing

Practice Competition

1000 – 1200 Competition briefing Flying

Lunch Lunch

1500 -1900 Spot Landing Competition Aircraft fly back

Members Fly-by

1900 – 2100 EAA Committee briefing - END-

Cocktail & BBQ dinner

Presentation

Nusajaya Flight Park

My ‘Challenger II’ at Nusajaya Flight Park.

It had been a wonderful weekend of fellowship, of getting to-gather, in catching up with lost time, making new friends and strengthening old ones. The EAA Chapter 1090 Malaysia had come a long way through the years and had grown visibly in strength and maturity.

Author at Nusajaya on weekends helping to fix up the Mx’s

Author with Majib posing before CH 701 belonging to C.Y. Lee

Supporting 4B Flying Club

 

In 1996 our air boss Mr. Tay decided that we supported the 4B Youth Flying Club by way of providing flying training, maintenance and logistic backup, including hanger facilities for their 4 micro-light aircraft. They had been to the States and had purchased from John Lasco four Quicksilver Mx II Micro-light aircraft and had it assembled in Melaka by Maniam. Upon completion we were to help them ferry the planes to our base for training purposes. As Batu Pahat was un-control airstrip, training could be done without any interference whatsoever. Noorashikin the Club’s Captain, a commercial pilot by profession was the key figure in the organization. She and a few like Taslem were to undergo conversion training to micro-light and will be the future instructors of the Club.

Additional of 4 aircraft that came over to Batu Pahat were a blessing, it bolstered our air strength considerably and saw an increased in our activities. It was to the extent that our weekends became a crowd puller and there was never any shortage of local spectators, cheer groups. Especially on Saturdays it was “show time for them to enjoy and us for our display of skill or folly as we proudly took to the skies in our colourful micro-light much to their curiosity and delight. Most of them were trying to understand how a group of aviation crackpots of a good mix of Asians and Caucasian are bonded together by a common interest to fly un-imaginable “flimsy machines”.

The micro-light we had were very basic, it was covered by rags and held by skeletal tubing with seats mounted in an open cockpit exposed to the mercy of the elements. In the chillness of the morning you get the winds battering your face to numbness. The un-thinkable part was that the manufacturer itself declared the aircraft are not certified flying machine. It means that they cannot be held liable and that you fly at your own risk.

Anyway the insurance companies on viewing refuse to have anything to do with it; they are not venturing into risk.I believed that I have flown into Melaka about 7 times, the first time was in 1994 and the second and third time was in April with Capt. Chung in our Challenger II whilst on our way to “Karnival Perlis’95 and in on our return trip. The four time in 2^nd May 1996 was to attend the Inauguration of 4B Flying Club. I flew in with Najib as co-pilot in company of Mr.Tay in his GT500 with Paul. We took off from Batu Pahat at about 0830 hours and arrived Batu Berendam Airport at 0935 hours. Upon landing we were directed to park at the sprawling Eagle Aircraft Factory near the Malaysian Flying Academy.

The Malaysian Flying Academy was founded in 1982 for training of student pilots to commercial standard. It operated a fleet of Piper aircraft single and twins; it also provided a simulator for ground training... It was the only professional pilot training institution in the country.

Paul our spoke-person would like to describe his trip in his own words.

“The time was 8.30 am and it was a beautiful morning at Batu Pahat Micro-light Flight Park. There was an air of excitement as Tay called Melaka Control Tower on his hand phone. He then broke into a smile when he had finished the call and said, “The weather report is good. Let’s go!”

Our aircraft a Quicksilver type “GT500” registered 9m-UBI (Niner Mike Uniform Bravo India) with Tay at the controls was first to takeoff and I was in the back seat.

We circled overhead, watched the second aircraft a blue and white “Challenger II” took off with Pattiselanno David as the pilot-in-command and Najib as co-pilot. A few minutes later our 2 aircraft were in radio contact and we set the course North for Melaka.

The view was simply breathtaking as we flew pass meandering rivers, fishing villages and numerous kampongs. We actually noticed that many curious people rushed out of their houses on hearing the drone of aircraft engines just to catch the glimpse. The lush green vegetation consisted predominantly coconut and oil palm stretched as far as the eye could see, interspersed with vegetable farms, durian orchards and padi fields. On our left the coastline with it’s abundant blue waters and over the horizon a thin outline of some Indonesian islands.

We flew comfortably all the way along the coast at the permissible height of about 1,200 ft and noticed that the coastal road to Melaka had little traffic. As we flew over the Muar Bridge, Tay pointed out some prominent landmarks to take note for future reference. Meantime he contacted Melaka Control Tower and reported our position over the radio “Niner Mike Uniform Bravo India report approaching Pulau Besar”. From the air I can say Melaka looked extremely beautiful as I lived in that historical state. I tried to recollect the colourful history that made Melaka a jewel and obviously became the target of foreign powers the Portuguese, Dutch and later the English conquerors. At one stage Tay called Melaka Control “Melaka Tower, Uniform Bravo India passing Pulau Besar, request descend clearance and joining instructions”

Melaka Tower: “Uniform Bravo India cleared for descend, runway in use #03, QNH One Zero Zero Niner, report airfield in sight.” Tay banked the aircraft to the right for the approach to Batu Berendam Airport and begun to descend gradually. Moments later he reported “airfield in sight”.

Melaka Tower: “Niner Mike Uniform Bravo India clear to land, runway #03, wind: 6 knots”. In acknowledgement Tay repeated the message as required “Roger, runway #03. clear to land. Uniform Bravo India. Full stop.”

The aircraft shook slightly as it caught into wind turbulent but managed to stabilize moments before a perfect touchdown. The GT500 rolled along the runway and slowly taxied to the Eagle Aircraft Factory as directed by the ground control. A few minutes later the Challenger II piloted by Pattiselanno David appeared overhead, circled the airfield before descending for also a smooth landing. The time was 0935 am and we had taken some 1 hour and 5 minutes. Later we learned that another colleague named Monty flying the ‘Polaris’ trike was to arrive later in the evening”.

The opening ceremony was the next day 3^rd May and Paul had this to comment concerning the event.

“The 4B Flying Club was officially launched by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. The colourful function was attended by a large group of dignitaries, school children and aviation representatives. The President of the 4B Flying Club and also the Deputy Transport Minister, Datuk Wira Mohd Ali Bin Rustam were among the VIP’s in attendance. Datuk Ali Rustam was instrumental in the formation of the 4B Flying Club. After the opening ceremony 3 Quicksilver Mx Sprint put up an aerial display followed by para-gliders from Eric Lee of Air Freedom (Batu Pahat)and also an aero-chute team; the Conti brothers (Australia). Our group from Batu Pahat in strong support of “4B Flying Club” had 4 micro-light aircraft on display.”

 

Melaka Airport with Datuk Ali Rustam ( From left No.7

Now known as Melaka (old spelling Malacca) is an interesting place to visit as it has a long historical background. The State is located midway of the Malay Peninsular at the west coast about 224 km from Johor Baru. History revealed that in 1511 the Portuguese were the first Europeans to come to the East under Alfonso D’ Alburquerque and had taken Melaka by force of arms after a naval bombardment by some 18 warships. Many ancient ruins still stand like the famous Portuguese gateway, ‘Porta de Santiago’, the St. John’s fort on the hill, the ruins of the Church at St. Paul’s hill. Here the incorruptible human remains of a saint (Francis Xavier) was once laid in the vault before removal to Goa, India. Also there is a Chinese temple dedicated to the 14^th Century Chinese explorer Admiral Zheng He or in Hokkien Cheng Ho when he made a state visit to Melaka. The Chinese admiral made 7 epic voyages between 1405 – 1433 to as far as West Africa with a naval armada of some 300 ships and some 28,000 men. It was truly an enormous fleet that only a wealthy country like Imperial China that could have the means to launch it. Admiral Zheng He was acting as an envoy sent on expedition by the Ming Emperor Zhu Di of China; he was a eunuch and came from a Muslim family.

 

Porta de Santiago A replica of Portuguese warship

The Portuguese Cultural Square at Ujong Pasir

The Dutch had also occupied Melaka for a short period in the 16^th Century and named it “Slavenburg” (Slave City). Their influence is evident in some buildings in town; such as the red coloured Christ Church, the Stadthuys, (Town Hall) and the clock-tower. Also interesting is the Maritime Museum where a replica of a 15^th century Portuguese warship “Flor de la Mar” (Flower of the sea) on display located at Jalan Quayside. Inside housed a vast collection of pictures and artifacts. Another interesting place to visit is the Portuguese Settlement (Padri sa Chang) at Ujong Pasir where the descendants of the Portuguese are located. There stand a modern building complex known as the Cultural Square where shows are arranged in keeping with their heritage. A nearby beer lounge acts as the waterhole for cooling down after a hot day or a hot spicy meal. A restaurant to sample their local cuisine, their favourite commonly pronounced as ‘devil curry” but correctly should read as debal. It can be hot, spicy for some and not for the faint hearted unless you prepare yourself with a fire-extinguisher or jar of ice water. They spoke a kind of local lingo known as “Kristang” a mixture (rojak) of Portuguese and Malay languages.

The Portuguese had ruled Melaka for more than 130 years and the descendants follow the religion and culture of their fore-fathers and are predominantly Roman Catholics. There are also shops at the square selling all sorts of wares from souvenirs, clothing, to pickles and a horrible local prawn-paste called “belachan” that gave out an awful over-powering offensive smell. It could also contaminate your clothes and came in many shapes, some oblong, some rounded like cannon-balls.

Then on the 12^th May Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam, paid an official visit to Batu Pahat and we were much honoured. He was accompanied by an entourage from 4B Youth Movement and some UMNO officials. Our Air Boss Mr. Tay was at hand to show them around and gave a briefing on our setup and activities.

 

Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam with Monty and Mr. Tay

Then on 14^th July Capt.(Retired) Muid Yahaya, AMN visited our Flight Park with his family and we had the priveledge of knowing him. Capt. Muid was the pioneer that introduced micro-light into the country in 1981. In that case he is rightfully known as the ‘Father of Micro-light Aviation.’

Then on 6th July our Air boss and a few other pilots drove to Melaka to prepare to ferry the next pair of 4B Flying Club Quicksilver MX Sports to Batu Pahat. I flew to Melaka alone in my Challenger II for my 5^th trip. Meantime Capt. Norashikin and Shamsul carried out some test flight. The next day 6^th July we had the honour of Datuk Wira Mohd Ali Mohd. Rustam who arrived at 11.00 am to meet all the fliers before sending us off.

A short while later, the 4 micro-light took off one after another and headed for Batu Pahat. One aircraft piloted by Taslem who circled the airport once in farewell tribute as they had been there for the last 3 months.

I took Phil an Englishman as my co-pilot; we took off at about 1200 hours and headed south for Batu Pahat. After some time, we came to the Muar River crossed near the bridge and before us the red laterite runway of Bakri appeared in view. It is the camp of the Police Field Force locally known as “Polis Hutan”. They are fully equipped with “Commando” armoured carriers; which were amphibious that is to say that they can float or ‘swim’ on water. They are built by the Cadiliac Cage Company of USA and in use by several countries including Singapore.

I reduced power for the descent and had the runway lined up in my approached. It was a bit windy and somehow the landing had not been that smooth. My front nose wheel tire blew up as it contacted the runway and the aircraft swayed off into the grass patch. Fortunately nobody was hurt, it just a slight shock for that moment. We quickly dismantled the wheel and took it to a bicycle shop just outside of the airfield. It was a Sunday but fortunately the shop was opened and had it repaired in no time.

The Police Field Force camp had been our popular spot for stopovers and each time we attracted crowd. The children from the school were even given free time to come over to interact and inspect our micro-light. They were very excited and swarmed all around our aircraft showing keen interest. I guess some would dream to be future pilots like I

had when I was young like them. Anyway our presence there was to generate interest, to instill air-mindedness, to create a young generation of aviation enthusiasts. Our motivation was to encourage flying in general and micro-light in particular. Owing to low maintenance cost in micro-light than in General Aviation, recreation flying can be made affordable to the ordinary man in the street.

 

One of our stop-over at Bakri taken with school children

My 6^th and 7^th flying trips to Melaka was when I flew with Bala in May,1997 on our way to Ulu Bernum for the EAA Young Eagle’s Camp and dropped in on our way back.

Air Rally & Langkawi Fly-in (Oshkosh East)

Sungei Besi was chosen as the location where the foreign participants had to have their aircraft forwarded for the purpose of assembly and test flight. The aircraft came mainly from Australia, South Africa and Italy. By the 26^th July, Saturday 1997 the containers bringing the aircraft should have arrive at the base. Facilities such as transportation, crane services were arranged by the organizers in their preparations. By the 27^th July all the participants had flight-tested their machines except for the South Africans whose aircraft had not arrive. The Langkawi Fly-in (Oshkosh East) was the first light aircraft convention and exhibition held in Asia being organized by Le Proton LIMA. We that is Capt. Chung and myself were however deprived of the information until the last minute. For that reason we did not have enough time to prepare my “Challenger II “ micro-light for participation.

So we decided to join Charlie Tan of Aerochute Udara (M) Sdn Bhd as Capt. Chung offered to fly one of his Trike for demonstration purpose. Two Airborne Trikes were trucked to Langkawi and we drove there meeting up with Charlie. We met Wilson Lim of Le Proton and checked in the hotel arranged by them

Partcipants at Sungei Besi comprised of Deb and Wayne in their Australian Light Wing, Dave and Fred in their Thrusters, Nestor Slepcev and Shirley in their Storch, Peter in his Karatoo 6, Jack a Malaysian in his Quicksilver GT 500, Valerio in his Italian Stork.

The problem was the haze, the Indonesian farmers in their usual practice of un-control “slash and burn” policy had fuelled forest fires over vast areas had created a hazard that blanketed the whole area included neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore. Visibility was greatly effected and was so bad that you could not see the wind-sock at the other end of the airfield. The 28^th July “D” Day was the official flagging off with Dr. Mahathir and other dignitaries in attendance. Not withstanding poor visibility the Rally departed Sungei Besi in the afternoon and headed for Melaka via Kajang, Mantin and Seremban a distance of 61 nautical miles. Upon landing at Melaka they were accommodated in the “Eagle’s hanger a brand new factory of 500 acre. The next day the haze was worse and flying had to be cancelled due to bad visibility as micro-light are allowed to fly only by visual in clear and under good weather condition.

The 30^th July, Wednesday visibility was as previous day and they were not allowed to fly into Kuala Lumpur International Airport as nobody wanted to bear any responsibility for their safety or having to answer their embassies.

Charlie Tan with Capt. Chung Nestor Slepcev

Instead they suggested an alternative scheme that would take them to un-control airstrip at Jenderata, a United Plantation private airstrip 170 nautical miles north of Melaka. The plan was acceptable and from there they flew to Ipoh only 40 nautical miles north east of Jendarata. As foreigners they felt un-easy flying over the jungles of Peninsular Malaya as they must have been fed with stories of man-eating tigers.

I understood their feelings as I myself felt the same thing when I flew alone in my “Challenger II” from Mersing in the East Coast across to Batu Pahat in the West over tiger territory. There had been reports of frequent sightings in the areas of Kluang, Kota Tinggi and Kahang; the area I covered. Of course I was nervous and uneasy as I flew over endless green canopy of giant trees that spread like a carpet over the whole area. And the ugly thought of ending up below in a wrong place, wrong timing with hungry tigers eager to have you for meal was not entertaining.

The group landed safely at Ipoh and transferred to the hotel for overnight stay and the next two days were “free & easy" to go shopping and sight-seeing. By then the South Africans had joined the Rally with their Cessna and Piper Cub.

On 2^nd August, they were officially a flagged off for the next leg to Kangar the northern most Malay State of Perlis that borders the southern province of Thailand. Kangar is a flat country making up of padi fields as rice is local staple food and the main agriculture crop. However, the flyers got off the ground that day but had to abort and returned owing to poor visibility. The next day 3^rd August, Sunday they were determined to fly off if they could see the windsock at the end of the runway. The next destination was to Taiping via Batu Gajah and Pantai Remis. The Taiping airfield located in the centre of the town but had not been in use and partially neglected.

From Taiping they departed for Alor Star via Kulim a distance of 70 nautical miles flying over vast stretches of padi fields. Over Alor Star the scenery was beautiful with padi fields all around is known as the rice bowl of Malaysia. However owing to the haze and poor visibility they were forced to fly at 500 ft above ground level which was alright for micro-light. They landed safely at Alor Star and were entertained at the Kedah Flying Club. They were temporary delayed owing to the haze and they were off again as soon as visibility improved due to rain. And relying on their GPS they arrived at Kangar at about 1630 hours. After landing a full reception was accorded to them with State and local officials in attendance.

The 4^th August, they were to arrive Langkawi at about 1100 hours to be in time for the opening speech by the Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir. They left Kangar after breakfast and flew the last 30 nautical miles over water; across the channel and arriving overhead Langkawi at 1,500 ft. We were at the International Airport at Padang Matsirat waiting as they appeared. I was particularly interested in the “Storch” that Slepcev was flying. The “Storch” a high-wing was developed by Slepcev into a scale-down replica of the original Fiesler Fi-155 Storch aircraft. The famous Storch was deployed by the Nazi Commandos in a daring raid to rescue the Italian leader Mussolini from his hilltop prison.

Author with Slepcev replica of the German Storch.

Specification of Slepcev Storch Mk 4 with Rotax 912 engine.

Cruise: 70 knots

Top Speed: 85 knots

Stall speed: 15 knots

Rate of climb: min. 900 ft per

Take off distance: 30 – 50 ft.

Landing distance: 30 – 50 ft.

Service ceiling: 15,000 ft.

Fuel capacity: 75 litres

Empty weight: 289 kg

Gross Weight: 480 kg

Length: 6.8 meters.

Wing span: 10 meters.

Wing area: 16 sq. meters.

Number of seats: 2

The main landing gear is very strong and robust, could withstand heavy landing without any problem. It had excellent all round vision owing to the glass-cage cockpit with clear overhead sunroof. The long range extra fuel tank took the shape of a bomb under-slung in the belly. In World War II camouflage and German markings, it is still my dream-plane and if I could have some hours in it I would be satisfied. Anyway we had the opportunity to meet Nestor and his wife Shirley as they put up at the same hotel. Later we had the chance to examine his aircraft and took pictures of him and his wonderful invention.

The previous day, Sunday had been very unfortunate when a sudden storm hit the island at about 1730 hours and damaged the 3 micro-lights from Batu Pahat. The micro-light a Mx single, a Ralley and a Skywalker were hurled against each other by strong winds and sustained serious damage.

On the 6^th August, Wednesday we attended a briefing at the Control Tower with others on procedures and flight safety. After that we prepared our “Airborne” trike with Capt. Chung as Pilot and I sat in the backseat. At 1015 hours we taxied to the main 12,500 ft runway and positioned at the threshold runway # 21 before being cleared to take-off. It was a very short run before we were airborne and allowed to do only one circuit before landing. It was short demonstration and we were happy to have had the opportunity.

Later another bad accident happened when a Malaysian Air Force “Nuri” helicopter performing a “search and rescue” demonstration hovered over the area of parked aircraft. As a result a “Zodiac” experimental aircraft belonging to Rakan Muda was flip-over by the powerful down-draft and completely damaged the aircraft. The 400 kg “Zodiac” was one of the 48 aircraft that took part in the 5-day air show. It was a sad day not only for Rakan Muda but also to most of us to see the beautiful (Rm 220,000) aircraft completely written off.

Author with Capt. Chung

Rakan Muda “Zodiac” that was wrecked

Karnival Johor’96



On the 15th August we saw a flurry of excitement because the day after would be the day for the departure of our little air armada of 13 micro-light aircraft the largest group ever seen in Malaysia. Our destination was Malaysia Technological University (UTM) at Scudai in conjunction with the “Karnival Johor 1996”. For the first time our Batu Pahat group had assembled a wide collection of different types of micro-light such as the GT 500, the Challenger II, Vectors, Quicksilver Mx’s, 4 Sports model from 4B Flying Club, an Aero-chute (Conti brothers) from Australia and some para-gliders Eric Lee and his team. The Karnival would also include demonstration flights, joy rides, static display and workshops.

The organisers for promotion had arranged hand painted batik on a 2-km long cloth with some local artists participating for submission to the Guinness Book of World Records. The carnival was sponsored by the Tourist Promotion Board held it’s 5th year being the biggest in terms of activities and participation. For the foreigners and Singaporean it was an opportunity to sample good local food, try out fruits like durians despite it’s offensive smell or to watch the cultural performances.

That night our air boss Mr. Tay had gathered all the pilots and gave a briefing on our flight plan. The 4B Flying Club Quicksilver Mx’s and that of ours have to stopover at at a place called Benut for re-fuelling owing to their small fuel capacity. The GT500, the Challenger, the Polaris Trike and the Vector could proceed direct to UTM without having to refuel. Fortunately in that morning Chris and I had time to drop in at the University to survey our improvised landing ground.

It was the football field stuck right in the midst of the huge complex; long enough and already clearly marked out and we felt that it should not be of a problem. What we were worried was that the approach to the landing was rather tricky. The path would take us by the hillside with buildings, antennas and descending there were other obstructions, a piling-tower, lamp-posts, trees and the fence before the landing ground. Anyway we were glad that we did observe all that we needed to know for our safe passage in. We then proceeded on to Batu Pahat quite happy and contended.

On the 16th August with Chris as co-pilot, we took off at 0930 hours after our air boss Mr. Tay. We were following our leader as he trekked coastal heading south and the weather had not been that promising. After passing Benut, the weather had worsened with dark clouds building up and coming from Singapore blowing inland. Mr. Tay in his GT500 was ahead and we watched him disappeared into the clouds. We were worried as the dark clouds appeared threatening and we did not want to risk going through. So we avoided by heading out to sea that was on our right. As the threatening dark clouds passed we turned inland to cut across hoping to catch a glimpse of the GT500. The visibility was excellent but “shit” there was no sign of our leader, it appeared that he had evaporated into thin air; so we pressed on hoping for the best. We were over the area of Kampong Kelapa Sawit with the mountain ranges of Gunong Pulai on our right towering up to 2,147 ft.

We were flying at about 1,000 ft and through low-lying clouds when we spotted the North South Highway around Kulai, so banking right we continued our way south. I was flying IFR but not instrument as “I Follow Road”. After a short while we were over lower end of the mountain when we were rewarded before us a spectacular sight of the sprawling University Complex. We circled overhead on look out for our leader but there was no sign of him.

So we decided to go in for a practice or a dummy run over the runway to familiarize ourselves before going in for real. We descended from north over the hillside with buildings and antennas and lined up with the improvised runway, coming in between another building and the piling tower. We then came over some trees, lamp-posts and finally the fence before the threshold appeared. Making a low pass to the other end and climbing again for a “go around”. As we got around we retraced the same flight path leading to the landing. That was over the hillside, the piling tower, the trees, the lamp-posts and the fence. We managed to put her down gently but the ground was wet, soggy and bogged us down. The loose turf was everywhere and some got inside our small clearance left wheel pants and jamming the wheel. We swerved to the left with the wing dropping low almost touching the ground. Fortunately owing to the drag and lost of power, the Challenger up-righted itself in nick of time. The VIP’s including the Manager of DCA Johor, Inche Rahim were at the grandstand watching. I am sure that they had their eye-balls almost bulging out of sockets when they saw the plane tilted dangerously.

Meantime we ourselves were shocked at what happened and later learned that the landing ground was in such a mess because previous day it had rained and the field was used for the game of polo. Just imagine a dozen horses running about chasing a ball, churning up the turf and turning the field into a quagmire. We nervously taxied to where a marshal directed us to the parking area and we shut down for the day. It was un-expectedly a harrowing experience and up to this day we had never forgotten. We were the only ones that got through that morning. In the evening the rest of the group from Benut and Batu Pahat appeared overhead and came in to land one after another. We were allotted to stay at the hostel within the campus. I decided to become a human dobberman to keep watch over my aircraft and pitched my tent beside it.

On the 17th August, the event as described by Paul our spoke person that a total almost 20 micro-light aircraft were exhibited. Some of the aircraft put on flying displays in the morning when the weather condition were fair.

A crowd of spectators were especially thrilled at the aerial performance by the three aero-chutes as they flew in formation, with one proudly towing the Malaysian flag. A graceful flight of the Para-gliders also mesmerised the crowd; it was like a ballet performance in the sky. There had been an accident when an aircraft from 4B flying Club had over-shot the runway and aborted landing by pulling up but could not clear the trees obstacles at other end. It hit the branches and crashed onto the road. Fortunately the pilot and the passenger walked away with minor cuts and bruises.

The heavy rain in the afternoon caused the cancellation of most of the flying activities that had been planned. Datuk Wira Mohd Ali bin Mohd Rustam, the deputy Minister of Transport arrived at 1500 hours and declared the Air Carnival open. A number of aircraft taxied pass the VIP Grand stand in salute.


Micro-light on display at the UTM, Scudai

Interviewed by Datuk Ali Rustam (From left is 3rd) 4th is Inche Rahim.

On the 18th August as in the past two days, hordes of people came to view the micro-light that were on display. Some of the University graduates dressed in their graduation attire came to pose at our aircraft for photo-shoot.



Aerochute flying over UTM, Scudai displaying Malaysia flag

At about 1630 hours we were preparing for our departure, some especially the Mx’s would have to stop-over at Benut for refueling purposes but the rest would fly direct to Batu Pahat.

I had started my engine warming it up whilst waiting in queue for my turn. The Mx’s before us took off one after another and headed north for Benut. I had a passenger I forgotten his name. Anyway when our turn came up I pushed the throttle forward to full power. The Challenger II begun it’s run gradually gathering momentum, however the ground was wet and soggy and had many pockets of water. As we ran over, it impeded our acceleration owing to the drag. It was frightening having run more then half the field creating many sprays and still no lift. The fence ahead of me grew larger and larger as I sped towards it. Somehow I sense I could not make it and so I aborted the take-off by shutting down the engine. I managed to swerve to portside in time to avoid crashing into the fence. I slowly taxied back to the starting point and reluctantly disembarked my passenger.

Without that extra weight it would be less drag and I was sure the chances of lift was more likely. Finally at 1730 hours I took off after a long run and just managed to clear the fence. I flew west along the Pulai mountain range towards the catchment area. The aerial view of it was fantastic, very beautiful and I headed for the coast flying over Pekan Nanas towards Pontian. The two nights roughing out in the tent had been rather taxing and suffered backaches and lack of sleep. The sleeping bag did help to cushion but apparently not enough for the ground was hard and uncomfortable. Anyway I was glad that it was over and I was on my way back to base. I was alone and overhead Benut with the comforting sound of my engine assuring reliability. The monotonous rhythm was so soothing to my ears that I was drifting to slumber land. Suddenly I realized the danger that I was dozing off and gave my face a tight slap to awaken me. Then I kept myself occupied by singing some songs to keep alert. That paid off and soon I was approaching Senggerang and beyond that our base Tanjong Laboh. Upon arrival at Tanjong Laboh I circled overhead as usual to announce my presence before coming in to land at Runway #33. I landed smoothly and taxied slowly to my hanger. The time was 1900 hours and I had taken one hour and thirty minutes.

The Chopper Ride



After school I begun working life hopping from one job to another and for some years been
out of touch with aviation. It was only in 1985 when the opportunity to fly arose, I was
then working for the Singapore Soviet Shipping Company. The company was a joint
venture between the USSR Government and our rubber magnate Dato Ng Kwee Lam
The ship’s owners wanted an aerial photography of their bulk-carrier passing the straits for
advertisement purposes.

I was delighted and upon confirmation set about making arrangements, fixing hire of
helicopter with Heli-Orient Company and engaging a professional photographer Frederick.
The day came, 16th March and I thought what an appropriate present as it happened to fall
on my birthday.

Frederick picked me up first and then we proceeded to Seletar Airbase, where our colleague
Francis Lim joined us. After security check at the guard house we went to the hanger, where stood a Bell Jet ranger helicopter all set and ready to go. The portside sliding door removed for purpose of photography. We met our pilot, Capt. Patrick Tan who gave us a Pre-flight briefing and in case of emergency the use of lifejackets. We got unto the chopper, I sat in the front left seat and Francis sat behind with Frederick the cameraman.

This was the first time I sat in a chopper and was amazed with a magnitude of instruments all
over the place, front panel, sides, below and above our heads. We could see the sky above our heads through the sunroof and the same below at our feet through the Perspex.

As we settled down properly strapped and ready, the pilot started the engine and the rotor
blades started to swirl around slowly at first, then gradually increasing momentum creating
a high pitch whining sound until it reached required rotation speed. By then the sound was deafening and the vibration became more apparent and we had a good shaking-up. As Capt. Tan applied more power, we felt a jolt followed by a feeling of floatation; we realized we were airborne hovering just above the ground.

We moved slowly forward to the center of the field where there was a marker painted in
white forming the letter “H”. Apparently this was the holding area awaiting clearance from
the control tower. After a short while we must have obtained clearance as the chopper begun to ascend, climbing gradually and gaining height over Seletar Island in the Johore Straits. We made 180 degrees “U” turn and headed South for the Straits of Singapore flying over Khatib, Yio Chu Kang. Noticeably at a distance a battery of Bloodhound surface-to-air missiles stood out prominently in immaculate white finishing with contrasting black tips sitting in their respective launching pads all poised and ready to go. Nearby was the tracking module with the radar activated and revolving slowly. The newspapers had reported that they were our guardians of the sky and that gave me the assurance that I could sleep peacefully at night.

Bloodhound S.A.M. on launcher

It was manned by the 170 Squadron of the Singapore Air Defence Artillery and became fully operational in the year 1974. They provided the missile shield as a second line of air defense should the enemy be able to penetrate our first line fighter interceptor screen equipped with Hawker Hunters FGA9. The high-level defense system had an exceptional range of 50 miles.

Over Mandai catchment area we saw some golfers exercising their skills in the blazing morning sun. The Mandai forest reserve covered quite an area with an impressive canopy of gigantic trees that spread like a huge green carpet surrounding the reservoir. The Radio Tower on the top of Bukit Timah hill was conspicuous as it stands on the highest point of the island at 166 metre. As we approached Clementi area I got excited as I searched to spot my block, the canal that ran besides Pandan Gardens looked flooded with the banks almost overflowing. I noticed my block at the far end of Teban Gardens and felt extremely rewarded
by this lovely sight. It was fantastic especially looking down from above for the first time and everything seemed to have shrunk like a miniature town set.

We flew over the Caltex Oil Refinery, cramped with a lot of storage tanks and headed
towards sea. Overhead the western part of Singapore we could however see a distance up to
Kukup Island just off the western coast of mainland Johore. Below us many vessel riding
anchor at West Jurong Anchorage within the boundary and safe waters of the Port. A little
further out we saw some vessels sailing pass, keeping to the two-way Traffic Separation
Scheme of North and South bound. It was obviously a very busy and congested water- way.
At our altitude I found it difficult to identify the vessel. We tried to communicate by VHF
radio on the marine channel but of no avail.

We had no alternative but to descend lower and check out each vessel. Finally we flew pass
Sultan Shoal Lighthouse towards eastern part of Singapore. Incidentally we spotted a large bulk-carrier sailing eastward; it appears to fit our specification of having twin-funnel. So to check it out we descended still lower until we could read out the vessel’s name at the stern as the “Aleksandr Matrosov”.

By then the ship’s officers had gathered at the portside bridge-wing and began waving and
we acknowledged by waving back. Our photographer Federick wasted no time and
immediately began to shoot as many shots at different angles. The bulk-carrier had unusual cargo on deck, there were two large sea-going hydrofoil passenger boats plus 4 other smaller ones. All were being secured down by lashing.

We circled several times for Frederick to shoot away with his Mamiya camera until he was
satisfied. He was seated on the open-side, being exposed to take advantage of un-restricted
view. For safety measures he was strapped to a monkey-harness secured to his seat.
I lost count of how many circles we made in order to get a good shot.

Finally the job was done and as we broke away, waved “Farewell” to the ship’s crew;
ascending slowly we made our exit gracefully. We flew towards Pasir Panjang where we saw our Fish Factory ship named “Sulak” had berth alongside the wharf for loading of ship’s
stores. We flew towards West Coast, Pandan Reservoir and steadily retracing our route back to Seletar.

Overhead Bukit Timah Turf Club we saw horses galloping furiously for the entertainment of
a multitude of fortune seekers. At Ang Mo Kio we noted that the MRT still under
construction with the workers busily going about with their activities. Nearing Seletar airbase we could see from a distance 2 light planes flying in circuit pattern over the airfield

In the cock-pit of the Bell Jet Ranger helicopter

Our pilot was again busy talking to the Tower before coming in for landing, descending gradually and lining up with the runway for the Finals. Keeping to the centerline we could see the Runway marking reading # 03 conspicuous in immaculate white, just after the black and white quartering piano keys.

We paused for a short moment allowing a small aircraft to taxi before we crossed over to
our hanger. Some golfers near by had to abandon their activities as the down draught was
stirring up a lot of the dust, creating a temporary nuisance and sending them racing for cover.

Finally we hover in front of our hanger before Capt. Tan put her down gently and safely.
We emerged from the helicopter feeling happy and contented of having accomplished a
successful mission. It had somewhat rekindled the spark inside which over the years seemed to have slowly flame out.

Micro-light: What is it ?


The first time I saw a micro-light was I think around 1980’s at the Asian Aerospace Show held at the Changi International Airport. I was walking around the parking bay with my son looking at the static display when we came across a row of strange and ugly looking flying machines. Strongly urged by curiosity we went to have a closer look and discovered with a shocking effect that the construction was of aluminum tubes. It took the form of a skeletal frame built around a buggy as the fuselage and had high wings.

The buggy had an “A” frame and down-tubes that supported the root-tube to which the wings were connected. A king-post affixed at the top of the root-tube held the wings in position by the upper wires when it is on the ground. The under-surface of the wings ran the lower wires also known as the “flying wires” and secured to the buggy. It held the wings in flight. An under-slung 6-gallon fuel tank fixed at the forward part of the root-tube and the other end held a small two-stroke inverted engine driving a 2 bladed wooden propeller. There were two upper-booms protruding from the wing’s trailing edge, one each from the port and the starboard side. Together with two others lower-booms port and starboard sides from the buggy supported the whole tail-plane.

The skin covering the surface of the wings and the tail-plane were of multi-coloured durable synthetic fabric used same as in sailplane or sailing boats. The seating is for two in a side-by-side arrangement. It had a “tricycle undercarriage” that is two main wheels and a nose-wheel in front. What shocked me was the total absence of the floor-board in the cockpit, the wrap-around front wind shield/screen and windows. It was completely naked so as to say, the absence of what I would consider normal expectation of a cockpit. It was bare essential and without frills.

To me it seems life threatening and scary enough for you are practically flying by the seat of your pants. In the open cockpit concept the wind would be blowing right into your face
as you sit there fully expose to the mercy of the elements. For a while I just stood there wondering, my small brain went into a long search of understanding. It seems ridiculous and definitely not my idea of flying, with legs that could dangle in mid-air and the wind that will blast one’s face.

My question was is it a circus plane purposely built for the clown to fool around entertaining the crowd or simply for the brave-hearted. The irony was that it did not occur to me at that time that I would end up flying it. Only much later did I realized the full potential of this simple flying machine and the impact that it would have on recreation or fun flying. By it’s simplicity in construction, the maintenance is kept low by comparison to that of General Aviation. Obviously it makes micro-light flying more appealing and affordable to the ordinary man in the street with a low budget. It is an opportunity for those seeking air adventure especially the youth to take up the challenge and soar into the skies. In order to experience the exhilarating feelings of being in flight like a bird or nearest to it. At the same time to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the scenic surroundings; this time in looking down instead of the normal norm of looking upwards from the ground.

Asean Aerospace show at Changi Airport

Today advance technology has a great influence in the micro-light industry with better material, design and performance. New models with up-rated engines could fly faster, further and safer. Some daring and adventurous pilots have flown practically around the world. Generally to-day micro-light have been proven beyond reasonable doubts to be reliable; it could fly to distant places. You can call what you may a recreation, sports or fun flying; it is a challenge more exciting and demanding than any other. However it also carries an intoxicating effect akin to that of drug-taking. You get one shot in the air and you will be back for another.There was another micro-light called the 'Flight Star' that employed the same principle, skeletal frame, high wings and tri-cycle undercarriage. However the wing-root extended further to the front where a traction-engine is mounted. The cockpit was protected by a large windshield mounted at the end of the nose section.

In Malaysia, the definition for a micro-light by the Department of Civil Aviation is as follows:
a) The empty weight must not exceed 150 kg
b) The wing loading factor at maximum must not exceed 10 kg per square meter.
c) The seating capacity restricted to 2 persons including the pilot.


The EAA 1090 is a chapter in Malaysia under Capt. Siva who is the President with office in Kuala Lumpur. He undertakes the task of promoting and encouraging people especially the youth to participate and be part of the aviation community.

EAA means “Experimental Aircraft Association “ an organization founded in America
in 1953 to promote flying for it’s future generation. It has chapters Global catering for the enthusiasts in the fast expanding world of aviation,.

In the States the Association stage the greatest air show on earth at a place called “Oshkosh” a Mecca for the aviation lunatics like us. Some more than 12,000 aircraft of various categories assemble for the “Show”. The pilots have their opportunity to display their skill and bravado to thrill the fanatical crowd of thousands. Just imagine what a nightmare for the organizers and especially the air traffic controllers as numerous aircraft of all descriptions converge to this particular ‘hot spot’. For some of us flying had been our childhood dreams, each time we hear the sound of aircraft engine we would automatically look up to the sky. We are attracted by sight and sound; eager to know what type of aircraft, civilian or military, fighter or non-combatant. So when the opportunity did presented itself, we took the advantage to make our dreams come true.