Story by Sandra Toh
Pictures by Chua Soon Lye
When they stepped out of their nest, they fluttered their wings to stay in flight. Now, after three years, they are riding on winds and soaring to places higher than before. PIONEER visits the Falcons (150 Squadron) at the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) Advanced Jet Training (AJT) detachment in France, and finds out how far they have arrived.
Stepping out, setting up
Following the signing of the Defence Cooperation and Status of Forces Agreement by Singapore and France in Oct 98, the RSAF deployed its full AJT unit, comprising 18 A4-SU Super Skyhawks and almost 200 servicemen from 150 Squadron, to Cazaux Air Base in south-west France.
Setting up a new detachment in a foreign country poses its own set of challenges. The movement of the A4-SUs from Tengah Air Base to Cazaux Air Base, for instance, was an operation that involved one of the largest mobilisation of manpower and equipment ever in the history of the RSAF.
The aircraft were first prepared and wrapped in Tengah Air Base. Under the supervision of a team of safety officers and specialists, they were then towed down the streets of Singapore to Jurong Port. From there, the aircraft were moved onto a ship, and together with a maintenance crew, they embarked on an arduous 23-day sea journey to France.
CPT Regina Kim, an Air Traffic Liaison Officer, ensures the safe take-off and landing of the A4-SUs from the tower.
Upon arriving at Cazaux Air Base, the aircraft were unwrapped, and they took to the skies of France without a hitch. Just when you thought everyone in the squadron could heave a sigh of relief and celebrate, more challenging tasks lay ahead.
As the detachment was a long-term one, most servicemen were accompanied by their spouses and children. This meant that getting accommodation and making arrangements for their children's education came in tops on the squadron's priority checklist.
The refuelling tanker is one of the ground support services that the FAF provides to facilitate the squadron's operations.
Commanding Officer, LTC Lim Chye Poh, said: "We wanted to have a conducive environment where the personnel of 150 Squadron could be left to concentrate on their work as soon as they arrived. So a lot of administrative effort was put in to ensure that their families could settle down very quickly in terms of housing and education."
And that was not all. For operations to take off, the infrastructure for flight support had to be put in place. Unlike back in Singapore, basic requirements like fuel, oxygen and ground control equipment were not readily available. The squadron had to seek the support of the French to procure these items that are often taken for granted at home.
So while working overseas sounds appealing, the less glamorous truth is that it usually means starting from scratch.
Flying unlimited
The limited airspace and monotonous terrain in Singapore are constraints to effective flying training. As the mission of the AJT is to produce quality fighter pilots in combat roles, it is for good reason that the unit has spread its wings afield.
France, with its vast airspace, allows pilots to conduct a variety of flying operations, including air-to-ground and air-to-air missions. This naturally makes Cazaux Air Base an ideal training ground for our young pilots.
CPT Tan Chin Yeong, a trainee pilot who was in Cazaux for nine months, said: " The airspace is definitely much bigger. Here, we do not have to compete for airspace with other squadrons like we do in Singapore."
Training value can be further derived from flying in a foreign country that has different terrain, land features and weather conditions.
Flight Commander, MAJ Benny Chan, explained: "In Singapore, flying over the sea is what we do most of the time. But when training overseas, we get to pick up various ground features and targets."
"The exposure that the guys get here is precious because they will learn that there are more elements to look out for other than just flying their aircraft," he added.
MAJ Benny Chan (right) reviewing a trainee pilot's flight manoeuvres after a sortie.
For the flight instructors, being deployed to France gives them the opportunity to interact with pilots from the more experienced French Air Force (FAF). In fact, there is an ongoing affiliation programme where the pilots from the two air forces meet to exchange teaching methods and flying expertise.
Said MAJ Chan: "We talk about the common pitfalls that our trainees make and discuss what we can do to help them. We learn from one another."
Level up!
Aircraft maintenance is exceptionally demanding in the AJT detachment, considering that manpower and resources are minimal. First of all, to ensure that there are enough aircraft to meet daily operational requirements, servicing schedules have to be planned meticulously.
"Although our purpose is to support flying operations, we also have to look into sustainability," said MAJ Yao Shih En, Senior Maintenance Officer.
"We plan our schedules way ahead because if we have all the aircraft down at the same time, we cannot simply fly in more technicians."
The stress is further compounded by the fact that there are no reserves of maintenance spares and engine components in the detachment.
According to MAJ Yao, failed components are sent back to Singapore, as the unit does not have capabilities similar to the component repair facilities back home.
Daily launch and recovery servicing are carried out to maintain the aircraft in tip-top condition.
Since costs are incurred whenever components are freighted to and from Singapore, the specialists have to be very accurate in identifying the cause whenever an aircraft has a problem.
"Back home, if I suspect that a particular spare part is faulty, I can bring it to the base workshop to confirm. If it's not faulty, I can just go back and take another one to check," said SSG Ang Tiong, a Fire Control Specialist.
"But here, when it comes to troubleshooting, I have to work with the constraints and be able to pinpoint exactly what's wrong."
Besides being a specialist in electronic weapons, SSG Ang holds other appointments concurrently � a situation not unique to him, by the way. As a Shift IC, SSG Ang has to learn other systems so that when an aircraft has multiple defects, he can decide on the steps to rectify the problem within the shortest time possible.
Although stretched to unimaginable limits at times, SSG Ang relishes the opportunities given to him. Making a point that others in the squadron would agree with, he said: "Back home, you just belong to a small section in a huge organisation. You don't get to see how things are run. Here, the AJT detachment is like a mini airbase. It's all self-managed. You get to see the whole picture."
It's raining, men!
In summer, it can be blazing hot without a cloud in the sky. In winter, it can be freezing cold. Coming from Singapore, which is warm all-year round, the servicemen took a while to adjust to the extreme weather conditions.
"Whenever there's a new batch of guys, we 'brainwash' them a little to make sure that they follow the work practices here," said MAJ Yao.
"During winter, they have to wear gloves and extra clothes. So even if they are more clumsy and lose the actual feel when doing aircraft work, they have to adapt and manage."
And indeed, the squadron does not allow the forces of nature to hamper operations, if they can help it. For example, during one winter, when ice kept forming on the wings and windshields of the aircraft, they started racking their brains.
2WO Tan Kheng Hock, an Expeditor, led a group of men in coming up with a WITS project. He said: "We studied and arrived at the idea of using an air-starter unit to blow hot air on the surface of the wings and canopy areas of the aircraft."
"The process takes up a lot of time, but it works," he assured.
Excuse my French
Unable to speak beyond a few simple French phrases, another major problem that the servicemen faced initially was communication. Fortunately, the thoughtfulness and hospitality of the French helped them to overcome this problem at work.
Under the arrangement of the FAF, a French liaison officer is attached to the AJT detachment as an interpreter. Through the liaison officer, the unit is able to communicate its operational requirements to the air base personnel.
Shopping was nonetheless quite unnerving. MAJ Chan recalled: "My wife and I avoided the markets at first because we didn't know how to ask for things. We didn't know whether things were sold by weight or quantity."
To help the wives of the servicemen to integrate better into the new environment, French language classes are specially organised for them by a group of retired FAF personnel.
Playtime!
But the ones most proficient in French are � yes, the children. This is no surprise since they learn the language as part of their syllabus in Bremontier Group School. In fact, some parents noted that these precocious young ones would speak in French among themselves if they did not want the adults to understand their conversations!
Concerned that the children will lose grasp of their mother tongue? Mdm Chua Hwee Lee, seconded from the MInistry of Education, is around to conduct Chinese classes for them.
"My son can buy his own food at McDonald's, and he speaks to the restaurant crew in French," said MAJ Yao, who has two pre-school children.
"Don't know what they talk about!"
The French experience
Cazaux has a quaint, laid-back charm that makes it a relaxing place to live in. However, ironical as it may sound, the relaxing pace was a tad stressful initially for the harried urbanites in our servicemen.
But the servicemen have soon come to enjoy the simple pleasures that living in France offers. After work, most of them spend quiet evenings with their families. During the warmer months, they occupy their weekends by skating, gardening and playing beach volleyball. In winter, it is usually skiing at the Pyrenees. Occasionally, they participate in local community activities, like beach cleaning and charity runs.
1SG Williams using the ground test unit to check the integrity of the Identification Friend or Foe System of the aircraft.
Notwithstanding the cultural and linguistic differences, some of the servicemen have forged friendships with their local hosts. "I play in a rock band with the French. We jam and do a lot of heavy stuff," said 1SG Andrew Williams, a Radar Communications Specialist, with a grin.
"When I return to Singapore, I will definitely miss these people, and I believe I will be back here to visit them."
And surely, those who eventually head home after their stint in France will miss the country for many things � the friends, the fun and most of all, the experience in overcoming the odds and discovering that there are no limits they cannot go beyond.
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