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!

Flying in KL

IN MY TIDYING UP OF MY SPACE I also came across this photo of what looks to be Cessna 172 9M-TOP being flown over perhaps somewhere over PJ or KL as I can't quite recall the circumstance. The photo was taken from probably another Cessna 9M-AVR. This would have been in 2004 or 2005?

Read Australian Flying for more.

Something worth documenting .....

I WAS DOING SOME TIDYING UP OF ODDS AND ENDS AND I DECIDED to document these 2 drawings done on pieces of scrap paper by a little girl named Hanna. I think she was only 8 years old at the time (3/8/07). Hanna is a daughter of an acquaintance whom we met at a dinner organized by Lynda at Port Melbourne.

On my request Hanna drew a profile of me and SM and notice she wrote "A Pilot" on my profile picture (and an aeroplane)!

Jesus, Take The Wheel

The Miracle Prayer

How wonderful life is? Be A Pilot !

I WISH I WAS a Tail Wheel Aviator .....



And I wish I was an Astronaut .....



I wish I could draw well .....



Or paint .....


But I am not any of these ..... I am just contemplative of my roles .....



I think, I like this role, the best .....



And this role too .....

Birthday present

ONE OF MY NIECES, CHERYL, gave me a birthday present. I managed to find a photo frame for it today and framed the paining. She drew the picture and painted it in water colors.

She's only 14.

Wow. I could never paint a picture like that even if I was 90!

Gone Flying Again

MANY A TIMES I SEE STICKERS at the back of cars that say " Gone fishin' " or " I am a tree hugger ". I have one that says " I would rather be flying "......

Call sign VH-Hotel Alpha Bravo. Piper Arrow TAS 125 Kts, 180 HP fuel injected engine, retractable gear, constant speed propeller

Final approach Runway 35 R

Today I had gone flyin' at Moorabbin. I never tire seeing little airplanes taking off and landing in big or just small, country airports. It just excites me to see flying machines defy gravity and leave the ground, leap off in the air, and climbing away. Or the gracefulness of airplanes on stabilized approaches coming in to land.... flaring.... in ground effect.... then the wheels kissed the ground. Fantastic feeling!

So here I am on a day like today, the sky is clear, blue, with whiffs of clouds at 5000 ft, I am in an Arrow at 3000 ft doing general maneuvers and trying to perfect my piloting skills. Back to the basics of survival skills and honing motor memories that have gone soft over the years .....

Last circuit, coming to land on 35 Right, seeing another aircraft on final in the other parallel runway

It's such a privilege I feel, to be able to use my flying skills for a leisure activity that I love.

It's such a privilege, to experience the freedom, again and again.... Not tied or bound. No traffic jams, no traffic lights, just me and the large back yard - the sky.....

The Aero Club's Piper Arrow. I look fat but I am actually not!

My only passenger for the day, pilot Sam Low

It's a child's dream to be able to fly.....

It's an adult's obligation, in my case, to make my inner child's dream alive, as long as I am able to do so!

Gone Flying Again .....

MANY A TIMES I SEE stickers at the back of cars that say " Gone fishin' " or " I am a tree hugger ". I have one that says " I would rather be flying "......

Today I had gone flyin' at Moorabbin. I never tire seeing little airplanes taking off and landing in big or country airports.

Read more in Australian Flying.

KFC DINNER!

Sweet Memory

Happy Birthday 舅父

SM's cream caramel with passion fruit and strawberry

My favourite meal

Voila!

Kids making their own pizzas

Lunch of pork balls and cos lettuce soup

KFC IS MY FAVORITE MEAL. For my 49th, Pat and David wanted to buy KFC for us and so we went for dinner at their home. In the afternoon, SM prepared some pizza bases and ingredients (tasty cheese, tomato paste, capcicum, onion, olives, chorizo, tomato slices) so the kids could make some pizzas later. She also made cream caramel for dessert and pumpkin soup.

All these good food and lack of exercise is making me fat.

My friend, Kee Mun, just skyped me and said that looking at my pictures I was a FATMAN.

And he teased me that my birthday resolution should be to quit.....

Thanks Kee Mun!



MAKING PIZZAS - tasty cheese, churizo, onion, capsicum, tomato, olives and pineapple

A friend and ex-class mate posted this on our class of 1978 blog and I appreciate his kind words and thought! Thanks Tali!

A friend and ex-class mate posted this on our class of 1978 blog and I appreciate his kind words and thought! Thanks Tali!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CAPTAIN

THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY PRESENT FROM ALL THE 78ERS TO THIS VERY SPECIAL FELLOW :- CAPTAIN AUSPILOT @ ALLEN CHEN S.P.

WISHING ALLEN A VERY, VERY HAPPY 49TH BIRTHDAY ON 20TH JULY 2009.

The 78ers : Captain, we have thought of buying the Cessna 182 for your birthday, but we are very concern about your age. At the age of going to be 50, we advise you not to ' fly aeroplane ' too much. It's no good for your health. As such, we are keeping the money in the 2010 booze fund. Don't cry.... we have a better present for you.........

...........SURPRISE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The doctors advise you to have more sex when you turned 50 in order to stay healthy ! So, go ahead, have FUN , it's yours !
Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! Happy Birthday !





Ah, by the way, we have bought you a very nice birthday cake too !
However, we have shared the cake while waiting for you to come back, but we have keep this one for you : -


Enjoy this cake & the one made by SM.

AS THIS IS YOUR BIRTHDAY TODAY, WE DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU IN SUCH A SAD MOOD. SO, HERE'S ONE MORE PRESENT FOR YOU ! AT LEAST YOU CAN PLAY WITH THIS AEROPLANE WHEN YOU HAVE STOP CRYING.