Philippines to Malaysia, a Cessna 152's relocation journey.

Manila, Philippines | 菲律宾 (August 2004)

It was the first day of my journey to my new home in Malaysia. I overheard it was my ferry pilot’s birthday the next day, as I laid quietly on the apron of Puerto Princesa airport in Palawan island, Philippines and a lone dog taking shelter underneath my belly. Next to me sat my big brother – a C206 from Rio Tuba, a mining town further down south with its mining company owner having just flown in some guests from the mining site down into town for supplies. The locals call me RC1274 but I am known internationally as C152. I am special because I have an upgraded engine.

A seemingly long journey for an old girl like myself but I’m assured my driver pilot will take care of me; as like many pilots, a similar make like myself helped lifted him to the skies on his first flight years back when he was a student pilot and gave him wings to fly for the first time. If not, why would he spend his birthday alone with me!

I’ve spend the recent years based in the hanger of a charter company in Manila, Philippines until recently when I was acquired by a flying club in Malaysia for student training. Life of similar makes like myself are typical, we are the backbone of student flight training, much of the world’s pilot begin their exploration of the 3-dimensional blue sky world with workhorses like myself or one of my siblings. After 41 years of production and 17 years since my last sister rolled off the production line; like myself, many of my siblings still travel the world and live in various parts of the world where we gave aviator-wannabes their first taste of the world of aviation and taught them how to fly. Similar is the mission and reason behind my next major relocation.

My journey would take me over land and sea Philippines into East Malaysia, cutting across Brunei airspace briefly, and thereafter entering Singapore airspace into West Malaysia. It began with a 2 days delay in southern Philippines at my first re-fueling stop. One of those moments I get to rest but I’m suspecting my pilot is kinda sulking in his hotel over the weekend. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Philippines though, but just that he has to sit around and wait for landing clearance and couldn’t just fly me to one of those dive resort islands and spend the weekend! We arrived and were stuck in Puerto Princesa, the tourist town of southern Philippines in Palawan, from Manila for 2 days ago when I was supposed to have continued the journey across the imaginary border over the sea into Kota Kinabalu (KK), Malaysia. In beautiful KK town, the wonderful folks from the Sabah Flying Club have just cancelled an intended dinner get-together due to the delay. All flight permits and ATC clearances has long been approved but it was a last minute snag with the state police approval that totally caught us by surprise. What to do, 9-11 incident has changed everything!

Leaving Manila International on a hazy Saturday sunrise in marginal VFR conditions, my driver put me on a steady climb to 8000ft where upon emerging through from the clouds, I had a bird’s eye view of the beautiful islands around Philippines. Cruising across southerly the channel separating Luzon and Palawan southerly towards the islands of Palawan, With my fuel-air mixture adjusted the carburetor heat run every now and then to allow me to breathe and run smoothly, I cruised along in smooth air amidst blue skies giving myself and my lone driver a fantastic view of the corals beneath sparkling crystal blue waters. Once out of controlled air-space, it was obvious to me Mr ferry pilot was beginning to get distracted by the beautiful scenery of the coral islands that he started banking around for keepsake shots using his digital camera. He was also having fun trying to spot all the more remote airstrips that was listed on his map as he flew south towards his first re-fueling stop – Puerto Princesa in southern Philippines.

On my second day resting on my laurels in Puerto Princesa airfield awaiting clearances from Malaysia. Other than my driver pilot and his supportive Pilipino friend Randy coming by to check on me, have a chat with the weather services folks and file a flight plan for tomorrow in anticipation that clearances may be available once the folks in KK return from the weekend, nothing much happened. Proud to say, my Philippino heritage of warm hospitality didn’t fail him and at least his kind pilot cum engineer friend Randy was around to provide some company for the period my pilot was stuck in Puerto.

Day 3 was a little tense. My dear pilot sat under my wing since 8am calling his contacts from Sabah Flying Club for kind assistance to check on entry clearance into Malaysia. With exit clearance from Philippines valid until 12pm today, he was mentally preparing for the worse - a return to Manila to stay an extra few days and re-apply for new exit clearances to continue the journey. I felt bad for him but at least my high wings provided the basic comfort of sheltering him from the blistering hot sun as he patiently sat with his knee-pad in one hand and the mobile phone in the other eagerly waiting for it to ring with good news.

Late morning, his mobile phone rang and clearance was given thanks to help from the ATC officers. I suddenly felt like a fighter jet scrambled on alert witnessing almost comically how my pilot jumping into the left seat within split seconds and making the ATC call for startup clearance. It was as if he feared if he doesn’t get airborne within minutes, the Malaysian authorities might just change their mind.

I could sense my driver’s joy and enthusiasm sink to disappointment as he directed me approaching Kota Kinabalu. Looking ahead 50 miles ahead, I started to understand why - I could make out the shoreline of East Malaysia but the most beautiful and prominent highest peak in Malaysia - KK mountain peak was not visible and was totally hidden amidst thick clouds. Sad to say, no photos to bring back home, luck just wasn’t on our side. However, this didn’t dilute our appreciation of how beautiful the Sabah coast was as we flew along our imaginary mountain by the coast towards KK airport which is also frequented daily by many airlines. Approaching and landing in KK was a breeze thanks to the friendly ATC controller who approved me for visual direct approach once I had the airfield visual and airline traffic was clear. As my wheels touched Malaysian soil, Mr driver pilot was glad to finally meet his helpful friend Capt Albert from the Sabah Flying Club upon arrival. Albert and his club instructor Capt Richard Ong had been instrumental in helping him get permission and clearances into Malaysia. It was a night of rest for me in foreign soil as my driver headed off for a good kampong style seafood dinner with Albert in appreciation of his help with flight and immigration clearance, the least we could offer.

The rest of my westerly journey along the coast of East Malaysia via Brunei wasn’t that much of a spectacular visual treat anymore. I did manage to catch sight of the famous island of Labuan and also overfly the Brunei airport initially as I flew westwards but beyond Brunei, rain started pattering intermittently on my face and I started depending on my VOR & GPS to guide me along the way. I spend much of my time in and out of rain and clouds due to the bad weather and visibility across much of East Malaysia. Needless to say, my poor pilot drivers’ fatigue level also start to increase as he coped with the loneliness and additional concentration needed to fly largely based on looking at the instruments I was equipped with. The day passed by in blur (in the clouds) and ended with a night-stop in Kuching where due to bad visibility and weather, I was directed to intercept the localizer for an approach to landing. Sadly, though we passed many airfields and towns, we saw little along the way except vague glimpses of the hazy horizon and coastline. Many a times, I wished I could sing a tune to join in the humming of songs by my driver pilot as he sang to himself to keep in spirits and alert concentration to avoid potential fatigue and vertigo from the long flight alone.

Besides re-fueling stops, our seemingly boring (due weather and bad visibility) and uneventful endurance journey continued over land and sea until we reached Singapore airspace and joined the ranks of the big boys (Beoings & Airbuses) chatting with the friendly voices of Singapore radar. Despite the fact that this was my first visit to Malaysia and Singapore, sadly, there was nothing much of a first impression for me as during the last legs of the journey, besides blue seas I literally saw nothing due to thunderstorms surrounding Singapore and Johor, the southern tip of Malaysia. By now, my driver have chosen to fly high on instrument flight plans, hence I was guided into Singapore and thereafter West Malaysia by the friendly voices of Singapore air traffic control as rain pattered fiercely on my face.

At one point, I was bouncing around so much in the rain and clouds while trying to follow the vectors given by the radar controller that I was starting to feel as if the rivets of holding my aluminum wings will come loose if I continued!

Fortunately, my dear pilot driver politely requested the friendly radar controller for a diversion along assigned route and that brought me some relief.

At 0540 UTC time, 25Aug2004, I approach overhead my destination and landed safely from a full ILS approach on my new home – Senai airport in Johor, Malaysia. This was where I will be spending the next years of my life bringing joy to many more earthlings who will hopefully see the world differently from 5,000ft above leveraging on my wings. All I ask for in return - a good polish, regular “vitamins” to keep my engine running and tender loving care of my body to keep me serving all the aviators in Malaysia and Singapore.

From the August 2004 diaries of

RPC1274 (formerly known in the Philippines before she migrated to Malaysia)

Footnote (penned 10Mar2024) :

Encircled by Thunderstorm & lighthing, with my almost trembling hands on the throttle, our little bird battled steadily through the rain & turbulence across the south china sea towards Elite Flying Club in WMKJ Senai, Johor. As I switched over to Johor air traffic control, a chirpy yet concerned voice came through the radio, “Meng! Glad to hear your voice, welcome back! I was getting worried!”

Capt Andrew Law was anxiously waiting in the control tower, founder & flight examiner from Elite Flying Club. My lifelong mentor; he trained me to be his club flight instructor, and i was on my first solo ferry flight to deliver a beautiful garmin equipped souped-up C152 I found in Philippines for modernizing Capt Andrew’s Elite Flying Club’s fleet.

I will never forget your fatherly smile and always look up to your positive disposition & lifelong dedication to us beginners in aviation.

Always a beacon of light, forever the lighthouse guiding us pilots out of the storm towards the blue skies!

The journey is everything! Godspeed sir! Thank you for always being there for me. You will forever be in my heart.