Speech by the Senior Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman at the Singapore Youth Flying Club's PPL Wings and Aviation Awards Ceremony

BG Kelvin Khong Boon Leong, Chief of Air Force and Chairman of the SYFC Board of Governors
BG Tommy Tan Ah Han, President of the SYFC Management Committee
Distinguished Guests
Students of SYFC
Ladies and Gentlemen

A very good morning. I am very honoured to be here this morning today to recognise and celebrate the achievement of the Private Pilot Licence (PPL) by our 33 young graduands. My heartiest congratulations to each and every one of you on meeting the demands of the PPL programme while also juggling your studies. I would also like to congratulate your families and teachers, who have supported you in your endeavour.

For years, mankind has been fascinated by flight. Since the first powered flight by the Wright brothers in 1903, many have dreamt of taking to the skies. Today, aircraft are vastly more capable in terms of speed, range and manoeuvrability. They are equipped with very high-tech avionic systems for communications, navigation, and the display and management of multiple sub-systems. As a result, flying in today's operating environment is complex and demanding, and requires highly coordinated and focused skills.  Your attainment of the PPL is a strong testament of your skills, level and aptitude as a pilot. This is a noteworthy achievement, and I hope that you will stay passionate about flying.

The Singapore Youth Flying Club (SYFC) was first set up in 1971 by our first Minister for Defence, the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, who wanted an organisation which would promote aviation and inculcate a strong passion in flying amongst our youths. This mission remains relevant for us today. I am pleased to share that the SYFC has provided flying experience and training to 6,887 students and given out 1,160 PPLs to students like yourselves, since its establishment in 1971.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend the SYFC for your effort in providing the continuous training to young Singaporeans, maintaining an excellent safety record, and staying accident-free for 47 years of flying operations. This is only made possible by the constant emphasis on safety by the SYFC Management Committee, the professionalism of the flying instructors, and the students' commitment to excellence. It is encouraging to know that more than a third of the pilots in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) are SYFC's alumni. Our Chief of Air Force, BG Kelvin Khong is a PPL graduate from SYFC and received the Best in Flying award in his cohort. Another notable SYFC PPL graduate is the former Chief of Air Force and Chief of Defence Force, Minister Ng Chee Meng from the Prime Minister's Office, so for those of you who are here, you can set your sights very very high. I hope their achievements will encourage more youths to take advantage of the excellent opportunities provided by the SYFC, and in doing so, be inspired to serve as pilots in the RSAF. 

The RSAF has come a long way in its past five decades of committed and dedicated service to keep Singapore's skies safe. In 1968, Singapore took over the responsibility of our own air defence from the Royal Air Force. Within eight months, the RSAF started with the formation of the SAF Flying Platoon and two Cessnas leased from the Singapore Flying Club. Today, Singapore's air defence capabilities have progressed significantly. The RSAF is now one of the most advanced and capable air forces in the region; superior in the air, able to influence ground and maritime battles, and it stands ready to take on different types of operations to safeguard Singapore's security and sovereignty on a 24/7 basis. You may recall the two recent alleged bomb threat cases – The Scoot flight en route to Hat Yai, Thailand and the homebound Singapore Airlines flight from Mumbai. Within minutes of being alerted, the RSAF fighter jets were scrambled to intercept and escort the commercial planes for safe landing. Simultaneously, the airborne RSAF fighters had to make sure that the commercial pilots complied with all the given instructions. Besides that, the RSAF demonstrated its operational readiness in defending our skies during the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June last year. 

Why is there a need to protect our own airspace? Today 7,400 flights land or depart from our Changi Airport each week – that means approximately 1 in every 1.5 minutes - and more than 65.6 million passengers pass through the airport a year, that is the reason we have to protect our skies.

To ensure Singapore's continued growth as a vibrant air hub in the region and to gain economic value from our air hub status, the Changi Airport is undergoing essential developments such as the opening of Jewel, the construction of the  biggest airport terminal, Terminal 5, and the building of a three-runway system. Singapore must be able to protect her own airspace to defend the air hub status, so the need for a capable RSAF is vital.  

Finding the right talent for an organisation is a constant challenge. The RSAF is always on the lookout for individuals like you who possess the right skill sets of sharp situational awareness, sound technical judgement and discipline, to take on the challenge and to move the RSAF forward. I encourage the graduands today, as well as other young Singaporeans, to join the RSAF in its honourable mission to keep our nation's airspace safe. I am heartened to share with you about one of our graduands today – Darwin Lee. To him, serving in the RSAF is a family affair. Both his father and elder brother are RSAF pilots and he will be following their footsteps, or should I say flight steps. To add on to that, his younger sister is also currently in the SYFC Basic Flying Course and has expressed interest to join them into the RSAF family too. I hope that Darwin's family will inspire you to encourage your younger siblings to join the RSAF family.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge and thank the principals, teachers and parents for your strong support for SYFC's programmes. It is only through your close partnership that SYFC can continue to deliver and meet their mission to promote aviation and inculcate a strong passion for flying among our youths. 

Once again, my heartfelt congratulations to our young graduands. You have proven that with passion and determination, you can achieve anything, so please do not hesitate to pursue other dreams that you may have. I wish you all the success in your future endeavours and may you continue to strive for excellence in both your personal and professional developments. 

Congratulations. Thank you.