FLYING Down Memory Lane

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I USED TO do as a newly minted private pilot (50+ hours) back in 2004 was to increase my skill sets and to improve my survivability as a pilot in the event of an emergency landing.

That meant going to land on small airfields, many of them grass, to practise precautionary forced landings; and also to acquaint ourselves with the terrain and approaches.

Besides we used to fly in the city area and surrounds for fun!

The photos were extracted from my old aero club The Royal Selangor Flying Club. Please visit the site for more interesting info on flying in Malaysia.

Looking back my flying experience in Malaysia and with RSFC was invaluable. It was not difficult flying and a lot of fun. There were not many places we could fly to as compared to Australia but where we could go we tended to learn about the freedom of flight and the enjoyment of camaraderie with my flying mates .....

Telekom tower - once we pinpoint this landmark we know we are home free as our home base airfield, Simpang (Royal Malaysian Air Force Base) is to the east of the tower

KL skyline - Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower. We used to fly between these buildings at 1500 ft, what a thrill! I still wonder why they allowed us to do that?

MBPJ building in view - PJ is a reporting point flying to Subang airport in the west

Batu Caves - reporting point for us to cross the Templer Park range to Rawang and onward to the Northern towns like Ipoh, Penang and Pulau Langkawi

Final Rwy 22 Simpang

Downwind Rwy 22 Simpang

One of the airfields we went to very often for short field Take Off and Landing practices - Pulau Pangkor. My all time favorite airfield to go to

Long Final Rwy 22 Pangkor



Bidor "airfield" is just a PAR 5 golf course! See the windsock?

Bidor Golf course is a survival must to try and land. Not more than 3 passengers in a Cessna 172 please because the "runway" length available for take off is only about 500m (being a par 5 hole), and there are trees at the end of the take off run. One way in and one way out!

Final to Bidor

One of the other favorites to land in - Pantai Remis

Final Pantai Remis

Jenderata - windsock on the roof of the "hangar"

Departing Taiping airfield

Taiping airfield is more like a stadium. It is a grass field with concrete run off ends. When we landed there once time there were joggers doing their exercises around the field, looking at this Cessna lining up for departure aghast, jaws wide opened!

Pangkor Island, Malaysia

Pangkor Island Airport (ICAO airfield designation WMPA) was one of my favorite destinations on our usual flights away from our Malaysian base at Royal Selangor Flying Club in Kuala Lumpur, the Simpang airfield (ICAO designation WMKF). Other destinations that I liked to fly to were Ipoh airfield (WMKI) and Penang airfield (WMKP). But by far Pangkor Island was my all time favorite.

It was easy to get to, just 120 nautical miles from Simpang. I often went to Penang or Ipoh via Pangkor with pilot friend Mitch Wong just to land in the Island, turned around on the runway and took off again. That was such great fun. We just hoped that when we took off from the one-way-in-one-way-out runway on the Island that we would have head wind and not cross wind or tail wind because we really had one chance to get adequate airspeed and take off.....

One time we decided that it was boring to just land and take off from the island and so we stopped for a bit of a swim and a light lunch. Such was the fun for us pilots!

See Google Map of the Island.

Pangkor Island - Map

Pangkor Island Runway 22 Final

Penang Airport Runway 04/22

Langkawi Airport

Ipoh was where I was born and so I often flew in with pilot friends to meet my old time childhood friend, Kee Mun. Usually Mitch and I went on these trips and we flew on to Penang after lunch or back to base. I always enjoyed the good food in Ipoh.... curry fish head, Indian curries, Ipoh chicken rice, and Ipoh Hor Fun soup. Strangely I liked going to Penang for the same reasons.... some extended family there and of course, the good food. Top on my list would be Char Kueh Teow, Penang Laksa, a variety of seafood and ice kacang!!!

Flying Training

Flying training is a discipline that takes up a lot of time. There are the theory exams to pass, and there are the general aircraft handling skills, circuit pattern skills, navigation skills, emergency procedures, ability to use GPS and nav aids that need to be learnt, and re-learnt.

Knowledge and skills do fade over time and so it is imperative that pilots keep up to date their skills and be consistent at all times before any flight.

And there is always the "downtime"..... the days when the weather gods are not kind to us and do not favor us with their sunshine and light winds..... These would have to be the most frustrating things to me personally because down times often hamper progress when you are keen to learn. We often get some lousy days or nights during winters where we get a lot of low clouds and precipitation. Weather poses dangers to all pilots who knowingly or unknowing push their envelope and it will always punish those who are careless but rewards those who are diligent and careful......

I remember vividly my flight training days at Royal Selangor Flying Club in KL, Malaysia. I was always excited about the flying. I was always early for my training. Eagerly reading up on the flight training notes and books in preparation for the ab-initio phase of training.

After obtaining my PPL i was always going out flying with my pilot buddy, Mitch to various airports. Those were days when I would be happy to just spend all my waking hours thinking of flying......

The training days in Royal Victorian Aero Club were more structured and disciplined. I progressed through more complex aircraft training including Seminole twin and night VFR. The Aero Club functions more like a flight school than a social club and so the training is more intensive and advanced.