Tag: lima17

The Smoky Bandit

The Smokey Bandit

Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) MiG-29N are nicknamed Smokey Bandits. One of its more famous pilots is lady top gun Major Patricia Yapp Syau Yin who flies solo. She’s Asia’s first female MiG-29 fighter pilot. The squadron based in Kuantan were at the LIMA Air show.

Aerial display and aerobatics do not necessary require a very long lens, unless you want to lock onto a solitary aircraft. For formation flying, a 70-200mm lens (of 35mm format equivalence) should be adequate. And another common myth is that one must get near or into the airport.

Langkawi’s terrain is hilly and that means you can find better spots on higher ground for a better vantage point. The back perimeter fence of the airport is good too because you can also capture the carnival-like atmosphere created by the villagers.

I must warn you that if you get your schedule wrong or if a session is cancelled, you won’t be able to get out from there. The narrow road will be jam packed with villagers, motorcycles, cars and hawkers.

Morning directional light is a good time for both white and colourful contrails. Even the black exhaust of the MIG 29N looks better. This was photographed during LIMA 2011.

Olympus E-3, ISO 200, f11, 1/800 sec.

#lima #lima2015 #lima15 #rmaf #tudm #mig29 #airshow #smokeybandit #contrail #langkawi #olympus

The Day I Became A “Jaga Kereta” For A Submarine

The Day I Became A “Jaga Kereta” For A Submarine.

With LIMA starting in a couple of days, I am looking at the many images I captured over the years. This is one of my favourite moments from LIMA and it was from 2007. It was so bizarre, funny and am honoured to be able to experience it. I stumbled upon the scene at Porto Malai naval harbour by chance. Was walking on the dockyard after a lunch cum tour hosted by a Royal Malaysian Navy ship earlier.

An Indian Navy submarine was trying to dock after resurfacing. There was such a big commotion, with every sailor shouting back and forth. One would think one was standing outside the noisy kitchen of a mamak restaurant. LOL. The confusion and pandemonium were probably caused by the unfamiliar territory and unconventional berthing. The captain was the coolest guy standing there (below the tower) unperturbed.

A submarine up close was such a rare sight and I was standing at the edge of the dockyard photographing the drama when, all of as sudden, one of the sailors threw a thick and heavy rope at me! I grabbed the the rope, hooked it to a bollard and started shouting “Gostan, Gostan” like a boss. More like a ‘jaga kereta’ (a self-appointed parking attendant by the roadside with a dirty rag), actually.

The local word “gostan” (to reverse) is believed to have originated from “go astern” in sailing terminology.

“Gostan sikit. Lagi, lagi… Oooppp!” Hand slaps submarine, jaga kereta-style.

Not an expert on submarines but a search of scant archived documentation of LIMA hinted it could be the INS Sindhurakshak, a Russian-made Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy. Hopefully it was not the INS Sindhurakshak. In August 2013, the Sindhurakshak sank after explosions caused by a fire on board when the submarine was berthed at Mumbai. There were fatalities.

Find or book a room in Langkawi here:

http://www.mycen.my/hotels-in-langkawi/

#lima #lima2017 #lima15 #maritme #navy #naval #submarine #india #langkawi #olympus