Aviation on YKM's Corner on the Web

How do I produce my flight videos?

Sat, 06 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I have recorded and published dozens of in-cockpit flight videos ever since my PPL training videos to the present. For a long time now, I have received many questions on how are these videos produced.

Therefore I decided to write this blog post to address these questions as the video production and editing process is not as straightforward as it may seem.

My First Helicopter Ride

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Private leisure helicopter flights operating in Singapore are a rare occurrence compared to planes. So when a helicopter ride opportunity presented itself to me recently, I immediately said YES!

The machine is a privately-owned Robinson R22 Beta II manufactured in 2004 registered as N783SH. It’s a 2-seat light helicopter that is commonly used for primary flight training.

While doing the preflight checks, the helicopter pilot of my ride said and I quote.

Most people only see the glamorous part of the pilot at the cockpit, not the pre and post flight safety checks and preparatory parts of the work.

(Joanne, helicopter pilot for my flight)

As a private pilot myself but with a plane license, I totally agree with this. The amount of preparation work before and after the flight is usually not captured by most photos and videos and thus unaware to most outside the aviation community.

Therefore when I decided to write this blog post to share this one-of-a-kind local flight experience, I felt it was just as important to highlight the non-flying portions behind the scenes as well.

Transitioning to Dynon Skyview HDX glass cockpit

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Seletar Flying Club (SFC) in collaboration with MAJ Aviation recently upgraded one of its aircraft, a Cessna 172N (N5748E) to use a glass cockpit.

As an SFC member, I had the privilege to learn about this new system and fly on this upgraded aircraft.

In this blog post, I’ll like to share my learnings when transitioning to this system. Prior to this, the aircraft I have flown including those in training have all used traditional steam-gauges.

How does Flight Simulator 2020 compare to real flights over Singapore?

Sun, 23 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

With the recent release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (FS2020), many videos have been shared online. However, few have been made on Singapore. Of those that do, most players fly from Changi Airport and to the city area which are off-limits in real life and they hardly use any real-world procedures.

In reality, General Aviation (GA) for visual flying within Singapore is limited to Seletar Airport (WSSL) and the local Light Aircraft Training Area (LATA). I have personally made many flights from WSSL although mostly to the local training area in the Northern part of SG. So I thought why not I conduct flights in this game as close as I can to a real plane and see how this stacks up to the real thing?

(Check out the Chinese version of this post here.)

Safety and Environmental Concerns of General Aviation within Singapore

Sat, 30 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000

I get a lot of flight requests from friends ever since I got my PPL last year, on average once every other week. At the same time, I have questions posed to me on the safety and environmental concerns of General Aviation (GA) within Singapore. Some questions were posed to me in shall I say, “less than respectful” tone.

Let’s put things in perspective, the following is what I sometimes tell my potential passengers to mentally prepare for and be aware of what they are up against before agreeing to fly with me.

If you want to fly with me, throw out what you know of a flight based on your airline experience. This is no luxurious private jet.

Compared to any airliner you have sat in, this plane compartment has the most cramped seats. It’s so hot that you can get dehydrated at the end. The plane is noisy enough that it can deafen you in the long term without ear protection.

This plane like most GA piston aircraft worldwide, runs on leaded fuel which has been banned in Singaporean cars for decades. Obviously, it’ll take a lot more energy to put a plane up in the air than move a ground vehicle so expect to make a stronger contribution to global warming than a car trip.

Yours truly is the most inexperienced pilot in command you will probably ever have too. This indirectly leads to this being the statistically most dangerous flight of your life. To top it off, the cost I ask you to contribute will make this the most expensive seat you’ll pay for the distance travelled.

So do you still want to come?

How much it costs to fly General Aviation (GA) in Singapore?

Sun, 09 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

The costs of flying General Aviation (GA) is a question I get asked a lot ever since I started taking up my family and friends.

I had this question too as I needed to plan my frequency of flights for personal budgetary reasons. It may seem to be a simple question but the answer can be quite complex owing to the myriad of regulations and cost structures. While tabulating the numbers, I thought to make my calculations public due to the limited information online on this topic and the general lack of GA awareness in Singapore.

Flying costs vary greatly depending but not limited to the following high-level factors:

Legal maintenance requirements
The club you join
Hourly rental rates (solo/dual) and landing fees
Amount of flying one wants to do

I’m a member of Seletar Flying Club (SFC) which offers the lowest flying rates locally. Rates are cheaper across the causeway at Senai airport in Johor but I avoid going there due to the hassle of traveling and the fact my local friends are unlikely to follow me across.

So with this, let’s do an in-depth analysis of the costs of flying GA in Singapore.

Considerations on picking a Flight school for PPL - A Singaporean perspective

Sat, 28 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

A private pilot once told me “when you write about your private pilot experience online, be prepared to be deluged by plenty of people asking you about your experience and picking flight schools”. I initially didn’t believe him, but after writing many blog posts on this topic, I’m forced to concede after receiving many direct messages.

After interacting with more than a dozen people, I realised most of the questions generally revolve around the following which I shall collate here to avoid repeating myself again and again. There are many much more qualified and more experienced people who can write on these topics but I can’t find such topics discussed in the way that would have suited my needs. Hence this post.

FAQ I get

Flight trip to Malacca and back to Singapore

Sun, 21 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

I told a friend I was heading to Malacca over the weekend. Asked how I was going there. Car? Bus? Train? Don’t tell me boat? How about PLANE!

Seletar Flying Club (SFC) had a navigation trip planned for Malacca and back on 13 July 2019. For this trip, I had a “heavily-subsidised” backseat ride on a modern air-conditioned Diamond DA-40.

I will then fly the return trip on SFC’s Piper Warrior under the guidance of safety pilot Dr Fadzil! I was eager also as I have not flown a cross-country flight since I finished my PPL.

This was an opportunity that I couldn’t refuse.

The Plane!

The pilot SFC president Wei Siang and safety pilot Jason doing the preflight-inspection of the sleek plane while I just observe.

Notes on flying in Seletar Airport and Singapore Training Areas

Sun, 09 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Having obtained my FAA PPL earlier this year, I decided to join Seletar Flying Club (SFC) to maintain my flying proficiency and to also rent aircraft to bring friends and family up to the skies.

Before I can rent SFC’s planes to fly others, I have to complete a checkout flight with the club’s instructor to familiarise myself with SFC’s planes as well as the Singapore’s airspace and local procedures at Seletar Airport.

From left, SFC’s instructor Eric, myself and my training buddy Davinder when I was in the US.

After all, my knowledge have all been based on the way the Americans (FAA) do things which will likely differ from how Singapore (ICAO) work.

This blog post was originally meant for my personal notes for how does a General Aviation pilot fly within Singapore from Seletar Airport but I thought why not share it as well as such information seems to be quite scarce online. I’ll also try to list out the differences I learned between FAA and ICAO style.

Aviation FAQ from my friends

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Ever since I got my Private Pilot’s License (PPL), my friends have inundated me with many aviation questions. So I decided, why not compile everything into a blog post?

With my PPL, I only have the lowest-rated license among the many others higher up the chain, instrument, commercial, airline etc so I’m actually least qualified to answer them but I’ll try the best I can.

Many people’s experience with aviation this days especially in Singapore are only as passengers on commercial airliners. Especially since exposure to General Aviation (GA) in SG is extremely limited relative to the US or Europe. Or worse, shaped through the media and military movies with those fancy CGI aerobatics.

Aviation does not seem to be seen much as a possible hobby thing in this side of the world. So no surprise many questions and misconceptions have surfaced to me.

I became a Private Pilot and this is my story: Part (2-2) in San Diego

Sat, 16 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This post continues from Part 1 of my Private Pilot training journey. This part details the flying portion I did in San Diego, USA. It’s divided into the following sections:

I became a Private Pilot and this is my story: Part (1-2) in Singapore

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

I finally got my Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Private Pilot Certificate or Private Pilot License (PPL)! It seems so surreal, but I can actually fly a plane with my family and friends. This journey was almost a year in the making which I made immense sacrifices in time, money and much more.

With my San Diego Flying Training International (SDFTI) instructors Charles and Luke on the Cessna 172R (N2441E) which I did my first lesson, solo and checkride on.

With my training buddy Davinder

Capt Kumeran from Flightschool.SG who gave me foundation training in the Redbird MCX simulator.

My journey is so long that I have to break it into 2 different blog posts:

Part 1: Preparation in Singapore
Part 2: Practical training at San Diego
- Arrival in San Diego
- Waiting for TSA clearance
- Exploring Montgomery
- Stage 1: Train for Solo
- Stage 2: Train for Cross-Country Solo
- Stage 3: Prepare for Check ride
- Final Checkride
- Conclusion
- What’s next

Reflections after 2 weeks of PPL Training in the US

Sat, 01 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

2 weeks ago, I put my life on hold in Singapore to come over to the birthplace of aviation to achieve a life-long dream to fly a plane.

As expected, learning to fly a plane is nowhere near as simple as just taking up car driving lessons for example. Behind the videos I have posted on social media so far of my practical lessons, hides the countless hours of mundane but very important theory lessons I have to attend.

In just 2 weeks, I feel like a lifetime has just passed with the daily information overload I face. I have to absorb how every single system works in the Cessna 172, from fuel, pumps, electrical, engine, control surfaces, instruments, specifications, you name it I have to be able to recite from memory.

First Flight Experience in a light plane (Socata TB10)

Fri, 15 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The first time I stepped on an airplane, I was 10 and was going to Australia with my family for a holiday. From then on, I always wondered what it was like to one day be the person flying the plane instead of being a passenger. Due to several decisions which I regret today like not joining the Youth Flying Club when I was younger, I never got the chance to do.

So when my friend Joyce told me her private pilot friend Roger will be going up to the skies with his plane, I jumped at the opportunity! It is not everyday that one will see a pilot controlling the very aircraft you are on and speaking to the air traffic controller in real time.

This is the plane, a Socata Tobago (TB) 10 co-owned by Roger. French-built, 13 years old and Malaysian registered (9M-prefix). It is operated under the Johor Flying Club at Senai Airport.

The actors in the show from left, me, Joyce and Roger.