12 Jul 2007 | COMMUNITY
NDP AIR SHOW GETS CLOSER TO VIEWERS
STORY // Malcolm Tay
PHOTO // Lum Ngia
PHOTO // Lum Ngia
Spectators at this year's National Day Parade (NDP) will find themselves a little closer to the action in the aerial display.
Thanks to the new venue in Marina Bay, pilots from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) worked from scratch to devise ways of navigating their aircraft through a tighter airspace.
"Because we're flying through the Central Business District and a lot of tall buildings, we looked at possible flight paths that would lead to the show site," said Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Low Chung Guan, who will be flying the Chinook helicopter during the State Flag Flypast.
"There are also many changes and developments in the CBD; some relatively low buildings have gotten higher over time, so plans have to be constantly adjusted."
According to LTC Low, who will be taking part in his first NDP, at least 200m separates the aircraft from the high-risers nearby.
An air-show classic, the State Flag Flypast will follow a new route along the Singapore River and will travel 700 feet above ground - half the height of previous years.
This means that the 5,400-square-feet flag, which takes 30 men an hour to prepare and attach to the Chinook, will look four times larger to viewers.
And, weather permitting, four Apache helicopters - twice the number from past years - will accompany the flypast on the actual day.
"Depending on how bad the weather is, we may have to cut certain segments; everything is synchronised to the second and we do not want to affect the ground activities," said Colonel (COL) Henry Toh, Chairman of the NDP Air Participation Committee.
That has yet to stop the RSAF participants from training hard for the occasion, and LTC Low feels "it's a great honour to be able to fly the state flag".
"As we're flying lower and faster, we have to be careful and make sure we get it right at the right place and the right time," said LTC Lim Chee Meng, who will be flying the F-16D Block 52+ fighter jet during the three-plane Presidental Salute.
"My wife is very happy for me. She said to me, 'Oh, you must be very happy; you finally got your wish to fly at the NDP,'" he added.
Thanks to the new venue in Marina Bay, pilots from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) worked from scratch to devise ways of navigating their aircraft through a tighter airspace.
"Because we're flying through the Central Business District and a lot of tall buildings, we looked at possible flight paths that would lead to the show site," said Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Low Chung Guan, who will be flying the Chinook helicopter during the State Flag Flypast.
"There are also many changes and developments in the CBD; some relatively low buildings have gotten higher over time, so plans have to be constantly adjusted."
According to LTC Low, who will be taking part in his first NDP, at least 200m separates the aircraft from the high-risers nearby.
An air-show classic, the State Flag Flypast will follow a new route along the Singapore River and will travel 700 feet above ground - half the height of previous years.
This means that the 5,400-square-feet flag, which takes 30 men an hour to prepare and attach to the Chinook, will look four times larger to viewers.
And, weather permitting, four Apache helicopters - twice the number from past years - will accompany the flypast on the actual day.
"Depending on how bad the weather is, we may have to cut certain segments; everything is synchronised to the second and we do not want to affect the ground activities," said Colonel (COL) Henry Toh, Chairman of the NDP Air Participation Committee.
That has yet to stop the RSAF participants from training hard for the occasion, and LTC Low feels "it's a great honour to be able to fly the state flag".
"As we're flying lower and faster, we have to be careful and make sure we get it right at the right place and the right time," said LTC Lim Chee Meng, who will be flying the F-16D Block 52+ fighter jet during the three-plane Presidental Salute.
"My wife is very happy for me. She said to me, 'Oh, you must be very happy; you finally got your wish to fly at the NDP,'" he added.
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