'One of the best ways to celebrate': RSAF pilot juggles wedding anniversary and NDP flypast
Although August 9 is a day of significance for Singaporeans, it's an extra special occasion for Major Ervin Ng, whose wedding anniversary also falls on the same day.
"I got together with my wife on National Day back in 2013, and we got married on the same day in 2015," the 36-year-old told reporters during an interview at Tengah Air Base on Thursday (July 4).
However, their yearly celebrations have to be put on ice this year as Ng will be among six pilots flying the F-16 Fighting Falcons over the island as part of this year's parade.
Ng is also involved in the planning of the flight routes for the F-16s, a delicate process which requires navigating the air space around urban areas including Padang and the heartlands.
"It's very special this year, because both my children will be celebrating our anniversary together as they see me on the flight path. They have been very supportive and excited," said Ng.
"My children know that I'm flying, they're four and six [years old], so all they know is that Papa is in one of the aircrafts... Whenever I look at the videos that my wife takes, I can see the excitement they have, and that motivates me to do well."
He told AsiaOne that he was also involved in the 2015 National Day Parade, where he was part of the SG50 Formation.
"[My family] manages it pretty well, we try to celebrate it [his wedding anniversary] a little earlier by having a meal together before I go for rehearsals on Saturdays. On the actual day, I make sure that I have enough protected time so I can focus on the flypast."
When asked about his anniversary plans that morning, Ng smiled and said: "It remains a secret, I can't say it here, but it's going to be a surprise for my family."
Daughter's first NDP celebration in Singapore
This year's National Day is also significant for Air Force Engineer Jermin Soh, as it will be the first time that his two-year-old daughter will be celebrating the nation's birthday in Singapore.
Military Expert 2 (ME2) Soh is responsible for the maintenance of the F-16's engines to ensure that they are fit for flight on National Day.
Soh was previously deployed at the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)'s Peace Carvin detachment in the United States for four years, and his family returned to Singapore just last year.
"We are very excited, because this year [my daughter] will be able to see the Singapore flag for herself," said the 30-year old.
"We'll probably bring her to Marina Barrage so she can see the flight paths, and hopefully some fireworks."
State flag to be flown over heartlands
To bring the National Day festivities into the heartlands this year, RSAF will be doing a Fly Our Flag flypast and a Fighter Island flypast in the heartlands before the parade.
During the Fly Our Flag segment, two Chinook helicopters will be flying the State Flag into the heartlands via two routes from 5.45pm to 6.30pm on National Day.
The Western Route will see the Heavy Lift helicopters fly past Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Batok, Jurong and West Coast.
The Eastern Route will comprise of locations such as Seletar, Sengkang, Punggol, Pasir Ris, Bedok and East Coast.
Each Chinook will be accompanied by two Apache helicopters.
Following the Fly Our Flag segment, the aircraft will fly over the Padang for the State Flag flypast during the National Anthem.
Speaking to AsiaOne about what goes into preparing the state flag for the fly past, Lieutenant Kameela shared that it takes about 20 personnel to roll up the flag.
This is because the flag, which is made out of parachute-like material, is about 90 feet (27.4m) long and 60 feet (18.3m) wide.
"It's almost the size of basketball court," she said, adding that it weighs about 2,900 pounds (1,315 kg), including the ballasts and and the metal rigging.
It takes her team about two hours to roll up the flag, after inspecting it for any defects.
"It's a long process because we have to pull the ends of the flag with each roll, otherwise the ends will cave in. That's the most tiring part," she said.
Although only three flags will be used during the show, Kameela, 22, said that her team prepares about 20 flags in total, in case of contingencies.
Apache attack helicopters to make Padang debut
Two Apaches will also be making their debut at the Padang, as they make mock attack runs during the Total Defence 40 Dynamic Display segment.
These helicopters had previously flown only at NDPs at the now-closed Marina Bay floating platform, which had clearer flight routes.
Major Ingikiriwang Reeve, 36, the officer commanding of the RSAF's 120 Squadron and the lead pilot of the Apaches, said that one of the main challenges of maneuvering the fighter jets was the low altitude and having to fly near the Chinook helicopters.
"With the tall buildings in (Marina) Bay area, those have all been taken into account in terms of our profile, flight path and aircraft parameters, such that there is always sufficient vertical and lateral separation between the two aircraft and the obstacles or buildings around us," he said.
F-16 flypasts
Besides the helicopters, six F-16 fighter jets will conduct an island flypast around Singapore, flying over Clementi, Jurong West, Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Batok, Woodlands, Toa Payoh, Seletar, Punggol and Bendemeer.
This means that a total of 14 aircraft will be involved in the celebrations on the day, including a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, four Apaches and three Chinook helicopters, and the six F-16 jets.
Five of the fighter jets will be performing a bomb burst as they fly towards the Padang from the south, as a mark of respect and salute to the nation.
To demonstrate the agility and capability of the F-16s, a pair of jets will fly in from the National Gallery Singapore and perform a vertical climb to an altitude of 3,000m.
While planning the flight routes for the island flypast back in April, Ng said that safety was one of the main concerns.
He shared that the pilots were first exposed to the route using simulators and training areas before they moved to the show area.
"By [the time they flew into the show area], the pilots were all very familiar with the routing and what they need to do," he said.
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