RMAF Open Day – 50th Anniversary

On the occasion of it’s 50th Anniversary the Royal Malaysian Air Force opened it’s doors to the public and held both a static and an air show last Sunday, the 1st of June 2008. My posting a few days ago showed the pilots practicing for what I thought to be the upcoming Kings Birthday which falls on the 7th of June. The Open Day started at 8 a.m. with two 1 hour air shows in the program, one starting at 9 a.m and another at 2 p.m. I made my way to the Subang Air Force base in Shah Alam in the early afternoon hoping to catch the 2 p.m air show. I made it to their hangar apron just in time. As you can see quite a number of people turned up. This made taking pictures of the aircraft on static display very difficult.

If you haven’t heard the noise from a jet engine at full throttle, you might think your body was turning into jelly. Such is the power of their engines that even the noise emanating from them could do you serious damage. The skies were starting to darken with clouds as the show started, which made it great for pictures. I especially loved the Sukhoi SU30’s which Malaysia recently purchased from Russia amid plenty of controversy but we shan’t get into that now.

If you looked carefully in the first picture, you will see white “clouds” building up on the canard wings of the aircraft. Those were due to the canards positioned for high lift causing the water in the airflow above it to condense and show up as “clouds”. The second picture was taken a few seconds afterwards. Yup, that’s it going straight up! These aircraft reach “attack height” in the time you take to ask, “I say my good man, are those enemy aircraft I see on the horizon just there?”

Sukhoi whowing off its canard wing

Here is one of those canard wing shown up close. Together with a specially designed exhaust duct, the canards allow the aircraft to be highly manouverable.

Now compare that to the second military aircraft to join the RMAF, the Single Pioneer built by Scottish Aviation Ltd, Prestwick , Scotland.

It joined the RMAF in December of 1958. These were bought 2nd hand which makes them more than 50 years old. But yet this aircraft has STOL capabilties, an acronym coined by NATO only in 1964. It only needs a take off run of 75 yards and a landing run of 66 yards, meaning it can take off and land on your average football field. An hour later I would find myself taking shelter under its relatively enormous wings when it started to rain very heavily. A couple of RMAF personnel from the RMAF museum unlocked its doors and took refuge inside and allowed me to take the following picture of its cockpit.

Single Pioneer Cockpit and Instruments

Can you recognise any of the instruments? The instruments found on modern aircraft are much more advanced but present essentially the same information. On the forward panel is the Attitude Indicator. No, it does not indicate how the aircraft felt that day. hahaha! To it’s left is Altimeter and below that is the Air Speed Indicator. Just have a look at how “fast” it flew. To the right of the Attitude Indicator is the Vertical Speed Indicator and below it is the Turn and Slip Indicator. Fuel gauges are found on the panel on the left and engine related indicators are on the panel on the right.

In my 19 years in the aviation industry this is the first time I am visiting the base. If you ever have the chance to visit an Air Force base I would strongly encourage you take advantage of the opportunity as they do not usually open their doors to the general public. And make sure you take your camera along if it is allowed.

Heroes – The Bicycle Mechanic

I have decided to start a series entitled “heroes”. Not the comicbook kind but normal everyday people. This series is dedicated to whose who have shown great courage and inner strength in the face of adversity, those who have sacrificed their lives so others may also live and above all those who in living their lives the way they do, show us the meaning of “living”.

In starting this series, I shall digress a little into socio politics. I live in a country whose “affirmative action” policy has led to the handicapping of the very people it purports to help. Far worse than a physical handicap, the way in which the policy has been practiced has psychologically handicapped the so called ethnic people of this country. Why do I say this? Built in to most human beings is a want to be healthy. When we are sick, nothing is of more urgency then “getting better”. Those who have lost the use of an appendage would do anything to regain its use. I had a friend who would rather use his prosthetic leg (he had lost the lower half of his left leg in an accident involving a drunk driver) even though it was much harder on him then using a wheel chair or a pair of crutches. On cold winter days the use of prosthetic leg would chafe on his stump until is was red and almost bleeding. It was so painful at times that sometimes he had to ask for help to remove his artificial appendage. The only time I have seen him use a crutch was when he was at home. Outside among others, he wanted to stand on his own two feet.

But the affirmative action policy has created a whole generation of people who do not seem to want to throw away the crutch so conveniently handed to them. They seem contented, even demanding that they be given the lifelong use of this crutch. But is this living? No, this posting is not about these unfortunate group of people, it is not even about my friend who is handicapped. It is about this nameless man who has taught himself the skill of repairing and changing bicycle tires and inner tubes.

From a puncture to a fully repaired and mounted tyre with his feet.

Yes, He earns what must be a meagre living with the use of his feet! Most of us would say a silent prayer of thankfulness that we healthy and have the use of all our limbs. But to me this man is truly a hero. More than just being thankful, we should learn from this brave and resourceful man. Here is a person who has not only refused to live on charity, but has risen above his physical disabilities to earn himself an honest and unencumbered income. Surely in each of us there is a mental crutch that we can do without but afraid to discard.

And to those in Government who supports the continuation of such a policy or at least the way the policy is being practiced, I have this to say. Sure all of us would love a free handout once in a while, and most of us do need a helping hand when things get a little rough but to extend that help to the point where someone becomes dependent on it is surely the greatest disservice anyone can bring unto another human being. For then he or she is truly handicapped for life.