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!
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!!!
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