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.

Oh shit ! I’m going down

On Boxing Day the 26th December 1994 we crossed the Johore Causeway at about 5.45 in the morning heading for Batu Pahat, Malaysia. The drive along the coastal road was refreshing in the cool environment of the countryside. We chit-chatted all the way in
order to keep the driver alert otherwise he might easily doze-off. We stopped for breakfast of roti-prata at a small town of Senggarang. After our breakfast we continued another 5 – 6 kilometers to the airstrip. Finally we arrived at Tanjong Laboh, it had a semi-grass runway of 1,800 ft in length and the width of 100 ft. We immediately opened the hunger and rolled out micro-light a type called Mx II manufactured by the firm of Quick Silver. The American company had produced some 10,000 units at that time and still on-going. It is a beginner’s plane, it’s construction is simple being built of aluminum with fabric surface and therefore maintenance is low. Basically it is a “rags and tubes “ flying machine like the pioneering years.

Having done my “Preflight Checks” my mentor Mr. Tay appeared and told me to take her up while the weather was good. The Mx II did not have an electric starter so I had to pull-start by wrenching hard the starter cord. The tiny engine burst into life roaring loudly and
I got into the left seat. Pushing the throttle gradually the Mx started to roll forward slowly as I taxied it to the threshold of runway #15 that was in use. There were only 3 instruments to monitor the airspeed, the rpm and the exhaust temperature. The airspeed was a simple transparent tube with a long pin in the center that had a disc running through it. At the bottom of the tube was an opening for inlet, thus allowing the air to rush in, building up pressure and pushes up the disc. Meantime you could read the airspeed from the indicated markings on the side of the tube.

As I reached the threshold I had a quick glance around and was satisfied that there was no other air traffic. I pushed the throttle to the fullest and the Mx went charging along the runway beating up the dust. A sudden jolt confirmed that I had left the ground. I was airborne and gaining height as the Mx climbed gradually to circuit height of 200 ft. As I flew pass Jon’s hanger I made a left bank and found myself in the down-wind and parallel to the runway. At the other end I could see my mentor’s micro-light a GT500 being rolled out of the hanger. It was a beauty with sky blue wings flashed with red and
yellow stripes and with an immaculate white fuselage. When I was over the pond area there was turbulence and I was bouncing about until quick reaction stabilize the situation. Another left bank took me over the coconut plantation and repeated another one into up-wind leg. The reasons for the many left banks were because I was flying a left-hand circuit. It was a standard air traffic pattern adopted for the circuit at Tanjong Laboh. By then I was flying parallel to the runway again heading for the piece of hilly land jutting out to the sea which we called the “Cape”. I noticed that the wind direction had changed from observation of smoke arising from the kampong. In that case I had to switch to the opposite threshold in order to land against the wind. As a rule micro-light are not recommended to land tailwind for the sake of safety.

So continuing towards the Cape I did a left bank descending gradually into base-leg; flying over the tiny island which is the landmark for turning. Another left bank into Finals and the runway appeared before me. I focused at the threshold runway #33 and aligned my aircraft to the center between the first two markers, descending gradually. As I approached the hill on my left I was hit by turbulence at anticipated spot. The position was around where wind from the sea hits the hill and roll over the top causing turbulence. I managed to control, reducing speed and pitched the nose down descending over the oil palm trees.

Tanjong Laboh left-hand circuit pattern

Approaching the threshold I could see the white kapor (chalk) painted on the ground as an indicating mark for the beginning of the runway. The ground appeared to be rushing madly towards me as I came lower and lower. On passing the threshold I reduced power,
by applying a bit of back pressure on the control stick to maintain nose up. The Mx touched down with just a slight bump and rolled along. I immediately pushed the throttle to full and the Mx shot up again climbing furiously gaining height. That practice is known in aviation as “Touch and go” and we go through the exercise to gain more experience and thus sharpening our skills. Then it was left again all the way into cross-wind leg and into down-wind leg heading back towards the Cape.

Maintaining circuit height of 200 ft over the Cape I made a left bank descending gradually into base-leg to over the tiny island. In an attempt to turn left into ‘finals’ I was hit again by turbulence this time more severe that tilted my wings sharply. I was shaken and in panic abandoned my attempt continuing onward more to my right. I made a right hand teardrop a turn that would put me back to the base-leg. However I had lost height during the maneuver and was too low for comfort.

I pushed the throttle full for more power in order to climb but suddenly the engine stopped at that particular moment and so did my heart. “Oh shit! I’m going down”. It came as a complete shock for the unexpected had happened. In the spur of the moment I began desperately to memorise the lessons drummed into me during my training sessions on emergency landing. Fortunately I had one experience with my mentor when our engine malfunctioned and he put it down in a graceful glide safely back to the airstrip. I thought of it and remained calmed, maintaining airspeed by putting the nose down. I had in mind of the airstrip but that was out of question as I did not have the altitude to reach it. As I glided along the coastline the trees before me grew larger and larger to a frightening proportion. If I did nothing the danger of crashing into the trees was imminent so I looked for an alternative landing site. The only one available was a mud flat off shore and time was running out. I was in a situation like out of the fire and into the deep blue sea. I went in for my option gliding my Mx into position and hope for the best. In approaching I managed to avoid some obstacles by way of wooden stakes protruding out high above the ground as anchoring points for small boats. When I was low enough I put her gently for the touch-down and hope for the best but the mud was too soft. The Mx ploughed into it and on impact broke the nose section, tilting the tail right up. The mud hit me with such force that my helmet and goggles almost torn away from my face.

For a moment I was in complete shock, shaken from the ordeal and laid motionless. I was in mud up to my waist apparently the undercarriage had given way and I was lower than normal. As I came to my senses I first cleared the mud from my face to be able to see and ran my hands down to both of my legs to feel if they were broken. Fortunately they were not and I sigh with relief thanking the Good Lord for sparing his worthless creature. I was still strapped in my harness and worked by sense of feeling to release the locking mechanism. To extricate myself I held on the horizontal bar of the ‘A” frame above my head and hauled myself out. I managed to stand up in the mud and tried walking but it was laboriously slow and exhausting after a few steps. The after effects had taken toll I was badly shaken and even uncontrollably wet my pants.

Two fishermen nearby were equally surprised that the unexpected had happened, but they were of no help. In those frantic moments of struggle, I had drained out what was left of
my energy. My throat was parched dry as I laid there de-hydrated. Progress was dead slow one step at a time. You extricate one leg from the mud and step ahead before working on the other leg. I ended up sitting in the mud in complete exhaustion. My mind wondering whether someone at the airstrip had noted that my flight was overdue. I strained my ears to catch the sound of the search planes but to no avail. I then recollecting a few days ago when back home I was watching an old movie of some one fell into a quicksand and sinking fast. However the response had been timely as Tarzan appeared at the scene, handed out a branch and rescued him. That day sadly there was no Tarzan to the rescue but the two unconcerned fisherman going about with their fishy business.

That phrase “God help those who help themselves” struck me and I decided to act. Sitting down waiting was not doing any good as the tide was also coming in. I had to find a way so I decided to extricate one leg at a time from the mud and laid flat face down distributing my body weight equally over the mud. I discovered that in a “prone” position I could move better. So taking advantage of my new found solution I slowly made progress on all “fours” by crawling like an alligator towards the shore. At the tip of the Cape the shoreline was rocky with boulders towering high above. Further down it gave way to a mangrove swamp that fringed the shore.

Oh shit! I'm down

The mangrove created a natural barrier of vegetation that grew in close proximity with the multiple roots crisps-crossed or intertwine. To make matter worse the ground had pools of water making it slippery. On nearing shore I stood up and begun walking to the swamp. The going was slow hampered by this natural obstruction. I struggled by crawling under or climbing over but constantly slipping and falling. I was drenched to the skin and the mud gave out a very strong unpleasant odour.

The swamp gave way to higher ground and that became drier but the undergrowth was very much thicker. The gigantic trees were towering right up with their green canopy spread out shutting out the sunlight. It was dark only streamers of light manage to penetrate through some openings. It was a night-mare; just imagine a guy from a big city suddenly found himself in the darkness of a jungle with little sense of direction. The visibility was restricted to a few feet of the green, alien environment to which I was not accustomed to. Not only was I disorientated but also scared to death of encountering the wild animals. Meantime the unfamiliar jungle orchestra struck up a symphony of weird sounds that came I think from the crickets, frogs and other insects. At one stage there were some commotion created by movements of larger animals through the undergrowth as they scurried away. The ground was uneven and damp with decaying leaves and branches covered the entire floor. Humidity was high making it uncomfortably stuffy and I ended up soaking with perspiration.

The jungle

Occasionally I slipped and fell, crashing down to the ground but quickly got up to my feet, suffering only minor cuts or bruises. My greatest concerned was snakes, whether pythons, cobras or others; those creepy, slimy, cold blooded creatures strike instant fear into my heart. I was on a sharp look-out for them taking no chances.

As it was over our familiar circuit area I knew the ground well enough and was certain it was not a large area. I guessed if I kept on a straight course I would certainly hit a clearing. So with my fingers crossed I continued on praying at the same time. My eyes peeled wide opened to anticipate any danger. After a while I spotted before me a brighter stream of light penetrating through. I headed for that direction and to my relief found the clearing. Finally I stepped out into the open where the air was most cooling and refreshing. My confidence and moral was immediately restored.

As I walked down towards a stream I heard the sound of the search plane and looking up I spotted the welcoming sight of the GT500 piloted by Tay my mentor, with someone in the back seat. They flew very low just above tree top level and waved at me. My heart jumped with joy and I waved back sawing the air wildly.

On approaching a stream and about to walk on a single plank that laid across, when suddenly confronted a large awesome ugly looking iguana. Incidentally both took fright, the iguana bolted upstream creating a lot of noise and splashing the water as it went. Meantime I took flight in the opposite direction making a record breaking sprint to some distance away. I stopped for a while for things to subside before returning and crossed the stream without further incident.

Iguana local monitor lizard

A van was sent to pick me up and as we came to the airstrip I saw that the GT500 had already landed. The van pulled up at the hanger and a small reception party was there to greet me. Tay with the guys and the caretaker Noordin with his family were glad to see me in one piece. I was soaked in mud and the stench was over-powering. Rick was delighted to play fireman and hosed me down with a high-powered water spray gun. He was enjoying himself and apparently made me an object of fun thus entertaining those watching.

Tay immediately organized a recovery party to go and salvage the downed Mx before the in coming tide. We loaded all the things that we needed into the van, tools, ropes, planks, drinking-water and drove off. We arrived at the stream where I had earlier encountered the iguana. We disembarked and as we will have to go into the mud, all decided to strip down to only underwear. It was a terrible, unthinkable decision and most humiliating. It amounted to injuring our pride and dignity as pilots. However under such circumstances we no other alternative but to learn how to eat humble pie. I did not strip as I was already wet and saw no point in doing so. The party was comical as it consisted of a chartered accountant, an assistant manager, a government servant, a hair-stylist and a contractor. Now the scenario presented was really down right amusing; we had a group of semi-nude people, one had a pink underwear and we named him as the “Pink panther” So we begun our journey trooping in single file across the stream over an improvised plank bridge and vanish into the jungle. Had it been recorded on video it would certainly won us the title of the “Funniest people in the world”

As we entered the jungle we felt better as no prying eyes watching us for we had the cover of thick vegetation. I felt much relief as we are now in a group working as a team, a band of brothers relying on each other. When were nearing the shore we caught glimpses of our green Mx through the undergrowth. We reached the shore and waded into the mud like a religious procession going for a baptism ritual. Tay took the lead with me behind followed by Rick and Michael. We left Anuar at the shore end as the anchorman for the towline. Our tools were placed into a floating plastic container; we also brought along our ropes and the two pieces of wooden planks.

We reached the Mx by then the tide was raising fast and we begun to dismantle beginning with the rudder. By placing the two planks underneath the main wheels we found that it assisted in moving and we made some headway. We struggled using all our strength, pushing, lifting, cursing and swearing. Finally we had the tail swung around, secured it by rope and passed the line to our strongman at shore to haul in. Meantime we dismantled the nose section and Michael dragged it to shore.

At one stage we were really thirsty; the cold water brought by Michael was like a heavenly gift and we treasured it taking time sipping down leisurely. By 1300 hrs our stomachs were growling but we were still in high spirits and there were no lacking of jokes. We were thinking of good food and restaurant but how to get there. Not in our state; not acceptable they would definitely call the Police. Therefore it was decided that Anuar and myself would go to buy food.

We retraced our journey back to the van that we had parked near the stream. Drove to a small village named Koris not far from the airstrip and bought our food. On our way back we stopped by the river to hoping to find some fisherman that could assist in the salvage by sea. But nobody was around. So we returned to our buddies at the crash site with their lunch packs and we gathered on the rock boulders. As we had forgotten to take fork and spoons, everybody had to go “native” eating with our fingers or rather dirty fingers. We had no alternative but to wash in the muddy sea water; hygiene was out of question as we did not have the luxury of clean running water.

After lunch we were on the job again working even harder conveying the dismantle parts to shore. More willing hands from the kampong joined us and it was timely as the tide had already reached our waistline. The difficult part was carrying it through the jungle but luckily we had extra hands to distribute the job load. I was in the last group carrying one wing with two young Malay boys. The ground was uneven and slimy and we were from time to time slipping and falling. When we came out to the clearing our van had already left transporting earlier load. So we had to wait for the van to return and that would take some time.

Meanwhile it was getting dark as the sun was setting. The mosquitoes then appeared in strength and attacked us in an all out assault. We fought back, sawing the air with our hands, slapping our body where the mosquito had bitten. It was hopeless we were fighting a losing battle, they buzzed by our ears again and again; pressing home their mission. Finally we were saved in the nick of time when our van re-appeared. We loaded our wings and some parts that were left behind and off we went. The whole ordeal had lasted 12 hours from the time I went down up to the end of the salvage efforts.

Tay and his Quick Silver GT 500

That night Tay invited me to stay at his place and I gladly accepted. After a refreshing shower and a change of clothing I felt better. It had been a stressful day and now was the time to loosen up and relax in the comfort of a home. As I lean back on the sofa, I took time to reflect upon the whole event and firmly believe that I had escape miraculously without any physical injury. However I suffered a psychologically one and that was injury to my pride; I was the pilot downed. Obviously the One above had given me a second chance I would consider myself fortunate that I have been reborn with a new lease of life.

Building the “Challenger II "


We had been happily flying our old Mx II at Tanjong Laboh for already 10 months, when Jon came along and loan us a VHS cassette video. It was part of an information package that included brochures from the manufacturer of the “Challenger” ultra-light. In screening we found it not only captivating but strongly convincing to an extent that kept our eyes firmly glued to the TV console and our mouth drooling. The opening scenery was a flight demonstration by a dealer named Don Zank on a very fast clip-wing Challenger II. Then followed by a long-wing version Challenger II flying low over the meadows to the lively tune of “Oh what a wonderful world” by Louis Armstrong. It was exceptionally exciting, like a block buster thriller and it was an immediate “hit”. The impact was obvious we immediately fell head over heels in love with it and had driven me to look for my cheque book. I guess had it not for been for Jon our lives would not have changed at all. We would not have progress as we were at that time quite contended flying our old faithful machine.

The model that we were interested was the long wing “standard version” mounting a Rotax
503 engine that functioned as a pusher, driving a 2 bladed wooden propeller. The two-place trainer with tandem seating arrangement with condition for the pilot to fly only from the front seat. It had high wings supported by struts and with tricycle undercarriage made up of two main wheels and a front nose-wheel; a departure from the traditionally tail-draggers. The advantage was better visibility and good ground handling. The fuselage was covered by stits and as for the wings, tail sections it was covered by mylar (a protective laminated fabric) sailcloth. The fibre-glass nose-cone provided a streamlined and aerodynamic look that helps to reduce drag. The engine hung under the lower part of the wing root-tube near to the trailing edge.

In the early years the impression of a ultra-light or also known as micro-light was that it was not meant for long distance traveling. It was a fun machine for you to enjoy flying around your backyard. That was a misconception and with the advantage of newly found advance technology, the design and the power-plant of the micro-light had excelled by leaps and bounds And as the years went by engine reliability had improved constantly enabling it to fly faster and further away. That was proven beyond reasonable doubts when 3 Challenger II pilots flew across from Wisconsin all the way to attend the “Sun & Fun 88” held at Oshkosh. The trio headed by the boss and designer Dave Goulet with 2 other colleagues Zank and Coriston made a historic round trip of 2,200 miles. It was an extra 400 miles for Zank as he was furthest away. They won the special “Flight of Distinction Award”

Finally we unanimously agreed that the Challenger II was our choice as the best plane at that time available in the market. Generally it was good looking with clean lines and has
excellent handling qualities. Most important of all; the price was reasonable and affordable to us. Anyway around November 1993 I recalled rushing to Citibank at Shenton Way and banked in the sum US$ 7,608.00 as the final of the second half payment. The Challenger II had costs around fourteen thousand US dollars excluding airfreight and handling charges. That day David Leong and myself became the proud co-owners.

The shipment arrived Singapore on the 7th December and was later delivered to Jon’s
bungalow house at 45 Watten Estate. The garage was allocated to us as our sanctuary
for undertaking our sacred mission. The next few days we were seriously pre-occupied
in digesting our Builder’s Manual which we regarded as our Holy Bible. However when we did opened the wooden crates we found them packed with an assortment of aluminum tubes, sail-cloth, tyres and numerous smaller items. It took us quite a while to sort out on what we needed to begin with. For export purposes we received what was known as the “Knock-down version”. It meant that the main frame had been temporary built and then disassembled so that it could be packed into the wooden crate for shipment overseas. The major part like the fuselage lower frame came already pre-assembled to ensure alignment. The pre-drilled holes were found at the joints. The stays or down tubes were collapsed to save space for packing purposes. Upon receiving all we had to do was to up-right it into position and pop the rivets at the ready-made holes. The Challenger still qualified as a kit according homebuilt rules of being 51% factory built and 49 % the builder.

Of course from time to time we encountered problems, however Jon and Rick managed
to resolve by making a few overseas calls to Dave Goulet. As we progressed we were rewarded as the skeletal frame assumed the form of a fuselage. And for sake of good order a technical adviser was engaged for his expertise and step by step guidance in the building process.

Jon ironing the stits wing-tip

The stits covering job devoured a lot of time as we had to glue carefully the pre-cut fabric to the frame and allowed hours of drying time. The ironing was the best part, was fascinating as the fabric shrunk instantly. And before our eyes, it smoothens out the wrinkles thus tightening the fabric. It was like magic and we were immersed in our ironing, a job everybody wanted. It had the effect of addiction and obviously there was no shortage of willing hands.

As it took shape it drew the attention of inquisitive eyes of many who wondered what we were building. It looked like a helicopter or a gyro-copter as we had not fixed the wings and tail sections. David Leong a mechanic by profession did the mounting of the Rotax engine, working feverishly on the wiring and the electrical parts. We followed religiously the ‘progress chart’ and also kept a photographic record of what we did. The wings were done by attaching the vertical and diagonal stays to the leading and trailing edges and sock-on the mylar sail cloth. Then finally insert the ribs into pre-sewn channel pockets to strengthen the wings.

What is it, a gyro-copter ?

As for the fiberglass nose-cone we attached to the front of the fuselage and installed the wrap-around lexan front windshield and with the 2 windows provided full enclosure. The fixing of other ready-made pieces such as the dorsal fin, 2 horizontal stabilizers and 2 elevators was not a problem. We opted for a 10-gallon fuel tank to take the advantage of a longer range. The next job was the spray-painting and we had to do properly so as to transform our bird into a beautiful piece of art. Pre-painting preparation on the fuselage had to be carried out with wet-sanding to remove the rough layers to transform into smooth surface. We hooked up our newly acquired brand new air-compressor and begun the cosmetic ritual of the making up. It was a serious act of deception in covering up unlikely or defective spots to look good. Therefore extra care was taken in mixing the paint correctly in accordance to the appropriate portion. Then adjusting the control knobs accordingly and just shoot.

By working over the fuselage horizontally the primer coat looked great and as we went over again it became a lot better. We took a step back and admired the results and felt greatly satisfied. We applied 2 coats of ultra-violet paint for protection against the wicket elements and finally the two finishing coats of glossy white. In all we had spent some 170 hours working about twice or trice a week and took about two months. Finally when it was ready I arranged the Batu Pahat Transport Company for a pick-up. We loaded up our master piece on to the truck and I climbed on board joining my charge. I wanted to be doubly sure that it would be safely transported to our destination Tanjong Laboh airfield. At Bukit Panjang we stopped to pick up some customs documents and headed for the causeway and the Johore Bahru check-point.

Fortunately we cleared at Customs checkpoint without any problem. Luckily I followed because that crazy Malay driver was out of his wits and was traveling along the highway at break-neck speed. There was total absence of responsibility on his part of what was happening behind; he had taken things for granted. At high speed the effect of the wind flow had generated enough force to toss the 2 wings up and down. And as the wings were lashed on either side of the lorry I had a tough time trying to figure out which one deserved more attention. At times I had to knock the cabin top of the driver’s side cursing and swearing to draw his attention to slowing down. After much anxiety we arrived at our sacred playground in one piece, a sigh of relief overcame me. I could have gone down on my knees and kiss the ground for our safe arrival.

On the 15th January we were back again at Batu Pahat and checked-in the Government
Guess House locally known as “Rumah Persinggahan” . We had some un-finished task
to fulfill and meantime we wanted a comfortable lodging for our period of stay. Early next morning we were at the Tanjong Laboh airfield and got on the job of fixing the wings and the tail feathers of our beautiful bird. We also had to do the weights and balance to ascertain the C of G, the center of gravity.

Engine test at Tanjong Laboh.


And another day to test the Rotax 503 in a ritual known as “Breaking-in the engine”
It lasted one noisy hour and went on something like 5 minutes at 3,500 rpm then stepped
up to 5,000 rpm for one minute and so on. We had to follow precisely as according to the
Chart. By the end of the process we were stone deaf from the constant screaming of the 2
stroke engine at close quarters.

Jon was the test pilot and he happily took her up for a series of manoeuvers to feel the
controls and to identify any malfunction in order to rectify it. The Challenger displayed
exceptional qualities especially for it’s unique power-off soaring capabilities. All the 3
control axis were responsive and coordinated turns were easy. The stalls were very gentle
with no tendency to drop a wing and spiral down. Above the pilot’s head a lever controls the flapperons which is a combination of flaps and ailerons. To operate it you have to whine it clock or anti-clock wise for rise or drop position. The Challenger could be slowed down to about 22 mph for landing in short fields.

Finally the time has come and we are about to enjoy the fruits of our labour. Our reward
a wonderful flying machine that would make our dreams come true. It would open a new chapter in our world of micro-light flying and thus fulfill my air cadet motto of “Venture - Adventure”

Challenger II in flight over Johore

Specification:-
Aircraft: Challenger II
Country of origin: USA
Specification: 2-place tandem trainer (Standard version)
Wing span: 1 ft 6 ins
Length: 20 ft 0 ins
Height: 6ft 0 ins
Wing area: 173 sq ft
Power plant: Rotax 503 (52 hp)
Empty weight: 300 lbs
Useful load: 500 lbs
Ultimate load factor: + 6 - 4

Performance
VNE: 100 mph
Top level speed: 75 - 90 mph
Cruise speed: 65 - 75 mph
Stall speed: 22 mph solo / 30 dual
Climb rate: 1200 fpm solo / 700 dual
Take-off roll: 100 ft solo /200 ft dual
Glide ratio: 11 to 1 solo / 9 to 1 dual
Service ceiling: 14,000 ft solo / 12,500 ft dual
Fuel consumption cruise: 2.3 gph solo / 4 gph dual.