Begun Flying

 

 

In 1988 I joined the Republic of Singapore Flying Club after an “Open House” event offering one-day membership with a joy ride provided. I took that opportunity to revitalize my flying spirit. The urge to take to the sky was once again appealing and I eagerly found my way to the Club situated at the East Camp of Seletar Air Base. This military base being shared with their civil counter-part which had supporting facilities for aerospace industry, servicing, repairs and spares. It had been developed and expanded over the years. The Club itself was the oldest and the most prestige’s one being founded by the British during their colonial rule in 1928. In it’s early formative years pilots from the RAF were being seconded to assist in training of new pilots.

The flight was a sort of welcoming event and was also thrilling enough after a long absence since my first ride as an air cadet in 1955. I obtained my Student Pilot’s licence in March and started to fly in May with Alan as my instructor and the aircraft was the Cessna 150, the smallest of the Cessna Family. The Club had a mixed collection of aircraft consisted of one Cessna 150, two Cessna 172 Sky Hawks, two Piper PA 38 Tomahawks and one Aerospatiale “Tobago” TB10 the “Merc of the air” The Cessna 150 and 172 were high-wing monoplanes while the Piper and TB 10 low-wing. All had fixed tri-cycle undercarriages except for the TB10 which was fully retractable There were 2 areas allocated for light aircraft training, Area 1 from ground level to 3,500 Ft covering Choa Chu Kang, Upper Bukit Timah , Woodlands. And area 2 from 4,000 ft to 10,000 ft the area covered Sembawang.

The RSFC Club house

I would like to describe my very first training flight on the 8^th of May. It was for familiarization and we got into the Cessna 150 a 2-seater side-by-side arrangement and I occupied the left seat as Pilot under training (PUT). Alan as instructor took the right hand seat and we started from the parking apron, having obtained permission from Ground Control to start-up and taxi. We moved slowly to the holding point and waited. There was radio communication over between Alan as he switched over to the Control Tower. I could hear them on my headset and it was mumbo jumbo, I could not understand a single word. I was trying to figure it out what was said in this conversation using terms in radio phraseology, The next moment we were moving slowly turning right into the runway proper towards the sea end where the piano keys marking painted in quartering of black and white with the Runway number # 21. We made a “U” turn and positioned at the threshold, waiting in readiness. As soon as clearance obtained my instructor applied full power and the Cessna went charging down the runway, gathering momentum as it went. I felt a sudden jolt as the Cessna lifted off the ground went airborne. Felt that floating sensation as the plane climbed slowly gaining height.

RSFC hanger facility

Below and behind us the Control Tower seemed to have shrunk in size and faded away. Appearing before us the 3 Reservoirs of Pierce, Mc Ritchie and Mandai with their huge canopy of gigantic trees spread throughout quite an area like a green carpet. The steady drone of the Lycoming was assuring us that the engine was healthy and reliable. By the way Cessna aircraft is still manufactured in the United States of America and widely used the World over. By then we had switched over to Paya Lebar Control as we entered into Training Area 1. The area was so small and restrictive that you could not fly straight for a couple of minutes to realize you that you have crossed the boundary. Soon we were re-tracing our route back, Alan calling Paya Lebar control notifying that we were leaving the sector to Seletar for re-joining procedure. He then switched over to Seletar Tower informed our re-entry into the sector. Once overhead the base and permission granted, we began descending gradually to circuit height flying on a downwind leg that was parallel to the runway over the Sungei Seletar towards the Straits of Johore, keeping the Seletar Island to our left and aimed for the chimney stack ahead at Masai, Johore for a line ahead.

Once over the Straits we made a right bank descending into the base leg and another right bank to line-up with the Runway # 21 aiming for the piano keys. Reduced speed, nose down and descending. I found the runway rushing before us as we came lower and lower. And finally at a precise moment Alan flared the aircraft to touch down gently and rolled along some distance before vacating the runway. We taxing slowly to the parking apron in front of the club-house and stopped. Wow! what a hands-on experience, feeling through the motion of flying with your instructor. I got out of the aircraft with a big smile, from ear to ear and thanked Alan for that familiarization flight. It was smooth, enjoyable and enriching introduction.

During that time I was an assistant manager with the Singapore Soviet Shipping Company a joint venture between Dato Ng Quee Lam, a rubber magnate and the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. We were really busy as trade volume increased and so did the vessels. Not only were the vessels calling our Port for loading, discharging, taking fresh-water or replenishing supplies, they had chosen Singapore as a staging and repair base. The whaling fleet on the way to the seas off “Antartika” would stop at Singapore for replenishing before heading for happy hunting grounds. The mother-ships like the “Vostok” and the “Sovietskaya Rossiya” were huge floating factories and had some 400 crew each with more than half women. I guess that it would be safer for the men to lock their doors. The giant vessels were self-contained being equipped with hospital, theatre, gym and other supporting facilities. As usual the mother-ship would be accompanied by a fleet between 18 – 20 whale-catchers, small hunting vessels named “Kitabuoys”. Each vessel armed with a harpoon gun at the bow for shooting and killing of whales. Then the dead mammals were secured by the tail and towed to the mother-ship that had stern ramp where the whales were dragged up by winch to the main deck. On the deck there would be a reception party armed with long knives for cutting up and conveying down for canning the meat and other activities such as extraction of oil for cosmetics, the tooth removed for ornamental carving etc…

The Soviet fish factory ship “Vostok” at Eastern Anchorage

Kitabuoys (whale-catchers) at the Eastern Anchorage

Soviet luxury cruise liner “Maxim Gorki” at PSA wharf

The Soviet Fishing Fleet was the largest in the World with numerous ocean-going trawlers notably the “Atlantic” and the “Tropic” class of above 2,000 tons.. Besides that we had many cruise-ships like motor ships ”Khabarovsk” and “Felix Derjenskiy” that were plying South East Asia waters, Hong Kong and Australia. Also the non-combatant arm of the Soviet Navy came to Singapore for repairs mostly to Keppel shipyard. The auxiliary vessels, like the ice-breakers, hydrographic, cable-ships, oil-tankers, meteorological and marine biological research vessels. At its peak volume we had more that a 1,000 vessel per year and over 40,000 crew members visiting Singapore; one could only imagine how really busy we were. I was in the agency department with 4 boarding officers under our manager Jimmy and we handled vessels entering or leaving port. We prepare the pre-arrival procedure by sending notification to the Port and the Immigration Authorities for in-ward clearances. Arrange for pilot services for port entry, movements to requirement that means to anchorages or for berthing alongside wharf or shipyard. Some times Port Health was involved if the vessel was from effected ports. Other arrangements involved included bunkering, replenishing of stores, technical supplies, provision, crew salary and the supply of fresh water for drinking. Crew matters were another concern as we had to arrange them for shore leave for recreation purposes, medical treatment or a visit to their Embassy at Nasim Road for protocol sake.

It was not an office time a 9 to 5 job as vessels usually sailed after cargo operation and could happen at any time even graveyard hours. Holidays were unheard of we worked throughout the year. Everyday our vessels had movements either entering port or leaving or sea-trail. I remember one New Year I was called upon to attend a case where a female crewmember from a cruise-ship was found dead at the foot of the cable-car tower. She was said to have fallen from the building and I thought my colleague was pulling a joke on me but it was not.

Meantime the Police required the agent to follow-up with identification and other necessary preparation of postmortem with final repatriation back to country of origin. To sum it up,” time” was the essential factor and I had numerous problems trying to secure or juggle with time trying to slot in for my weekend flying. This was not an easy task as the saying goes, “the early bird catches the worm”. Usually by the time I could decide the best slot had been taken up and what was left did not meet expectation.

Meantime pressure from work had been demanding and at times I found that I could hardly concentrate when I did my flying. My progress had been depressing and I admit that I was a slow learner and at times did not shine. Only at the weekends that I could hope to arrange some flying when there was nothing on and this had not been encouraging. I could not maintain the consistency for flying and the gaps apart made matter worse. To add further complications there were changes of instructors and aircraft when I had to switch over to the Piper PA 38 a low-wing monoplane in October. I had been flying high-wing Cessna before the switch. This had a profound effect as it meant going back to square one.

The Piper PA 38 was a good-looking trainer with clean lines; a single engine low-wing monoplane with a distinctive “T” tail. The horizontal stabilizer mounted at the top of the fin helps to improve handling quality, smoother and quieter. It was powered by a Lycoming 4 cylinder 112 hp piston engine that gave a cruise speed of 108 knots. Seating arrangement was side-by-side with the pilot under training seated on the left seat and the instructor on the right. Access into the pod-style cabin can be made on either side port or starboard doors, The canopy provided an excellent all-round visibility, however when came to landing the low wing obstructed the look-down view of the runway. It had a fixed tri-cycle undercarriage with a front nose-wheel and 2 main wheels supported by robust spring struts. Between the years 1978 to 1982 the Piper aircraft factory had produced about just under 2,500 trainers.

Piper PA-38 Tomahawks

I had clock some 11 hours on the Tomahawk over a period of some months and quite enjoyed flying it. I would like to mention that the initial stalling practices were frightening affairs, as the instructor slowed down the aircraft to a stalling speed around 55 mph. You would notice when the airframe begins buffeting and pitching as precede to stalling. Immediately followed by activation of the stall warning horn “tee, tee, tee” then the nose dropped away and you plunged down. It literally meant falling out of the sky losing altitude of around 200 – 300 ft. It was scary enough and but we were taught recovery control by counting 1-2-3 and applying full power to gather the momentum and pull her up to level flight. The experience had my stomach churned up to my mouth and drained the blood off my face. It was terrifying but Colin my instructor remained calm and composed. I assumed that over the period of time he had mastered the art of self- preservation. It was no big deal to him but just another normal routine. I supposed he enjoyed it and maybe it was to test whether I would wet my pants.

Right opposite to our club and across the runway at the West Camp was based the Republic of Singapore Air Force No. 150 Squadron. They operated the Siai Marchette SF 260 trainers, very streamline and aerodynamic design. The Italian-built had similar features like ours single-engine low-wing monoplane but with a more powerful engine. It enjoyed a retractable undercarriage that of course reduced unnecessary drag. The immaculate white fuselage had a splash of red to brighten up the nose-cowling, wing-tip tanks and the tail-fin to denote a training role. It was a beautiful sight to see them take-off one after another and climbed to the skies. Proven to be a good cost-effective trainer as it had been used by several foreign Air Forces.

I would say that our flyboys were fortunate enough to have the “Marchette SF 260 as their basic trainers as it was a good choice of aircraft. It could do aerobatics and enjoyed a good climb rate.

It took me 3 long years to log only 20 hours flying time and still not ready for my solo having not build up enough confidence in myself. Finally aggravated by my financial situation that had become less encouraging as flying cost kept growing and other commitments kept demanding I had no alternate but to “throw in the towel and call quits” It was a sad and a painful decision and thus ended my general aviation flying in the year 1991.

My student pilot’s licence as issued in 1988 by CAAS.

By comparison between the Piper PA 38 Tomahawk and the Siai Marchette SF 260 we can see a clear advantage in the power-plant and performance enjoyed by the air force Marchette over the Tomahawk. On the other hand the Tomahawk is usually employed by the civilian counterpart in flying schools and clubs.

Piper PA-38                                                    Siai Marchette SF 260

Instrument panel PA 38                                 Instrument panel SF 260

Length: 23 ft 2 ins                                       Length: 23 ft o ins

Wing span: 34 ft                                          Wing span 27 ft 5 ins

Power plant: Lycoming 112 hp                    Powerplant: Lycoming 260 hp

Seating: 2 (Side-by-side)                             Seating: 2 (Side-by-side)

Cruise speed: 108 knots                              Cruise speed: 230 mph

Stall speed: 55 mph                                     Stall speed: 65 mph

Climb rate: 700 ft per min                          Climb rate: 1,880 ft per min

Max. Take-off weight: 1,670 lbs                  Max Take-off weight 2,430 lbs

Service ceiling: 12,000 ft                             Service ceiling: 21,235 ft

My other hobbies

My other hobbies

I owned a 30 footer half-cabin fishing boat type “Fisherman 30” built locally by a firm called “Chay Hai” at Loyang. It had storage-well at the centre within the compartmented hull where sea water is being circulated to keep the catch alive. Powered by a single “Johnson 150 hp” engine gave a speed around 20-25 knots. In case of engine failure or breakdowns, I had an auxiliary “Johnson 15 hp outboard engine as a standby. It was fully equipped with VHF radio communication, a small GPS satellite system by Sony and finally a ‘fish finder’ type called ‘hummingbird’. It has a carrying capacity for 12 passengers excluding the skipper. The safety appliances included 13 life-jackets for all persons supplemented with 3 life-buoys. Some pyrotechnics flares to be launched to attract attention during emergency day or night and hand-held pneumatic horn. I also carried an ‘ocean kayak’ for the purpose of ferrying to shore.

I was a natural sailor, supposed I inherit the genes from my father Hermanus, who was ship’s 2^nd Officer, he married my mother in July 1937 in Singapore. He rose to the rank of Captain; while working for a Dutch Shipping Company named “Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij” in short “KPM” with a Singapore office located at Collyer Quay. He was the son of Jeremias Pattiselanno/Martha Poetiray and born in Sapurua, Ambon in 1899. He sailed around the inter-islands of the Indonesian Archipelago and occasionally calling Singapore. At the outbreak of the Second World War all communication had broken down and severed.

After the war when shipping services were resumed; there was re-union but it was not rosy as my mother was very bitter about the war and considered abandonment on his part. To her we were left on our own to face the harsh times under the barbaric occupation of the Japanese army. They probably killed thousands of innocent people, nobody knows the exact numbers. My dad died at sea of heart attack I think around 1951, that is in his 50’s but fortunately his ship was approaching the Port of Pontianak and he was given a land burial in his native Indonesia.

The purposes of owning a boat was for recreational purpose, relaxation, for entertaining guests, friends, colleagues and relatives taking them cruising or fishing trips. Also as a community service for the church youth, altar boys, our neighbourhood group, family and relatives as a ‘getaway’ from the ‘hustle n bustle’ of the city life. We went fishing, cruising, diving expedition, picnics or even overnight camping at some islands usually at Pulau hantu (Ghost) or Pulau Dua (Sisater’s Island). Generally our Southern Islands are beautiful with white sandy beaches, fringe by tall casurinas or palm trees and lagoons.

Hermanus Father’s ship “Wakde” at Tanjong Priok

Wide scale land reclamation work had not only caused enlargement of many islands but also created new ones. It is incredible that in our little red dot, islands came to be out of nothing or nowhere. Reclamation works are done mainly by foreign expertise of the Dutch and Belgium firms from their past experiences and long acquired knowledge of land refill. They had many huge suction-dredgers involved in mining, extracting sand from the sea from neighbouring countries of Malaysia and Indonesia (off shore Karimon or Batam islands) Our dredgers are also involved in the reclamation work for the Changi Naval base, Jurong Island and Tuas extension projects.

Author’s locally built ‘Fisherman 30’

Dredgers like “Khersones”, “Gogland” working continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We were responsible to apply weekly advance clearance from Port Master and the Immigration Authority to ensure smooth operation. The dredgers would arrive fully loaded to an assigned spot and just dumped the sand to a designated “box” location electronically displayed in the vessel’s computer or in some cases to ‘rainbow’ that is to spray the sand by powerful jet nozzle over a selected spot. Time was the essential factor; it involved money and any slip-up, interruptions meant delays and loss of earnings. Our vessels are making twice or three trips per day depending on the distance. If we were dredging from Malaysia it would be only one trip but if from nearby Karimon Island which is just opposite Jurong; it could make 2-3 trips a day.

For our guests we had VIP’s our ship-owners or some high profile representatives from the Black Sea or the Far Eastern regions. They came either to attend important conferences or functions and also captains whose vessels were in the shipyards for repairs. We took them outing on week-ends and had the pleasure to show them around

our beautiful Southern Islands in a tropical setting where the trees remained evergreen throughout the year and the sea water always warm. Most of our larger islands are fully fitted out equipped with barbecue pits, shelters with changing-rooms, clean running water, modern sanitation facilities and proper landing jetty.

Dredger “Gogland” doing “rainbow” at Jurong.

Wreck diving is an interesting subject and most divers find it irresistible that generate lots of thrills and excitement. However it can be hazardous and thereby offers a challenging experience and the satisfaction that goes with it upon successful dive. It leaves behind a memorable impression to be treasured for a life time.

The wreck I am referring was the Indonesian coastal vessel named “Iran Sarmi” of steel construction with over-all length of 150 ft. She capsized and sunk during towage and lying up-side down at 55 ft. of water just off shore of the larger Sister’s Island (Pulau Subar Laut). I had dived at this wreck many times it was a diver’s favourite haunt. Normally on our arrival at this wreck we would drop anchor as close to the wreck as possible or send down a diver to attach a “short line” direct to the wreck. Then descend by the anchor or the shot line. Diving requires team work, usually you have a partner a “buddy” where you share responsibility in assuring each other safety. So in the event of being separated, the drill is ascend to the surface and wait for your partner; he is expected to do the same. The “buddy system” is fundamental to diving safety and strictly enforced by the leader usually the Dive Marshal. I remember descending slowly head-first down the shot-line, occasionally looking besides or behind for my buddy. We exchange hand-signals to confirm our state of well being. Water clarity plays an important part, if the visibility is good then the dive becomes less frightening as we can see at a comfortable distance and aware of any danger. Also the wreck becomes easily recognisible and exposing the possible danger of snags, cables, entangled fisherman’s nets etc…

Sister’s Islands (left larger Sister) Pulau Subar Laut

As a safety precaution every diver carries a knife as part of his/her equipment. The basic idea is to cut yourself free of any entanglement or at least you have something to defend yourself when encounter with dangerous marine species. We must be alert and exercise caution before entering a wreck because many dangers are present; of collapsing corroded steel decks, bulkheads, rotten or loose timbers, sharp edges, projection, twisted metals and so on. Wrecks close to the shore or shallow water are subjected to the natural course of action by the sea creating rough waves and strong underwater currents.

Author at the wreck Sister’s Island

After sinking the wreck was later left abandoned owing most probably to financial consideration that to salvage for scrape was commercially unfeasible. It laid at the sea-bed up-side down; with the portside leaning against the slope of the reef that raise up to the shallow. What remains of masts, funnel, winches, cables, ventilation shafts, all broken into pieces and strewn all over the sea-bed. And owing to a long passage of time, the red anti-fouling paint no longer recognizable as the entire hull became en-crusted by large colonies of marine shells, animals and plants. It soon became a sanctuary, a shelter for the marine population, a haven from other larger hungry predators. It can also pose a danger to careless divers as giant moray eels known to hide in the crevices of the wreck, just waiting for someone to stick out or stick in his/her hand. I had noted that important two items the propeller, the ship’s bell missing; obviously removed by somebody. In fact there was nothing else left worth lifting. All the souvenirs had long gone snapped up by souvenir hunters.

I also had the opportunity to dive with a team of Scientists from a Soviet Oceanography ship on an outing exploring the coral reefs. For observation they would mark off a ‘meter square area’ photograph it and make a detail study of all the animals or plants within. Later we arranged exchange visits with the scientists going to the National University of Singapore and our local scientists visiting the ship.

I had also done some commercial diving for ship-care services mainly hull-cleaning and some odd jobs like sealing stern-tubes, pneumatic underwater cutting, search of lost anchors, fallen items etc…

In June of 1994 I took my family on a holiday trip to Eastern Australia and was in Cairns. We joined the ‘Great Adventures’ cruise a large catamaran-type vessel that took us to the Great Barrier Reef. It came alongside a large floating platform anchored off Norman Reef; there I had a dive with group that had some Japanese tourist. The water was crystal clear, we could see the bottom as we begun to leave our submerged stairways of the platform. The coral reef was a maze of colours and full of marine life that got us excited everyone novice and regular divers alike. One particular fish that attracted us was a kind known as Napoleon Wrasse, an ugly looking fish with a bulging oversized forehead. It had a name, the locals called her “Wally” she was friendly and swam in between us without any fear at all. It appeared that she is the resident fish and has grown accustomed to visitors. I could stroke her forehead and found that it was slimy. Even ‘T’ shirts are printed advertising her fame with a caption “Have you seen Wally?”

At Norman Reef. Diving 1972

At Cairns I took time off from my tour and had the opportunity to ride in a World War II vintage trainer, the ‘Tiger Moth’ (DH82) a 2-place tandem-seating bi-plane. The registration YH BXF painted in silver with yellow stripes. I sat in front and the pilot behind as it is flown from the rear cockpit. A ground crew did a traditional hand start by swinging the propeller around hard. The antique Gipsy Major 1 engine of 130 hp burst into life; roaring loudly as the pilot opened the throttle. We taxied slowly to the take-off end of the runway and off we went racing down the runway until lift off. Below us the City of Cairns and we flew north towards the Barron River and near the forest and mountains of Kuranda. We turned to Trinity Bay for some aerobatics, loops but owing to the small underpowered Gipsy engine we had to climb to sufficient altitude and nose dive to achieve acceleration, to gather momentum and pull up into a loop. For a moment at the top of the loop, we were up-side down, practically hanging by our seat-straps. Then natural force of gravity pull us down and the pilot leveled to come out of the dive. It was exhilarating that kept your heart pounding madly.

Posing ‘Tiger Moth’ (DH82)

Two days later on the 9^th June, I went to Comera, to the Albatross Ultra-light Flying School and met Berrie Sigley. The location was just opposite of the Entertainment ‘Dream World’. Here I sat in an Australian-built ‘Drifter’ SB582 Series, a modified version with strut-brace, doing away with all the wires. It was also a 2-place tandem-seating arrangement. We had to wait for take off as there was some helicopter traffic shuttling to and from the ‘Dream World’. Finally we took off and headed for the east coast, the weather had been excellent with clear blue skies but piercing cold. Even in my leather jacket I was shivering. We landed at Stradbroke Island after carefully looking out for wild kangaroo that might stray into our landing path. After a short break we took off again and in the returned trip I enjoyed the beautiful scenic view of the river and the surroundings. The bungalow houses by the river with private jetty and boat ready to go out for fishing. I had all the imagination and dreams in that half-an-hour short round trip.

Sigley posing with his ‘Drifter’ at Stradbroke Island

Picnics and camping were our favourites with picnics as one daylight and camping an overnight affair. Anyway we would normally organized some cooked food like chicken curry, chilly-crabs, supplemented by fried noodles and fried rice for the Russians as they love it. Also include fresh seafood of prawns, cuttlefish, chicken wings, sausages for barbecue; all stored in Coleman containers. There would always be time in between a break for games or a dip in the cool waters of the lagoon.

For overnight island stay permission has to be obtained from Sentosa Development and this could be done by faxing the name-list of those going. However we had certain conditions to fulfill like having a standby-boat, equipped with radio communication and first-aid kit, in the event of an emergency. In case the need arises for immediately evacuation of the group and especially at night. For camping we normally provided 3 tents to house the group and traditionally a camp-fire kept going all night for merry making and sing along sessions. There are permanent shelters to put our cooking pots, utensils, our containers for frozen things, drinks etc… As for me I had no choice but to sleep in my boat to maintain that vital radio link in case of emergency.

One time we had our neighbourhood group with some young kids; for them it was for the first time that they have left the comforts of their homes and venturing outdoor. It would be a challenge, to be able to adapt to their new surroundings close to mother nature. That is to be in a small island away from the mainland under the canopy of tall trees next to sandy white beach and blue lagoons. What else would one ask for? The parents provided the assurances and are immediately available to response to their needs or to tuck them in for the night and then would join us at the camp fire for chit-chat until the wee hours of the morning. In the morning when the youngsters are awakened, breakfasts are prepared and they settled down happily around the table to eat up their food. Then it was followed by swimming or games. I was really glad to hear laughter coming from all around; that was my reward.

Children! Breakfast is served

Author with altar boys and Fr. William (extreme right)

On two or three occasions I did sailed out of port along the Straits of Singapore south bound into the South China Sea. Of course I had been duly cleared by the Port Master and obtained ‘Clearance’ for leaving port. One time I sailed to the Port of Pasir Gudang in a small Soviet-built hydrofoil boat for the opening ceremony as I was representing our company Singapore Soviet Shipping. It was officially inaugurated by the Sultan of Johore who had arrived in a grand motorcade with police outrider escorts.

Anyway we had many wonderful times with our boat, fishing or merely cruising around with friends or fellow colleagues until…Terrorism bursts into the international scene and had awakened many countries including Singapore. Overnight security concern had been the order of the day and had changed a lot of things from access into certain buildings to protection of major installations. Top priority went to oil storage and refineries on the mainland and the islands of Pulau Sebarok, Pulau Bukom and Jurong Island. It became ultra sensitive issues and declared ‘off limits’ with the military being assigned to protect such key installations. And so Maritime patrols being stepped up aggressively by the Navy and the Police Coast Guard.

I remember earlier news headlines in January 1974 when terrorists, 2 Japanese (Red Army) together with 2 Arab companions attempted to bomb the oil refinery at Pulau Bukom. However their plot was foiled and in trying to escape hijacked the ferry “Laju” holding 5 hostages. They were intercepted by our Marine Police and a navy gun-boat at the Eastern Anchorage and forced to anchor. Eventually after 8 days of negotiation with Government officials led by S.R. Nathan (now President), the hostages were released and the terrorists were offered safe passage in return. They were escorted out of Singapore flying to the destination of their choice Kuwait.

Ferry 'Laju'

‘A’ class Navy gun-boat guarding ‘Laju’.

Once we were happily cruising near Pulau Bukom when intercepted by a sleek looking dark blue hull with white superstructure ‘PT’ class patrol boat from the Police Coast Guard. It had siren blaring out loudly and the PA systems on the air challenging us to stop. We stopped alright and were soon boarded by a party for search and questioning.

The jetty at Pulau Hantu appears serene and peaceful.

We managed to convince them that we were making innocent passage. Nevertheless we were turned away to go where we did not intend to; a tiny un-inhabited, remote island furthest to the south called ‘Salu’ the only area that we could go. Even so this area is subjected to closure when our Air Force conduct their ‘live firing’ at the nearby Island of Pulau Pawai or the Navy hold full scale amphibious assault on the Island of Sudong. Once we ran aground on a sand bar around mid-night in the middle of a naval exercise with many assault landing craft buzzing pass us. The dark moonless night was filled with the roaring sound of the mighty diesel engines; it seems to be everywhere. A Naval Command vessel had their search light shone upon us and through the PA system ordered us to stay to the right side of the channel. But we were stuck and could not communicate; so we got out and walked around our boat to demonstrate that we are grounded. Obviously they could clearly see our situation, understood our message and left us alone. So in the end there is no play ground left; the earlier fun places that we used to roam happily are now all gone! It became history.

Mersing

 

 

Mersing located at the east coast is a beautiful place, a gateway for tourism to the island of Tioman and the neighbouring smaller islands. The main attraction is diving owing to crystal clear waters and beautiful coral reefs. The tropical islands with white sandy beaches with swaying palm trees gave the assurance of an idealistic environment away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

A historical event occurred at North of Tioman just off Kuantan during the Second World War, two British capital warships were attacked and sunk by Japanese bombers flying from Saigon. The date was 10^th December 1941 three days after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbour. The target the new 729 ft battleship HMS Prince of Wales of 35,000 tons launched only in April and the 794 ft older battle-cruiser HMS Repulse of 32,000 tons built in 1916 and re-modernized between the years 1936-1939. The two giants were caught without friendly air cover and sent to the bottom of the sea with heavy loss of lives. In that battle the Japanese had proven Billy Mitchell’s theory that battleships could be bombed from the air and that air power could dominate sea power. Consequently the Allied Naval supremacy disintegrated and the Imperial Japanese Navy became Masters of the sea. Till this day the watery grave is being preserved by the British Royal Navy as a war memorial and marked by a white ensign attached to a buoy fluttering beneath the waves.

When we were booted out of Desaru on the 4^th December 1997 I flew my Challenger II alone to Mersing. I remember that evening having been cleared, took off at 1705 hours and climbed to 1,000 ft, trekking the coastline heading north. After passing the area of Kampong Sedili Besar I encountered low lying clouds and obtained permission to climb to 2,000 ft. When above the clouds I had that strange feeling with the whitish fluffy cumulus vapors suspending below me and all around over a large area. It was an amazing sight as I was trying to gage, to understand, appreciate nature and grasps the magnitude of God’s Creation. The clouds obstructed my view below and for a moment I had no idea of my exact positioning. I just had to rely on my compass bearing and my watch for timing. After some time I observed an opening in the clouds so I penetrated through and found to my relief the coastline directly below.

I identified a fishing village of Tanjong Leman with Pulau Sibu to my right and was happy to know that I was dead on track. Soon I had welcome view of the grassy airfield of Mersing in sight with a solitary open-sided shelter as a waiting hall. I wanted to land immediately so reduced power to descend and lining up with the runway #33 I crossed the mouth of the river, cleared the perimeter fence and touched down smoothly. The trip had taken one hour and forty minutes landing before the sunset. I look forward to our new “home” and hope that our stay would be a happy and a longer one. I could see that the airfield was in excellent condition and properly maintained. The grass being trimmed, with perimeter markings laid out accordingly and all around fencing to prevent intrusion by wild animals.

Airfield specification:

Name: Mersing

Identifier: Whisky Mike Alfa Uniform (WMAU)

Location: Latitude 02 23 00 North

Longtitude 103 52 00 East

Runway heading: 15/33

Length: 500 m

Width 30 m

Surface: grassy

Status: un-control

Navigation Aids: VOR station next to the airfield, north side.

Yes there were wild animals with occasional appearances some wild boars roaming in groups, huge iguanas the local monitor lizards, snakes and variety of monkeys. The monkeys were abundant, daring, mischievous and a damned nuisance; actually they are a pain in the butt. Our building was next to the fringe of the forested belt that ran a long way south parallel to the coast. We were the only frontier outpost therefore quite exposed and obviously became the subject or the object of their curiosity. I believed when nobody was around they came in to scout around.

One incident Capt. Chung and I could not forget when one morning we were preparing breakfast. We had to toast our bread inside and brought it out to the veranda. The Captain had just bought a jug of honey and laid it on the table. We went inside to toast some more bread and when we came back to the veranda we were shocked everything had vanished. The table cleared by the marauding monkeys, they took everything and retreated back to the trees. I could see Captain’s face flushed with anger cursing the intruders with obscene language even though he knew they could not understand. I had never seen him in such a rage; it was an act of war and we promised retaliation with vengeance. That afternoon we went to Mersing Town to shop for armament. I bought a catapult, an improved version with gun-type handgrip and with a foresight. It would be my answer to the problem and began training earnestly thus improving my shooting skills considerably. For ammunition the stones pebbles were plentiful with endless supply from the nearby beach.

From the veranda we imposed an arch of our “exclusion zone” ranging within the slingshot distance and extended further to cover our store and the hanger areas at the back. Our strong-arm tactics acted as a deterrent to any intruders and any primate found within would be shot without any questions asked. It was time for action to enforce our territorial boundary. The shooting war had begun and our message was simple and clear “No more monkey business allowed”. We had some successes I once shot down a monkey within the exclusion zone. It fell directly into the pond but managed to swim out and made it’s desperate escape into the bush.

The veranda with the squirrel’s tree on the left

We had a tree next to the veranda and we made a wooden platform wedged in between the two trunks as a dining mount for the squirrels. In the morning we would leave some pieces of bread for them. In the beginning they would only come down after we stayed clear. Later on they had been accustomed to the routine and could sense that we meant no harm. They became more daring and finally ended up eating from the palm of our hands. However we had to be present for the distribution of food otherwise in our absent the monkey came down and took control. They were a selfish lot and took everything for themselves, no such thing as sharing not in their thinking.

One day a big male wild boar with menacing tusks paid a courtesy call appearing at our main gate and waited to be ushered in. It stood there for some time I supposed summing up the situation before it decided to walk away leisurely. We had two dogs named Browny and Blacky; we thought they would challenge the intruder but obviously they were so frightened that they had retreated with their tails between their legs into hiding.

Another incident a huge iguana took sweet time crossing the airfield when spotted by one of our Malay carpenters. He joking pointed out to us saying “buaya” meaning crocodile owing to the huge size as it struggled on slowly on it’s four legs and dragging it’s long tail. When cornered it would emit a sort of a hissing sound in a defensive mode as a warning to stay clear.

Joseph Cave a New Zealander pilots the crop-duster based at the airfield. The sleek aircraft had a powerful turbo-prop engine and could carry about 2 tons of fertilizer.

The type model “Cresco” with New Zealand registration number Zulu Kilo dash Lima Tango Quebec. He told me that his fuel consumption around 200 liters per hour; Wow! what a guzzler. His daily routine was to fly to work in the morning and return at the end of the day. He was spraying the Felda oil palm plantations all over the country. A familiar sight as he appears overhead on his return and dive in for the landing with ease. When I saw him I would remarked “Ah the Spitfire is back” At times when he found the monkeys sitting on the fence, he would position his aircraft with the back towards them and blew them off the fence. We had influenced him into partnership in our war against the apes.

Joe starting up his “Cresco”crop-duster

One day he took me with him, we lifted off from threshold # 33 and shot into the sky over the airfield. As it attained sufficient height he did a wingover and dived towards the sea. There was a lone fisherman in his native sampan just off shore and we decided to surprise him. So Dave flew his aircraft very low; we were more to the sea along the coastline and well below tree top level. The fisherman must have got a shock of his life to suddenly see an aircraft heading directly for him. We flew over him and continued on and before us the hill right ahead seemed to grow larger and larger in frightening proportion. He kept on and I had almost frozen with fear when he held the stick back and the aircraft zoomed up vertically and did a right wingover. I saw that sinister smile on his face revealing that he had intended to have me wet my pants. We returned to base and he landed as usual with great ease. In a return gesture I offered to take him up in my “Challenger II” he declined I supposed he did not trust me. To him my micro-light was a toy plane, too flimsy to warrant a risk.

Occasionally we would have visitors dropping by like Gautier in his red Piper Tri-pacer, Marcus in his Robin aerobatic aircraft, Piper Warriors from Singapore Youth Flying Club or Eagle from Melaka. Marcus usually on his departure would oblige us with some aerobatic performances as a farewell gesture. We were really impressed with his loops and rolls.

On the 11^th October I took off at 1540 hours for my test flight when I flew Capt. Osman in my “Challenger II”. That day had been rather windy and a lot of turbulence from inland owing to hills nearby and so I took my aircraft out to sea. There at least the wind was constant and we went through a series of maneuvers, climbs, turns, figure of 8 etc…

We flew for half-an-hour before he decided to return to base and later told that I had passed my test for the category of aircraft type and for Assistant Flying Instructor. It had been a rewarding day for me. By then our Micro-light Pilot Licence (blue card) has been scrapped and replaced by Internationally recognised Malaysian Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL)

At Mersing we operated two locally made replica of the Mx II Sports from Seremban, a Buckeye powered parachute that is a powered buggy with a parachute and my faithful Challenger II. Our normal daily routine was to take off in the morning and fly to northwards to Mersing Town and back. Sometimes we flew south halfway towards Tanjong Leman. The scenery was fantastic the white sandy beaches all along the coastline double up as a natural improvise emergency landing ground. It was wide enough especially at low tide and hard enough to take our micro-light. We had observed the Malaysian army driving their 3-tonner trucks along the beach; a clear indication of feasibility for our micro-light. Occasionally we would make practice run to simulate force landing to boost up confidence.

The Kampong Seri Pantai is located near the airfield and the locals were really friendly and helpful. In fact we got our carpenters from there to renovate the open shelter to include office, classroom, veranda, living quarters and a hanger at the airfield. We were flying for Gucharan Singh under Flyright Air Sports. The boss and his wife lived in a rented bungalow at nearby. A little further some Malay entrepreneurs operated the resorts where we recommended our students to put up for their weekend stay. One such example was the J Boat and Fishing Resort operated by Ghazali. His setup was conducive, blending into the kampong environment with clusters of wooden houses built down the

slope to the beach. An impressive main dining hall stood at the lower base and a small swimming pool for the guests to cool down. Usually on our return trip we would “buzz over” the resort to draw attention. The children would respond by coming out to cheer and wave their hands wildly.

In the 22^nd May 1998 I probably made history when I flew my Challenger II micro-light to the three nearby off shore islands of Pulau Besar, Tengah and Kechil. I had arranged Capt. Chung to provide escort in the rescue boat and keep an eye on me in my attempt. If he did not see a speck in the sky he was to rush immediately to the spot as I might end up swimming. I took off at 0820 hours and flew across the stretch of water to Pulau Kechil first, then to Tengah and finally to Pulau Besar. The islands were really beautiful with white sandy beaches, swaying palms and crystal clear waters. At the pier some people was scuba diving and some snorkeling. Those at the chalet came out to wave at me as I flew very low at tree top level. What more can you expect and it was so tempting that I wished I could join them. I returned after an hour ten minutes flight, it had been a very good experience and built up confidence. I hope that I can fly to Pulau Tioman some day.

Then two days later we took off in the morning intending to fly to Ayer Papan further north of Mersing. The Buckeye powered parachute took off first, followed by Singh in the Mx II then Capt. Chung in another Mx II; my Challenger II last. The weather did not look good and as we were approaching Mersing Town, I noticed that dark clouds rapidly building up inland and heading our direction. That was a tell tale indication of an impending storm. Capt. Chung who was ahead of me suddenly turn around and heading

back to base. I immediately followed suit and was trailing right behind him at full power. The earlier two were way ahead and we were sure that they would be caught in the storm. We landed just in time before the rain poured down.

Later we got a call from boss that he had crash-landed north of Mersing Town at a place called Tengulu Laut. The axle had broken and that we were to bring a replacement.

As for the Buckeye powered parachute it had landed safely at a vacant land further north.

We collected our tools, the spare axle and proceeded to Tengulu Laut by car. Arriving there we found the Mx II at the beach with the said damaged. After working a while we managed to make good the repairs and boss was able to take off for the return trip.

The 9^th & 10^th June I took my son Ian up for training flight for over an hour doing the straight & level and turns exercises. I tried to instill interest upon him but he did not appear too keen and I did not want to push him. It had turned out that he was more interested in “motor cross” as at that time he was riding a KTM scrambler; an off-road bike. Once he had a go at the track of the “Camel Adventure” an off road dirt track for the 4-wheel drive vehicles at Desaru.

At Mersing, Ian posing in the cockpit my ‘Challenger II’

I myself have a strong passion for motorcycles but only for road bikes. I bought my first bike “Triumph Tiger Cub” 200cc in 1959. And I nervously rode it home avoiding the main roads, taking side roads and small lanes to reach home safely.

My earlier bikes were English-made such as Norton, Triumph and BSA but later choices were Japanese-made Suzuki and Honda. I had several changes I think about seven and the considered most powerful at that time was Norton Dominator 99 (650cc). It was great you could feel the acceleration as you open up the throttle. However my favourite bike was the Suzuki GSX-400R racer and sometimes gone overboard making the highway a speedway.

Ian with his scrambler Author’s Suzuki

And believe it or not, one night I nearly hit a wild boar that ran across the highway; it flashed passed my high beam and was a near miss. It was a hair-raising shocking experience as I had never expected it. The farthest road journey I had made was to the Malayan/Thai border town of Padang Besar and it was in 1974 on a Lambretta scooter; it took 2 days.

Now back to flying on the 17^th August I took up my wife Josephine and flew coastal to show her the scenic view of the area. The weather had been calm, therefore the flight was smooth and I tried to convince her that it was safe. She was not impressed as her idea of flying is in a wide body aircraft with comfortable reclining seat and a stewardess to serve you. Not in a cramped narrow cockpit of a flimsy micro-light where one had to squeeze into.

Visiting aircraft an ‘Eagle and a ‘Robin’

A visiting Piper Warrior from Singapore Youth Flying Club

On the 6^th September another accident as boss was taking a student up by the name of Than Myint, a Burmese national working with the Singapore Polytechnic. They had taken off from the Runway #15 and climbing when suddenly the engine went dead. The locally made Mx II with poor gliding quality ploughed into the ground at the other end of the runway. It beat up a cloud of dust so much so that Alvin, Than Myint’s wife and myself were really shocked. And as the dust settled down the two figures were seen suspended motionless by their harnesses. The Mx II was upright in a vertical position with the tail end bend inward like a scorpion. We thought the worse had happened and rushed immediately to the scene. However as we got nearer we were relief when we saw movements. We helped to disconnect the harness to free the both of them. Luckily for them not much for physical injuries as they suffered only minor cuts and bruises. I would say moral and psychological injury especially for the pilot. Anyway it was a very fortunate day for the two to be alive.

By early November business had been very bad as there were no new intake of students. The husband and wife team responsible for marketing failed miserably in their job. Finally Singh told us that they had no more money to continue and had to terminate our services. I believed that Capt. Chung did collect his salary and returned to Klang his home town. There was no money for me and I saw no point hanging around without salary and nothing to do. I then decided to return to Singapore and get a permanent job back to the Marine Industry.

First thing to do was to fly my plane back to Batu Pahat where I still had a hanger so on the 11^th November I prepared to leave. At about 0730 hours I took off from Mersing,

Singh and his wife were there to send me off. I circled overhead for one last time to bid farewell and headed inland. I flew across a part of dense jungle, giant trees towering high with huge green foliage spread at the top. The whole area was green except for pockets of small villages or kampongs.

I spotted the Kluang Road and flew FIR (not on instrument) I Follow Road as a safety precaution because on either side of the road there land was flat for farming. In case of an emergency at least I would have a spot for landing. There is a Military base with airfield at Kluang but I was informed that they were not flying that day and that I had free passage through.

I read that during the Second World War the British had Brewster Buffaloes fighters stationed at Kluang. However the lumbering Buffaloes were no match for the invading Japanese Ki-43 Hayabusa fighters and they were literally shot out of the skies. However by late January 1942 a batch of Hawker Hurricanes were flown from the British carrier HMS “Indomitable” off Sumatra. They flew to Palembang to join the fray but they were “too little and too late” to change the course of the conflict. The Japanese by then had over-run the whole of the Malay Peninsular and were poised at Johore, right at the doorstep of Singapore. From there the northern areas of Singapore came within the deadly range of Japanese gun fire.

I crossed the North South Highway near Ayer Itam and headed for the west coast as I could see from that distance. On passing Senggerang area, the coast of Tanjong Laboh appeared in sight. And upon arrival I as usual circled overhead to announce my presence before coming in for landing. I landed at 1015 hours and slowly taxied to Mr.Tay’s hanger where he was with some pilots. I got up to join them and Mr Tay reported to Johore Control of my safe arrival. My trip had taken two hours and forty-five minutes one of the longest duration; it was a tiring one especially in that cramped cockpit.

I returned to Singapore to borrow money for hiring a lorry for transferring my possessions, furniture and rescue boat back to Batu Pahat. I returned to Mersing on a weekday and no one was around so I hired a lorry loaded my furniture, equipment, belongings, rescue boat and left for Batu Pahat. As a courtesy I left a note stating what I have collected. Days later I got a nasty call from Singh, he was upset and agitated by what I did. He had apparently brought a guest to Mersing and upon entering found the sitting room empty. I supposed he was in shock on discovering the unpleasant surprise and of course utterly embarrassed. He was in a rage when he called me on the phone and lashed out his anger. Meantime I found his backlash as un-warranted, un-reasonable, ridiculous and insulting as I had taken what rightfully belongs to me. I wrote my complaint to Capt. Siva and also to DCA appealing for help to recover my financial loss by way of two and half months salary owed, flying helmets sold to him and part of extension costs for the living quarters that he had promised to reimburse; total near ten thousand Malaysian currency. Nothing happened and it was obvious to me that the authority does not involve in private arrangements. That was my second bad experience I had encountered dealing with fellow aviators.

Fly North to Kangar

 

 

A cloud of excitement descended upon us at Batu Pahat when we were invited by Tengku Aznam to participate in the “Karnival Udara Micro-light Perlis’95. The annual function was organized by the State of Perlis with the co-operation of Pens Enterprise Sdn Bhd at Kangar. Perlis is the northern most Malay State sharing a common border with Southern Thailand and entry into the Kingdom could be made at the border town of Padang Besar. The air Carnival was to be held from the 29^th April till the 3^rd May was a significant occasion that demanded a purpose for a big celebration. The first micro-light school was founded there and the set-up consisted of a clubhouse, a large hanger and a dormitory for stay-in students. The main trainers were open-cockpit two-place and single place Quick Silver Mx’s and an advance GT 500.

Unlike previous participation of trucking up our micro-light, this time we were to fly all the way. A feat never been attempted before and it would literary propel us into the history as being the first to have done it. Tay was our air boss in Batu Pahat and obviously the heavy burden felt upon him to get things organized. Wow! what an opportunity presented before us to be able to demonstrate the results of our training and airmanship in taking up the challenge. We traveled with Tay on that sacred mission of selecting the most suitable landing spots along the way from Batu Pahat to Sungei Batu Pahat,Kangar a distance of about 660 km. And came up with the following landing spots:-

(1) Melaka . (Airport identifier: MC)

(2) Port Dickson

(3) Klang (Padang Maran)

(4) Jendarata (WMAJ)

(5) Pantai Remis

(6) Taiping (WMBI)

(7) Sugei Patani

(8) Alor Setar (WMKA)

(9) Kangar.

Sketch map of West Malaysia

Malaysia’s giant state oil company Petronas would sponsor the fuel for the whole round trip from Batu Pahat and allocate the supplies to all designated landing places at our request. In the meantime we selected 3 main pilots and 4 co-pilots that would rotate on certain sectors to fly the 3 aircraft as listed below:

1. Tay Teng Sin pilot

2. Capt. Chung Cheng Chuan pilot

3. Manfred Lurie pilot

4. Anuar bin Selamat co-pilot

5. Chow Hong co-pilot

6. Hamzah bin Ehwan co-pilot

7. Pattiselanno David Jermias co-pilot

For back-up we had a van for ground support that carried our spares, tools, extra fuel and

food also double-up as our “ Search & Rescue” with radio communication links.

We started to seriously practice short take-off and landing to prepare us for any emergency. The practice included simulated force landing in case engine failure. Many enduring hours were spent in our cramped cockpit in order to get a accustomed to the discomfort of long distance flight. We intensified training as the days grew nearer to build up enough confidence and to sharpen our skills.

Micro-light at Tanjong Laboh, Batu Pahat

Challenger II (2-place micro-light aircraft) at Tg. Laboh

We had the largest collection of micro-light aircraft in the whole of Malaysia around 14

in numbers made up of :-

3 Quick Silver model Mx II’s, dual side-by-side open cockpit.

1 Quick Silver Mx, single-seat open cockpit

1 Quick Silver GT 500, dual tandem seating with enclosed cockpit

2 Aerodyne Vectors, single-seat open cockpit with “Butterfly” tail.

1 Rally, single-seat open cockpit

1 Golden Circle Tiara, dual side-by-side with enclosed cockpit.

2 Quad City Challenger II (Clip-wings and Standard) dual tandem with enclosed cockpit.

1 Sky Walker, dual tandem seating, open cockpit (German design)

2 Polaris trikes, flexi-wings dual tandem seating, open cockpit.

In our planning for the selection of suitable micro-light for the “Karnival” participation we came up with 3 aircraft, having taken into consideration long range capability and

reliability. The other micro-light especially the Mx’s did not have the range nor the speed. The aircraft of our choice and the main pilots were :-

Microlight aircraft Pilots

1. Quick Silver GT 500 Tay Teng Sin

1. Quad City Challenger II Standard Capt. Chung Cheng Chuan
2. Polaris trike. Manfred Lori (Monty)

Monty with his Polaris Trike

The final week before schedule flight kept us really busy checking our aircraft over and

over again. Scrutinizing for loose bolts or nuts, dented frame, torn fabric and many

items connected with safety. In aviation there is no comprise any fault however minor

had to be remedied to ensure the airworthiness of the aircraft is maintained or retained.

We were worried over our flying helmets which we had ordered from the States had

been delayed. Finally it arrived Singapore at the eleven hour, on the eve of our proposed

departure and there was a mad rush to grabbed them. By nightfall we were all back at Batu Pahat and fired up with excitement that kept us awaken with in-depth discussion on what laid ahead. However we looked forward to the great event with enthusiasm. Capt. Chung with all his experience would pilot the Challenger and I as a green horn would sit in as his co-pilot. He was the boss and I the slave and had to work the controls when he

Briefing (FromLeft): Author, Monty, Hamzah, Tay, Rick and Michael

decided to “hands off” and relax. Anyway it was a wonderful experience and a privilege for those chosen to participate. Looking back we were the most fortunate ones.

In the initial planning stage we were told that the event would be held with pomp and

pageantry, a minister would officiate the occasion by flagging us off. The local Press

will be present to provide news coverage. A helicopter will be assigned for an aerial escort. In our pre-flight briefing we were told that on the approach to Port Dickson we will find a distinctive landmark of 3 very tall chimney stacks, like fingers pointing up to the skies. And a tiny improvised airstrip should be located just before that. There our fuel in 44 gallons drums are stored in the hanger and a guy by the name of Maniam would be

expecting us. That 3 Quick Silver Mx II will join us to Kangar, our spirit shot up to a

higher level with such encouraging and welcoming news.

Day 1 (25^th April l995) We woke up early in the morning and rushed to the airfield. Hurriedly opened the hanger doors and pushed out the Challenger II. Then followed by an aviation ritual ceremoniously carried out in what is known as a “Pre-flight check”. A thorough inspection of the aircraft to ensure that it was safe before taking her up. There were a couple of guys probably from the local Press but no sign of the Minister or the helicopter. I supposed it was too early as the sun had just begun to rise above the horizon.

Capt. Chung got into the front seat and I settled down in the back seat. He started the

engine and we taxied slowly to take our place in a queue. Monty in his “Polaris” Trike was No:1 position and Tay in his “ GT 500” was No: 2 , followed by us No: 3 in our long wings “Challenger II”. The active runway was # 15 and we watched in silent as Monty took off and climbed, followed immediately by Tay in his GT 500. We were next coming up into position at the threshold and paused for a moment to ensure runway was clear. Then Capt. Chung pushed the throttle forward to full power and the Challenger shot forward racing down the runway before lift off. We climbed to gain height and a 180 degrees turn took us over the airfield and waved at the small miserable group of well-

wishers. We headed north to compass reading 305 degrees, climbing gradually to 2000 ft, the morning air was cool and refreshing. We had a panoramic view of the surrounding two hills of Batu Pahat with low lying mist, the greenery to our right and the blue sea of the Straits of Melaka to our left. And below us laid vast plantation of coconut, oil palm, banana and durian and other fruit orchid.

We trekked coastal following the irrigation bunds that stretched all the way north to

beyond Melaka. However we regarded it as an emergency option if we were forced to

land. By then we had passed Sungei Ayam a tiny fishing village by the coast and soon we were over Minyak Baku where we observed the lighthouse on our left. We crossed the mouth of Batu Pahat River we headed for Serang Buaya. Except places punctured by tiny villages and small towns along the coast, the vast interior appeared as a huge green carpet stretching out as far as our eyes could see. We enjoyed the bird’s eye view and it was beautiful especially we were bless with exceptionally good weather with only mild crosswinds near Muar town. What else can we wish for ?.

At about that time our radio communication had failed as our VHF set type Icom 21 had

malfunctioned. Fortunately Tay was just ahead of us as flight leader and we decided to

follow in close formation. When overhead the tiny off shore island of Pulau Besar we noted that the GT 500 turned inland for Melaka Airport and we followed suit. In the approached the part of the town appeared below us with the distinctive green-roof of the mosque called Masjid Al-Azim Moments later we were over the padi fields before sighting the airport. We kept close to the left and slightly higher to avoid the propeller wash from the GT. We were in close formation to the GT which descended gracefully to a perfect touch down. Simultaneously followed by us and rolled out a short distance before turning right vacating the main runway. We slowly taxied into a vacant parking bay. Having shut down the engine we came out of our cramped cockpit with a big smile. At the same time we were on a look-out for Monty but unfortunately there were no sign of him. That sector flying time was 1 hour 15 minutes. We paid courtesy call to the Control Tower and were greeted with warmness from the air traffic controllers. At same time were astonished probably their first encounter in guiding 2 tiny fries safely in. It was the opposite of their usual business of ushering the big wings, extreme noisy jet monsters.

We then adjourned to the warong (A local Malay foodstall) opposite the airport for our

hearty breakfast of roti chennai. There was ample time for chit-chat as we waited for

our back-up party for refueling of our aircraft. Meantime we replaced a battery for our radio and it worked again much to our relief. The next sector was to Port Dickson and found us flying low to avoid the clouds We had problems with the weather as it was not good and the going was rather rough being tossed about in the turbulence. However as we approached Port Dickson the bad weather had subsided and we could see the town from quite a distance. We flew along the beautiful coastal strip of white sand fringed with casurina or palm trees, with many beach resorts, chalet and golf courses. In no time the 3 chimneys landmark received our attention and we focused in locating the airstrip.

As usual the GT 500 had spotted and went for landing. We had noticed a trike by the hanger so it must be Monty so we circled awaiting our turn. The airstrip was not up to our expectation, just a run-down laterite runway without proper markings and the approach from inland over the casurina trees gave me the creeps. Capt. Chung made a few attempts and each time he came in between the trees with the wingtips almost brushing the branches. It was scary enough and felt my heart throbbing hard and fast. Monty was already there, watching us sweating it out.

The Swiss cheese later gave an account of his trip from Batu Pahat.“25^th April Wednesday 0520 hours, He had prepared and ready after pre-flight checks at approximately 0630 hrs. He had warmed-up his engine and was looking for enough

daylight to see his instruments and runway to take-off. The moment arrived at 0645 hrs

and he took off (Micro-light are limited to day flying only). It was a beautiful morning,

the skies was clear and mist hovering mother-earth. A little tail-wind assisted him much to his delight. En-route flew along the scenic coastline of West Malaysia and heading in the general direction of Port Dickson. He had never flown a micro-light for such a long distance at the most, he estimated that he had flown some 60 km. And not mentioning the 600 over km awaiting for him over the horizon. One other thought that entered his mind was that he was flying solo. Unlike the other pilots who could communicate each other and the ground. So obviously he was flying without radio and therefore could not communicate. He recollected that his sessions at the karaoke lounge came handy and engaged in his off-tune singing. By the way who cares as nobody was listening.

At 0905 hrs he arrived at Port Dickson and as was told in earlier briefing to look the Club-house aircraft, a wind-sock and an Indian guy. However none of the above was present .“Oh! Did I land on the wrong spot ?” he wondered. Slowly and cautiously he taxied to what he figured out as the hanger. “Oh! Yes I am in the right place” was his remarks. The wooden hanger was full of micro-light but there was nobody and the fuel presumed locked inside. There was nothing of the 3 wonderful machines that were mentioned. The place was totally deserted and there was no indication of any preparation. Apparently the whole chain of screw-ups begun to surface that had trotted down his spirit.”

At 1100 hrs he watched us overhead, circling and attempting to land on that piece

improvised runway. He broke the bad news to us after we landed that made us sad and in despair. We immediately sent our back-up to purchase fuel to ensure that we continue onwards. Eventually Maniam did turn up and notified us that the 3 micro-light that were supposed to participate had been cancelled. he further delays from FIS Kuala Lumpur pending clearance and finally at 1400 hrs we left Port Dickson for Port Klang. At some distance ahead in the approach to Klang we noted that a large formation of dark clouds hung over the town. It was threatening and we accelerated hoping to beat the weather. When arrived it had begun to drizzle but with our enclosed cockpit we were not too concerned.

On our down-wind leg we noticed the GT 500 landing on to the public car-park at the place called “Padang Maran”. We followed as No.2 in a descending left bank into base-leg, another left into Finals and aligned the landing path. Capt. Chung reduced power,

descending gradually just clearing the fence and to touch down at the car-park. As the bitumen surface was wet and slippery owing to the drizzle, the rolling seems endless. The rows of trees on either side flashed past then at a point when danger appeared eminent, Capt. Chung swerved to avoid but went over a hump that snapped the nose-wheel. For once we found ourselves nearer to ground and got out without any effort.

We learned that the GT 500 had been seriously damaged in the accident and unable to

continue. At about that time Monty appeared overhead and we tried to warn him by sign language to avoid the car-park and land at an adjacent football field. Somehow had figured it out and landed at the field safely in one piece; much to our delight. We immediately set to work on the Challenger dismantling the damaged fork, replaced with a spare one that took roughly over an hour and completed before sunset. We secured the aircraft by proper tie-down and partially covered the engine in case rain. That night Anuar and myself decided to turn into “human dobberman” to guard our Precious machine while the rest put up at Capt. Chung’s house. Throughout the night we did not sleep we were being attacked by countless mosquitoes diving from all angles and pressing home their sacred mission. We were of course inside our van but it was uncomfortable. When we did rolled up the wind-screen it became too humid and when we did the reversed the mosquitoes had the advantage . It was a nightmare and we became sacrificial victims of the tiny vampires. Thus ended miserably marred by the

misfortune of Day 1.

Day 2 ( 26^th April) Anuar and I had not slept at all, we spent the whole night warding

off attacks by hordes of mosquitoes. Fortunately I was not schedule to fly but Anuar was

on and eagerly sat in with Capt. Chung for the next sector that was to Jendarata. According to them the flight was very pleasant as the weather was superb they landed safely at United Plantation airstrip at 0915 hrs and taxied to the hanger where the company’s Cessna 206 was parked. The estate manager Mr. Loh came up shortly to welcome us and made us really felt at home.

While relaxing on the grass under the shelter of Challenger’s wing we heard the sound of a chopper approaching our direction. In no time it was hovering over our airstrip, obviously looking for something. The chopper was a Westland “Wasp” from the Royal Malaysian Navy and it did not occur to us at that time that they was searching for us as we forgot to inform FIS (Flight Information Service) of our safe arrival Jenderata. For that I am sure our air boss got his ears blown off by the angry FIS.

In the meantime the weather had not been kind to us. It was windy and dark cloud formation appeared threatening. We had to wait in hope that the weather would change for the better. And surprising it did improved and so we decided to fly half way to Sitiawan instead owing to constrain of time. Chow Hong was the co-pilot as it was his turn to fly with Capt. Chung and they immediately took off. I rode with the back-up team in the van and we made off to Lumut, the home port of the Royal Malaysian Navy. On the way we found a push-cart stall selling a local delicacy called “chendol”. It was somewhat different from what we are used to in Singapore, They had added glutinous rice with giant red beans and it was really appetizing and really delicious. Most of us had second or third helping, sat by the roadside and just ate away without the feeling of embarrassment. Then continued on to Sitiawan where we found the grass airstrip close to town. The wooden airport building was sadly in the state of neglect, however the grass had been cut and the whole airstrip area fenced. Sitiawan is the town where the notorious Chin Peng the Secretary General of the Malayan Communist Party was born and grew up there. When the Japanese invaded Malaya he absconded into the jungle and joined the Malayan People Anti-Japanese Army. They helped the Force 136 but after liberation the MCP was outlawed by the British. So they retreated to the jungle and took up arms again.

Relaxing under the wing of the Challenger II

We waited anxiously and at 1810 hrs we heard the familiar sound the Rotax engine from

a speck in the sky. On approaching nearer we could make out the outline form of the

Challenger in it’s blue and white colour scheme. It circled overhead before descending

and came in for a perfect touch-down. Capt. Chung taxied slowly to the building where

we had all gathered. Tay suggested that since the weather still favourable we should fly to the next destination Pantai Remis. For that sector I hopped in the back seat with Capt. Chung and we took off at 1830 hrs as we had the advantage of fine weather, no wind and a clear blue sky.

The scenery before us was that of a huge green carpet, the only difference was that at some places it appeared lighter or darker. I think that was due to shadow from the over cast of clouds. We kept looking for clearing or built up area but negative, when I overheard over my headset someone asking for our location and Capt. Chung answered

“airport in sight”. I was shock as I did not see anything but a sea of trees all over the place as far as the horizon. Suddenly at a distance ahead of us I caught the shinning reflection from the wings of an aircraft that appeared out of the greenery. I felt relief as that was our confirmation that we were dead on track. Moments later we saw the airstrip, office block, the living quarters and the landmark a tall conspicuous tower. As usual we circle overhead announcing our arrival. We landed safely and taxied to a parking area and secured her firmly to the ground for the night.

The estate manager Poul was there to welcome us and offered the use of the facilities. We thanked him but we were concerned about Monty who had no radio and had failed to turn up. In that case we decided to mount a search and return to Sitiawan to look for him. The estate road was laterite, narrow, winding and horribly dusty in dry condition. As we sped on it churned up the loose particles, leaving a long dusty trail. In no time we were contaminated with the red dust. It took us some time to cover a mere 25 miles distance.

By the time we got to Sitiawan it was night and the time was about 2030 hrs. As we approach the airport main building, it was pitch dark and dead silence like a cemetery. We parked our van at a parking lot near the building and started walking slowly, it seemed to be isolated. Our hearts were heavy as we thought of unpleasant things but suddenly we saw in the darkness, the silhouette of the trike with a lone figure seated at a corner. It was of course our Monty who had decided to call a day as the weather was bad and was about to bare it out in his make-shift sleeping corner. Of course we were glad to have found him and took him with us to town for an overnight stay at the “Fajar Hotel”

Day 3 (27^th April) We woke for an early breakfast and dumped Monty at the airstrip to

pick-up his trike . We then headed for Pantai Remis re-tracing that 25 miles long and

winding road and to be contaminated again. Just as we arrived at the airstrip we could hear the sound of aircraft engine and as it drew nearer the familiar delta wings of the trike became recognizable. It was our dear Monty the soloist. He came in to land safely and taxied to where the Challenger and the United Plantation Piper Super Cub were parked. The estate manager Poul turned up to send us off; it was very kind of him.

The next sector was to Taiping and I jumped into the back seat to fly with Capt. Chung.

After engine warmed up we took off at 0830 hrs and headed north at the same time we

informed Ipoh traffic control of our presence and intentions. The flight took 1 hour and

10 minutes before we had the airport in sight. It was a grass strip but noted that only the

area confined to the runway proper that the grass had been cut. The other areas were neglected and the lalang, (elephant grass) had grown to 3 or 4 feet high. However we landed safely and rolled along looking for a short cut but the grass were really tall and we could not see where we were heading. We were un-certain and afraid so we did not take any risk and back track to the runway. Finally we found a taxi-way at the end of the runway and it led us to the terminal building. We were really sad and found that like Sitiawan it was in the state of neglect and totally abandoned. We were told that Taiping experienced the most rainfall, making it as the wettest area in the whole of Malaysia

At that stage our new instruction was to wait for the helicopter escort at 1100 hrs. As promised the helicopter appeared overhead for a while and flew away and disappeared over the horizon. And sure enough by noon it started to rain, something that the local accepted and got used to it. Meantime there was nothing that we could do but wait patiently and at the mercy of Mother Nature. Anyway it was a good time to cool down

and to catch up with our much needed rest. We were totally exhausted and the bare concrete floor did not deter us even with the rain beating in.

Rain, rain at Taiping I’m k.o.

At 1400 hrs the helicopter from reappeared and landed right in front of the terminal building. The pilot stepped out and introduced himself as Major Mansor, he had brought out a batch of correspondents to cover our story. At that time it was still drizzling and

appears like it would never stop and the major asked us if we could continue. Our answer was negative as our engine/carburetors are exposed and could malfunction. We would go only when the drizzle has stopped. The helicopter took off and flew North but much later we came to know that it flew into a storm that forced them to put down on a school field near Gong Kedah. As the drizzle continue so we had no alternative but to call it a day and retire to a hotel down town.

Day 4 (28^th April) We had early breakfast at the coffee shop that was very cheap, cost only 10 ringgit for the 7 of us. As food is concern Taiping is the cheapest but the weather is worst the foulest. We arrived at the airfield, paid off the watchman for guarding our aircraft over-night. The next sector was the most difficult owing to mountains the highest is the Kedah Peak 4000 ft. The air traffic movements were denser especially near Butterworth the home of the Royal Malaysian Air Force. Tay occupied the pilot’s seat and Capt. Chung stood in as No.2 and they took off, followed by Monty in his trike. Their destination was Sungei Patani an army base and so I joined the support group.

According to them they flew via Bukit Mertajam, Kulim bye-passing Butterworth and

noted that military traffic were evident with F5E fighter jets all over the place and too close for comfort. They then decided to descend as low as 700 ft to give the widest ceiling clearance and flew between the mountains. That sector though only 65 miles took them 1 hour and 20 minutes to cover. They landed safely at the army base of Sungei Patani.

When we arrived at the army base we had to report to the guardhouse and to my surprise

I was not allowed entry on the grounds of security reason, of being a Singaporean. It came as a shocking surprise to me as I never expected it. I thought that Malaysia- Singapore relationship had always maintained reasonable good level. How come I am being targeted as a security threat? I was upset and puzzled but no reasonable explanation given, I supposed that he was just following orders. So I had no alternative but to wait at the guardhouse while they drove in to refuel the two aircraft. Later they told me that the base was beautiful. They had the clubhouse with a swimming pool ideally located at the end of the airfield. It served as a watering center for the scavengers where beer was available abundantly.

Cockpit view of flat padi fields, Kedah

We are off again on the road to Alor Star, the last rendezvous before our final destination

Kangar. By the time we got there the Challenger had already landed and parked safely in

the hanger of the Kedah Flying Club. Monty was still at the end of the runway but appeared to have problems. Later we found out that he had “flooding” in his carburetor but managed to resolve it. he last sector Alor Star to Kangar in Perlis, a short distance of 32 miles and what we term as micro-light country as Kedah is the rice-bowl of Malaysia. It has miles after miles of flat land where padi is planted. I was told if it was during the harvest period the whole land would appear golden from the air.

For the last sector I had the honour to fly with Capt. Chung to be the first from Batu Pahat to arrive.. We took off after Monty and headed North to magnetic heading of 330

degree and maintained cruise speed. Our last leg and we were not taking any chances like overheating the engine. Monty on our left was more to the coast and we inland but we had the advantage of speed. After one hour and thirty minutes we located the airfield with the runway, hanger, clubhouse and the dormitory. It was a wonderful sight and we flew over the town as we came in As usual we circled the airfield announcing our arrival. We noted Monty was not far away flying near the mountain. We landed safely at 1330 hrs and taxied to the hanger where a small crowd of enthusiast waiting to welcome us. Wow! We had done it, it was our greatest achievement and all the training that Tay our Air Boss had drummed into us had finally paid off. Later Monty took part in the navigation competition and won the Award.

We had propelled ourselves into history and the whole adventurous trip took us the total of 9 hours and 25 minutes. It had begun at Batu Pahat in the State of Johore and ended up at Sungei Batu Pahat at Kangar, Perlis State. It was spread over 4 days and flying as the

weather permitted. Also present were General Aviation aircraft mostly Cessnas’ from the other Clubs had already arrived and parked at their designated area. The helicopter that was supposed to provide us with an aerial escort piloted by Major Mansor was from ASM Travel Sdn Bhd.

Author first from left at Kangar, Perlis

By then we were really exhausted from a long day but just in time a transport came along and spirited us away to Pens Travelodge. It was an impressive 10 storied modern hotel in heart of town and we took to the hot showers for a good clean up and a change of clothing. We swapped our “monkey suit” for civilian and then settled down to a hearty meal. It was a day to be remembered