Hi Samantha Gabriel a small but vibrant group of General Aviation aviators does exists in our little island country. they have their fair share of recreation recreation flying like Singapore Youth flying club or the professional Air Line Pilots Association of Singapore (ALPA-S) they representing pilots in Singapore it is also a member of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association. As the professional body representing airline pilots in Singapore, enhancing aviation safety, promoting professionalism and technical competence amongst the members ranks high in the objectives of the association.
The Singapore Youth Flying Club (SYFC) was established in December 1971 as the Junior Flying Club by the then newly-formed Singapore Armed Forces. Its mission is to promote aviation among youths and inculcate in them a strong passion for flying. This is done through its aeromodelling courses for secondary school students and flying training for JC and Polytechnic students. Its vision is to be a world class aviation training centre for youths and it strives to develop them to take up a career in the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
In the old days
In the early days, the Club flew out of Sembawang Airfield, now Sembawang Air Base. The Club later moved to Seletar Air Base, now Seletar Airport, to conduct its flying operations which it still does till today. Its aeromodelling activitieswere conducted initially at Harding Road at Tanglin, then in 1999 at Air Force School at Paya Lebar and in 2003, at it s present location in Seletar Airport.
YFC21 Modernisation Programme
Recognising the importance of SYFC in providing pilot candidates for RSAF, Mr Peter Ho, then Permanent Secretary (Defence) and Chairman of the SYFC's Board of Governors initiated the YFC21 Modernisation Programme in 1999. The aeromodelling and flying operations were colocated at one central location in Seletar Airport. The modern architectural building of SYFC features up-to-date training facilities such as aircraft hangar, aeromodelling workshops, computer aided instruction systems and aircraft simulator.
The Operating Aircraft
The Junior Flying Club started off with a fleet of eight
Cessna 172s, and six AT-6 Airtourers, all handed down from the Air Force. In 1989, it upgraded the entire fleet to 12
Piper Warriors (PA-28-161). The old Warriors are still serving the SYFC today. In Nov 2002, the Club acquired 2 CT/4E which are fully aerobatic aircraft and give students a glimpse of the rigours of military flying.
