Singapore Airshow 2014 - Day 2 - On the ground and Goodbyes

Well here we are back on the ground. All the aerial displays are done.

We had lunch, which was Fish and Chips. Yes I know that you don't take such heaty food at 12 pm at an airshow, but it was soo tempting. Just couldn't help ourselves. A bottle of Sprite helped a LOT. Anyway, after lunch, we needed some rest from all the standing and walking that we've been doing. What better way to relax than to listen to the band of the United States Air Force.

USAF Band

They were energetic and simply AWESOME. They had quite a number of classics. From singing on stage to getting down to the crowd and just shaking away. I'm sure they enjoyed performing for the crowd, who by the way were cheering and giving support throughout the entire show.

When they had their break, we made our move as we needed to cover the remaining indoor pavilion before our flight back to Penang. There were not many booths open, since it was nearing the end of the last public day. Most of it were either closed or occupied by the public who were resting after a long walk.

KAI T-50 fighter model

Among the models still there were the T-50 trainer and fighter variants. These are the same type as those used by the ROKAF during their aerial display. There were still a lot of people though. The T-50 model area was where the mini indoor food court was. You could get a hot dog and a cup of coffee.

Hermes 900 Unmanned Drone

At first glance, through the corner of my eyes, I thought I saw a predator drone. I told my friends, "You know what, I thought I saw a predator drone. Let's go see it later." But then, upon closer inspection, it was not a Predator, though it was good enough. A Hermes 900 drone. Wingspan was large and really wobbly when shaked from the tips.

Quad copter

At another corner, the organisers had several quad copters, painting chines characters with extreme precision. These micro aircraft appeared to be pre-programmed to fly a designated path. They even dipped the brush into the ink pot, some distance away several times, before returning to continue with the remaining strokes.

Somewhere around this region, there was a meet and greet session with the Singapore Airforce's Pilots as well as ROKAF's pilots. They could had a chat (albeit a short one), have an autograph and even take a photo with them.

Schiebel Camcopter S-100

Another drone on display was this camcopter. A small little drone with a 360 rotational camera installed onto its belly. This was one of the last displays available. They even had imaging systems on display. Among those I tried a sniper scope with thermal imaging. An interesting experience as you get to see how hot/cool stuffs were, black being really cool and white being really hot.

They even had a line up of military tracked vehicles and also the latest version of the humvee. Looks more aerodynamic

New Humvee

Now that we have covered the entire Airshow floor area, it was time to go. We left via exit 6, which is kindly inviting us back in 2016. Definitely would be there.

Heading out

Even at 2pm, the queue to the shuttle was long, but it was moving. Took the bus back to the Expo station before going on an MRT to Changi airport.

Goodbye Captain Leo

Here are the 45th Anniversary gifts that all ticket holders got:

A bag with interesting goodies. One fan, one tinted shade to look at aircraft flying under the sun, one travelling bag tag, one collar pin (Red F-16) and of course a document bag. This was NOT limited to one per person, as they gave out to EVERYONE who had a ticket. So for those who had the tickets to both public days, (not sure about trade days), the would have gotten 2 sets of these interesting souvenirs.

It was an incredible journey filled with wonderful memories which will stick for quite some time.

A minute before touchdown, with second Penang Bridge in sight

Back on the ground

Just in time for the sunset

As per the plane in the sunset, "WOW" is really the word to describe this truly amazing and memorable trip to the Singapore Airshow 2014. Although it has only been 2 days at the airshow, it was more than enough to make me go back the next round. The displays, the performances and just the feeling of being amongst great flying machines were just magnificent. It goes to show how much we have excelled in a sense of transportation and defence. Apart from the experience there, being with a good company of friends also made that trip enjoyable.

Hope you enjoyed my postings, I hope to have been able to bring the Airshow to you readers. So here goes. After almost 4 months of posting, this is to close the Singapore Airshow 2014 segment.

Went to Singapore Airshow? Checked

SSLee

Singapore Airshow 2014 - Day 1 - Aerial Display (Part 2)

Continuation from the previous post. I shall have more photos than words this time as the photos themselves show what's going on.

While the two eagles are busy making flybys towards each other, the other six were preparing for something spectacular. 5 on 1. The blue smoke trails clearly indicate the aircraft that will be performing. The sole Eagle flies onwards at HIGH speed.....

Getting ready for the next move

Ready?  NOW!!

.......and pierces through the smoke trail of the oncoming lead aircraft.

Another low fixed-formation flyby

They are very skillful pilots, being able to fly in close proximity with each other, maintaining close in formation, and retaining the intended shape of the formation. It's interesting to be able to see the planes flying through pockets of sunlight. You get to see bright patches of the smoke trails at certain parts of the smoke trails and dark spots on other stretches.

Flying in pairs

There was never a dull moment, from the elegant displays to the roaring sound of the engines when they flew by, to the nail biting head-on fly bys. Some were just slow and steady while others were fast and smoky. The displays mostly consist of either a group of 5-6 for the larger displays, or a single / double aircraft doing solo-ish performance.

The next one was a Helix (or something like that). A spectacular sight indeed, seeing a pair of aircraft rotating round the centre aircraft.

Blue smoke

Red smoke

Note that the two leading aircraft are inverted. So the pilots must be looking at each other and thinking "Hey... How you doin..". The two spiralling aircraft, while flying at a slightly lower speed due to the need to rotate was still able to keep up, flying at almost full thrust. Twisting and turning, round and round and round.

Mini Diamond formation

Another colourful fly by. The sun was bright, bringing up the yellow belly of the aircraft, accompanied by red and blue smoke. I was wondering why they were flying without any rolls or hard turns. It was a slow flight from the right to the left of the centre stage. Then I found out. All of us were BLOWN AWAY when a single T-50 jet flew at FULL SPEED pass the centre stage. Totally unprepared for it, therefore no shots available.

Though these four aircraft had a bigger role to play in later sessions as shown below. They were getting ready for another nail-biting maneuver.

Looks like a Ram. Note the position of the Red and Blue -smoked aircraft

They made a ram horn out of nothing but smoke trails. Kudos to the planner.

Criss Cross - Reds to the right, blues to the left

4-way split

The approach and the criss-cross followed by the split creates an interesting effect at the base of the split. Had to avoid quite a number of heads popping up to share the excitement and the happiness of seeing this move. Not an easy task as there were many people in front of me who are much much taller.

High G climb/turn

One of the Eagles did another fast move. With full afterburner, it effortlessly climbed, twisted and turned to demonstrate its high maneuverability. See the orange glow of the engine exhaust and the wind movement pass the wings. You can even see slight flexing of the wings near the wing tip.

Victory formation

And to close such a grand performance, they performed the victory split, which looks like a peacock when it is flaunting its beautiful feathers. What an AMAZING performance. I enjoyed it and would have attended the second available show of the ROKAF.

Witness an AWESOME and SPECTACULAR aerial display? Checked, and wanting more of it

That's all for the aerial display and the visit of the first day. Whoo. Took a number of posts to get the first day done, but it has been a wonderful feeling re-living the moment. Thank you for reading this and hopefully enjoying it as much as I did. Day 2 of the airshow is in the next post.

Singapore Airshow 2014 - Day 1 - Aerial Display (Part 1)

Date        : 15 February 2014

Time        : 3.05 pm

Weather  : HOT, but its Aerobatics time.

Status      : Excited !!

WOOOHOOO !!!!!!!!!!!! The time is now. Everyone began moving to the "Center Stage", which is basically the BIG open HOT area in front of the Breitling Control tower by the sea. The announcer mentioned that the airshow was to start 5 minutes earlier due to slot availability. I guess when you are in the vicinity of such an active airspace like that of Changi, 5 minutes makes a lot of difference.

The first aircraft to greet the crowd was the C-17A Globemaster III, "Spirit of Kamehameha". HH 55153. This is a transport aircraft capable of carrying high loads and is able to perform short-field takeoffs and landings. This makes it suitable to be used in arenas where large airfields are not accessible.

 C-17 Entrance Fly-by

The C-17 came in low from the right, flying by half the center stage before making a sharp right bank away from the audience. It was possibly banking at 60 degrees for each turn. It made some turns and flew quite far out before aligning for the next move, the low-speed, low-level fly-by with gears down and flaps extended.

 C-17 Low-speed, low-level fly-by

Look at the massive wingspan with the flaps extended. No wonder it's a good short field performer. Landing at that speed, which is slower than a lot of aircraft (looked even slower than a normal landing airliner), will allow for it to require less runway length, coupled with its powerful reverse thrusters.

 Belly shot of the C-17

The shot above was taken while the aircraft was making its sharp turn, though it may seem like it was taken directly from below. This again demonstrates the maneuverability of the aircraft, even though it is a cargo aircraft.

Banking and lining up for the final display

 High angle climbout

Witness a BIG aircraft perform tight maneuvers? Checked

The last move was a steep climbout directly in front of the audience. This demonstrates the aircraft's engine power, able to push it upwards and forwards at almost 45 degrees (or so it seems from ground level). It then made a turn back to the airbase, making the airspace available for the next performer.

The next display was the T-50s from the RoKAF, or better known as the Royal Korean Air Force. They were the Black Eagles'. They sure did make a grand entrance, with a loud boom and coloured smoke trails. There were 8 aircraft flying the formation.

 Entering with style - Black Eagles

Filling the air with red, blue and white smoke definitely brightened up the area. They had someone from RoKAF which explained in detail about the squadron. Since it takes time for the aircraft to line up, the announcer filled these quiet times with information, along with the names of the formation that they were demonstrating. I shall do my very best to recall the names of these formation as I was truly enjoying the moment.

 Tango Formation

The first formation was the Tango formation ( T ). They were flying further out from the center stage as compare to the C-17 previously. The Tango formation then changed to a Spear formation as they approached center stage.

Spear Formation

They flew in such tight formations flawlessly, making it appear as a single moving body. The smoke trails were only activated when a display was imminent. This greatly assisted he public so that they knew when to start looking and when to get their cameras ready. While the aircraft may be flying under some cloud cover, we the audience were definitely under the hot sun.

 Diamond Formation (Front)

The next one was the Diamond formation, seen from the front and from the bottom. The brighter sections seen above are where there is no cloud cover. This allows for sunlight to shine through and light up the smoke trail of the T-50s.

 Diamond Formation (Bottom)

The formation is such that when viewed from most directions, be it the top, the bottom, front or back, you will see a diamond shape. The front section of the aerial display was mainly a group performance, whereby all the 8 aircraft are arranged to display a particular shape or style. Like the next formation, which was the Eagle(?) formation

 The Black Eagles presenting a formation which mimics the T-50 aircraft

Since the aircraft were relatively small, and difficult to spot with the absence of the smoke trails, the commentator constantly pointed out the direction of which the aircraft will enter, like "Entering Center Stage from you left".

 One final flyby before breaking into smaller groups

The team did a synchronised barrel roll right before performing a high angle climb. This was one of the last actions as an 8-aircraft team as they split into smaller groups for the next section of the aerial show.

 Climbing for the opening curtain

Through the viewfinder, I witnessed the eight jets climbing almost vertically to a point before looping and pointing back to the ground. One good thing about the performance was that it was accompanied with pop music and a cue to inform of an incoming move, something like "Ready..... NOW", or something to that effect.

Opening Curtain

This maneuver allowed for the 8 aircraft to split to their respective sub-groups of 4 and 2.One half would perform while the other gets into position for the coming display. Many flyby's at high speed and low speed were performed, with and without smoke. Since most of the time I was more focused on the show than on the camera, the shots seen here are one of those fewer ones at which my eyes were looking through the viewfinder.

Head on fly past

One of the first few moves after the split. A head on pass. This was done with precise accuracy. You could hear the oooohhss and the aaaahhhhs from the crowd.

To keep this post short, the next segment will be covered in the next post.

Singapore Airshow 2014 - Day 1 - Airshow Grounds and Static Aircraft Displays (2)

Date        : 15 February 2014

Time        : 1.40 pm

Weather  : Still VERY HOT

Status      : Sweaty but still energized (rest was good)

Taken from under the wing

Tail section of the aircraft

At this range, though not evident in this photography due to the lens used, the tail section is huge. Standing right below it make you feel so small. It really dwarfs us when we were near / under the tail section. This is a G550, imagine if it was the 747 or the A380. WOW.

Under the care of the large wingspan of the Gulfstream we had our lunch, topped up on fluids and were ready to proceed. The next attraction was the C-17 aerobatic display which would not start until 3.00 pm. So what would you do while waiting for an airshow due in 1 hour +? See more planes !!

It was still hot, with occasional cloud covers. Though the heat was not realised probably due to the constant wind blowing at us, since we were very near to the sea. Yes it was hot, but the wind prevented us from thinking "FIND SHADE NOW".

Apart from aircraft, the Singapore Airshow also had a fair share of ground-based defence systems. Among them include the Mechanised IGLA, a surface to air missile launcher.  Looks like it has sensors under one launcher rail and a machine gun on the other.

IGLA

Not forgetting the SPYDER-SR as well. And I thought a driving a pick-up truck will give me good forward views of the road. This vehicle is HUGE, not to mention it's height. It carries four missiles, and are usually in larger groups of about 4 or 5, working alongside a mobile radar vehicle. This radar vehicle (can't quite remember the name) sends and receives information from other SAM groups to coordinate attack efforts.

SPYDER-SR

The SPYDER is has 4 missile slots, and can be loaded with either Python and / or Derby missiles. Here, this vehicle is seen with both, Pythons on the side and Derbys in the centre (the longer ones that are sticking out).

Dragged missile out? Not applicable as too heavy (and wayyy too high).

The next segment that we went to was the business jet segment. Here we could see numerous jets, ranging from the small EMB Phenom 100 to the Lineage 1000E being packed into a small blocked off section. So all jets here were just on a see-no-touch basis. My guess is that they were open during the trade days.

Business Jet Section

Notice the similarities between the jet below and the G550 AEW above? Well they are essentially the same aircraft. 

Gulfstream G650

Nose

The driving force of the aircraft

The one above however is the executive jet version, loaded with nice comfy leather seats, wood finishing, big screen TVs, and possibly even a pantry. It also lacks the bulbous nose and tail, and also the additional sensing equipment on the sides, replacing the windows.

P-8 Poseidon 

(Basically Next Gen 737 with raked wingtips)

Well just a teaser photo above. The 737, while nicknamed Boeing's baby was still very large, and it will be impossible to fit into my camera view (the widest my lens can go is 18mm on a crop camera body so... you get the idea. If not, see C-130 prop photo below). So a quick shot of the maritime aircraft and we're off to see more executive jets.

Embraer Lineage 1000E Executive Jet

Look at the Lineage. Known also as the Embraer E190 regional jet, this jet really allows one to travel in pure luxury and in style. Just imagine, an aircraft slightly smaller to that of the 737 being converted to a flying home. It is even equipped with its own stairs. No aerobridge? No worries. We are ready. Just imagine the cost needed to maintain this aircraft and to keep it in the air. But then again, if one could purchase it, what's the maintenance cost to them ey?

Emraer Phenom 100

From one of the largest executive jets to one of the smallest (well at the Singapore Airshow at least), here's the cute and compact Phenom 100. It seats just 4 passengers and has a range of about 2000km, and flies at about 700km/h. Not bad for a personal limousine. It was only here until the evening, after which it was towed out of the display area. 

All aircraft had those white tube-ish things leading to the interior. Since the aircraft is static, the air inside does not circulate as well, hence the need for these blowers to provide a constant supply of fresh air into the cabin. Don't want prospective buyers to faint inside due to lack of oxygen. :)

Embraer Legacy 650

A jet that seems all too familiar. Just to let you know, Jackie Chan owns an aircraft of this type. Look at those barricades keeping me (and the public) away from this gorgeous aircraft. Reinforcing the term so near yet so far. In a hot climate, even planes and helicopters are not spared from the sun. Not the silver sun shade at the cockpit window.

That's all for the business jet section.

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Date        : 15 February 2014

Time        : 2.20 pm

Weather  : Hot but occasionally cloudy

Status      : Excited !!

The final section before the aerobatic display

Here it is. The BIG section. It is a significantly larger area from the previous ones and had aircraft that are significantly larger as well. But before that, let's build up to it. The first thing that caught our eye was this brightly painted chopper.

A Eurocopter AS350 from Airbus (F-WICE)

It was so bright and yellow. It brought life and colours to the area as it was surrounded by mostly grey-ish painted military aircraft. Saw a grey one behind? Well that would be from our very own Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM).

AS332 Super Puma

The Super Puma is an advanced utility helicopter introduced to the Malaysian Air Force as they slowly replace the Nuri (Sea King). Like other aircraft, they allowed the public to go into the cabin. They enter via the port side door and exit via the starboard side. It may look like it hugs the ground but believe me, you need to jump off the cabin.

KAI T-50 Golden Eagle

Up next we have the T-50 trainer. This is developed by the Korean Aerospace Industries as a supersonic trainer and an attack aircraft. Look at its versatility, being able to carry an array of weaponry. We will soon see more of this aircraft, particularly those of the Royal Korean Air Force (ROKAF). This aircraft resembles the F-16 Fighting Falcon as developed by KAI and Lockheed Martin. It is small, slick and agile.

Here comes the BIG one

Taken from a distance, Lockheed KC-130J Aerial Refueler

Now this is something you don't see everyday in the skies of Malaysia. An airborne refuelling platform. Back then, I used t think that those Huge tanks were bombs that could be dropped off. Something as big and as round as this, HAD to be a bomb, whether it was on a C-130 or on and F-15. Well I was partially correct. F-15s do drop off their external tanks if needed, but those were no bombs. They carried fuel. Will show more in a short while. Just a short diversion here, a helicopter with a unique tail rotor.

Fenestron-type tail rotor of the EC-135

This one was from Maju Holdings. They had posh leather seats and luxury looking interiors. Short haul travelling in style. Back to the rotor, this design is much quieter compared to the conventional one, and much safer in the sense that one cannot have their limbs cut of if they stood to near (unless of course they stuck their hand through the "Danger" area)

After snapping enough photos of this chopper, we had over to the KC-130J. Here's the view from the back.

Rear cargo door

Just look at the size of the cargo area. You could fit a few Jeeps in there. Here is where the line starts to get into the aircraft cargo bay as well as the cockpit.

A better view of the interior

Just imagine the amount of cargo you can fit in here. And even the number of seats you can cram for paratrooper deployment. Legroom will definitely be limited and bulkhead seats are scarce. There wasn't much time to queue for the aircraft visit, so it was just a stop - snap - go thing. One final shot just before we left the aircraft.

Propellers, engines, wing, fuel tank all in one shot. Happy enough.

I saw the blades turning effortlessly as the wind blew past it. So I thought, how hard could it be. I reached out, had all five fingers on one of the 6 carbon blades, and with all my might  *~~*GRUNT, it does not move. Took me a couple of tries but eventually I am happy to say this.

Turned the propeller blades of the C130? Checked (10°)

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Wow... It has been close to two weeks since I've updated this section. Had quite some stuffs to handle. Anyway, let's move on.

As promised, here's the MV-22 Osprey.

 MV-22B Osprey

The Osprey is a tilt-rotor aircraft, which utilises the rotors of helicopters for VTOL/STOL and for heavy load lifting, and the wings of a fixed winged aircraft, to give it a boost of speed over its utility helicopter counterparts like the Chinook. It goes up straight, and it flies fast. What else could you ask for. This is one unique aircraft.

Just look at the MASSIVE rotor blades. At that rotor length, the engines maximum tilt angle on ground is that of the picture. Any lower, and it becomes a really expensive single-use Lawn Mower. It was almost impossible to get a clean unobstructed shot of the aircraft. However, there will be more of this coming up during the aerial display section.

I guess the name "Osprey" is derived from the Osprey bird, which hovers above its prey, calculating its approach before diving in for the kill. 

The next aircraft type is one that has been in service for a long time. Known commercially as the 707, the KC-135 is an aerial refueling aircraft. It uses the same airframe as the 707 but has upgraded engines, flight controls and an additional refueling boom at the rear. This re-fueler differs from the prop-KC-130 in terms of its refueling methods. The KC-130 uses a basket-type probe-and-drogue which is basically a flexible hose that extends outwards. This method is used mainly by helicopters as the line is long enough to clear the rotor blades of the helicopters. The KC-135 however uses a boom, used mainly for jet aircraft like the B-1 bombers and C-17 Globemasters.

 KC-135 Front Entrance

If I'm not mistaken, that little door is where the crew enter the aircraft normally. Since it is an airshow with public visitors, the main cargo entrance was used instead. Bigger and lower risk of bumping your head.

 BIG engines

Seen the insides of an aerial refueling aircraft? Checked

 Side view of the KC-135

Well the area here is more or less the end of the static display as there is nothing else behind the camera, apart from a HUGE space which once was a parking slot to A350, B787 and SilkAir's New B737-800, all three of which have left before the public days. It was also the spot for the C-17 Globemaster which has not left the airshow, but has gone to the skies for the aerial display. See the dot in the middle of the picture below.

F-15 at the RSAF display area

It s now time for the Aerial Display, the main event that we've all been waiting for. Time to move to a nice location. The Aerobatic Displays will be covered in the next (separate) post.