I was glad to chat with RSAF pioneers like COL (Ret) Frank Singam at the The Republic of Singapore Air Force golden jubilee celebrations yesterday. He was an old comrade of mine.
Frank’s story of how he became a fighter pilot is a colourful one. At 16 (!), he was one of 30 (out of 3,000 who applied) who passed the air force recruitment process. A year later, he was sent to the UK for training. One month after he left Singapore, his father passed away suddenly of a heart attack. With support from his mother and uncle, he decided to stay on in the UK to train, because that was what his father would have wanted. (Nowadays people think nothing of booking a flight online and flying off from Changi Airport to wherever in the world. Back then, air travel was prohibitively expensive and far less convenient!)
Over an illustrious career spanning 30 years, Frank served as base commander of both Paya Lebar and Tengah Air Bases, and was a founding member of the Black Knights aerobatics team.
The RSAF would not be what it is today without the generation of men and women like Frank, who answered the call of duty and dedicated their lives to the defence of our nation. We owe it to them to keep this Singapore spirit alive and pass it on to future generations. – LHL
singapore air force black knights 在 Black Knight 2, CPT... - The Republic of Singapore Air Force 的推薦與評價
Black Knight 2, CPT Devdutt Sasidharan: "It takes a great deal to be a Black Knight fighter pilot - being physically tough to withstand the high G-forces... ... <看更多>