KC Sim

Allow me to borrow TK's words : Lights ... camera ... ACTION !!! And more lights, camera and action. With the lights changing constantly and the shadow of people on the ramp interacting with the projected lights, it seems there are just endless combinations to the final effect on the A380. I like this version very much. And here's a closeup of the nose ... Earlier in the morning when I arrived on the Jetstar Asia flight from Singapore, I noticed 9M-MNA parked at the remote stand across from gate C12. As the B772 parked at C12 was pushed back for its departure at 0915hrs to Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to see both old and new logos interact. And interestingly, the three aircraft on the remote stand now perfectly tell the story of an airline livery in transition. KC Sim

So ... the carpark aunty has made a big career move to become the snake-oil saleman. Indeed it seems like a tonne of fun in spite of the missing sun. Love the shots of Egyptair, Thai retro B744, China Airlines Skyteam A333 and RTAF B737-400! And just reading about the roast duck, crispy pork (moo krob) and char siew (moo dang) at that restaurant is enough to send me into a salivating fest. I will be enjoying that from 5-8 July when I too will stake out the spotting locations at BKK. Hope I have better luck with the weather. With longer haul destinations becoming a reality with LCCs, perhaps Narita/Haneda for Mwings 8th Anniversary! But perhaps a Plan B is needed : If the KLIA 2 is opened by then and the weather station reopens, perhaps the celebration should shift back to KUL weather station (and who knows what might be possible on Observation Hill too). KC Sim

Tengku Azahan : If you put up a tent for a night's stay, may I be your humble servant ... to sweep the grass around your tent, boil hot water for English tea (cannot do teh tarik as my hands too short and I might get stretch marks from tariking the teh), keep a lookout for planes on runway ... but all these only before and after I have photographed the planes in action. Great to see your nose shots again ... more, more and more please. KC

What an amazing month it has been ... since the first delivery flight of 9M-MNA when it still wore an unfinished livery. Now fully decorated in MAS' premium livery (the all blue version), it was further enhanced last night when 9M-MNA was bathed in a riot of colours at a send-off party! And what an absolutely crazy and colourful event it was. We went through the usual administrative and security processes from the security pass counter to the gate and along the way, an administrative hiccup threatened to deprive us of TK and Jonathan's company. Thank goodness this was resolved and we arrived on the ramp to this sight!! Closeup, it was the first time that an A380 looked really awesome from this angle, thanks to the stripey temporary "special livery" created by the special lighting effects. Just as I thought it could not get any better, the A380 went all dotty ... and I thought, what an amazing idea if MAS were to adopt something akin to this as a real special livery. When loading began and ground equipment and staff members moved in, I thought photography would have to take a back-seat for a while. I was wrong, as the lighting effects produced this interesting shot of what usually is a very unexciting process. I love the shadows of the staff and the cargo hold's door. Anyone who wondering how all manners of special livery would look need not wonder last night ... for the colour combination kept changing with each minute. You rather see blue, green, red, pink, orange, purple? You got it. And what happens when MAS A380 meets Tropical Megatop and Peter Max ... perhaps something like this would be the result. MAS should really consider such a special livery !!! It would certainly turn heads at every single airport around the world. It would be a lie if I did not admit I was doubtful we could capture the pushback. There just was not enough light from the regular ramp lighting but just as pushback commenced, the entire ramp was awashed in this amazing white light! It was every photographer's wildest dream come true. Thanks MAS, for this final touch!! This was a show that will be hard to top ... and I know that it had not come about easily. Thanks to all in Malaysia Airlines, we were treated to one of the most fantastic aviation spectacle I have ever seen. And thanks to the MAS Social Media team for tirelessly doing all that it takes to get us to the right place at the right time - and for staying with us on the hot, humid and horribly energy-sapping ramp. KC Sim

Great shots from the people on the bright side ... thanks to them, we get to see the A380 at its best during its flypast and landing. Here's another installment of shots from me. How many engines does an A380 have? Two? Three? No, Four. A brief moment before the start of the water-canon salute must have been very tense for those operating the fire tenders. They have to co-ordinate the exact moment they both shoots out the jets of water ... they have to ensure that the jets meet in mid-air, taking into consideration the prevailing wind direction and the fact that they are shooting from opposing directions ... but they did a great job and produced an arc of water that made a fitting tribute to the A380's home-coming. Back in the holding room of gate 27, a pair of beautifully-crafted pewter A380 models was displayed. I wonder who are the very lucky people to finally get to keep them. Meanwhile, on the ramp ... KS Ong did not seem too pleased after the water-canon salute ended. Perched high on the platform which is normally occupied by the person marshalling an arriving aircraft, he had a great height advantage. KS Ong's frown quickly turned to all smiles when he was joined by Ian Lim and Suhaimi for a shot with the A380. Here's one for the album. KC Sim

What a day this has been for all who were participating in the celebrations marking the home-coming of MAS' first Airbus A380. After a quick dash to Toulouse, it return with a full livery and an updated cabin configuration. The sun co-operated and burnt the early morning fog away just as 9M-MNA landed. For the two chirpy, cheerful and bright photographers on the Observation Hill, it was a grandstand view of the flypast and subsequent landing on runway 32R. This was perhaps why Jonathan wanted to shed tears of joy ... but for KS Ong, Ian Lim and me, we were on the dark-side and shedding tears of envy. When the historic touchdown finally came, this is all that we saw from the dark-side! We had earlier also scouted around the ramp for our personal favourite spot to photograph the water-canon salute. This came to nought when at the last and crucial moment, bureaucracy dictated that we could not be at our chosen spot and it was insisted that we photograph from a spot looking directly into the early morning sun! Thankfully, a desperate compromise was brokered by Suhaimi from the MAS Social Media team and we each still managed to find a decent alternative that does not ruffle anybody's feathers. And so this is my take on the water-canon salute welcoming the new flagship of Malaysia Airlines. At this point during the water-canon salute, the pilots of a MAS B737-400 reduced his taxy to runway 32R to a crawl just so that he could have a lasting dose of the beautiful action. Up on the Observation Hill, I swear we could hear some really unquotable swearings ... and perhaps this is when Jonathan felt like crying again. As the water-canon salute neared its conclusion, the new emblem on the tail was given a tonne of watery blessings. As all the excitement and action settled, it was left to KS Ong and me to search the ramp for a watery patch - a task made difficult by the hot sun. I finally found my patch ... and it was worth getting soaked and left dripping wet for this shot. On the way to the cabin tour, we paused and sought permission for this shot of the A380's fuselage markings. What a great day this has been ... and my sincere thanks to the MAS Social Media team and fellow Mwingers for their company and assistance. KC Sim BTW, 9M-MNA was not the only receipient of the water-canon salute. It generously shared this honour with Ian Lim ... thanks of course to the strong winds which blew the auspicious droplets in Ian's direction. He had to scurry for shelter, I suspect this was more to protect his valuable equipment than to keep himself dry. KC Sim

He may be "talented" but one cannot say the same about being "noble". BTW, what has his talents got to do with the molestation charge ... And the final statement about his wife being at the hearing and that they have no children - if his interest is in other men, they are unlikely to have any children. All in all, a rather comical situation. Perhaps his fellow inmates in jail will for once have some Qatar Airways qualify inflight service for a short while. KC Sim

Two A320s - devoid of Batavia titles but still wearing the old and current basic Batavia liveries - are parked at Changi Airport's North Apron. The have been there for some weeks already ... but Batavia's flights to Singapore are still being operated.

Jonathan, you put the Copenhagen mermaid to shame with your sexy pose ... KC Sim

Only some seats will be furnished in yellow. Others will be in a dark grey and yet others in a deep purple. That is as far as I know at this stage. KC Sim

Agree also with Chaity and Francis about the size of the tail title ... having it flowing onto the fuselage distorts it when view from certain angle. On the port side, it risks becoming "SOOT" and on the starboard side, it could potentially look like "SCOT". Another feature of the livery which is a tad too large is the registration ... it "escapes" from the yellow section of the fuselage and ever so lightly touches on the white. Rather awkward, I thought. The one thing I really liked about the livery is the use of yellow .... my favourite colour on an airplane. I cannot wait to try out my first Scoot experience on the inaugural flight to Bangkok on July 5. KC Sim

The day we have waited long is finally here ... as SCOOT's first B777-200 9V-OTC takes to the sky on its maiden test flight. The departure was delayed from 1100hrs to 1220hrs ... a lengthy wait for one who is anxious and nervous. But it was finally pushed back and taxied to runway 20C for take-off. From this angle, the airline's title on the tail became "SOOT" instead of "SCOOT". What was planned to be a one-hour test flight turned into a waiting game ... as 9V-OTC remained aloft somewhere out there for four hours! And when it finally returned, to my horror, it was cleared to runway 20C which called for a mad dash to another spot. The effort was worth it as I got there in time to snap this shot in good afternoon light. Happy with my catch so far, I gave myself a well-deserved rest ... until my eyes caught sight of a yellow dot approaching runway 20R. Yet another adrenalin-rush as I scrambled to get into position for this shot ... ... and before it disappeared for the last time today, I just had to grab this nose shot to remind all of the airline's website. Besides SCOOT, this day was perhaps better remembered for a whole basket of special planes and great light ... but for now, this is all I could process and post on this site. KC Sim

What a joy to see this thread ... coincidentally, I was transiting Dubai enroute to Houston on 15 May when I saw this timetable and similarly photographed it. I was intrigued by the full routing and timetable ... and noted that arrivals in destinations such as Singapore was merely reflected as "afternoon". Not only was Penang more important than Kuala Lumpur ... Rangoon was reputed to be more important than even Bangkok. How times have changed. Anyone passing through Dubai should really seek out this beautiful display ... with many interesting pictures of Gulf Aviation (today's Gulf Air) in its early days. There was a small model of the airport terminal in its early days with a Gulf Aviation DC3 on the ramp. KC Sim

Tiger Mandala inaugurated flights between Medan and Singapore. KC Sim

Hi all, the recent retirement of Singapore Airlines' Boeing 747-400 from passenger service has set me thinking about the retirement plans of the B747 in other airlines. JAL has done it in 2011 and SIA has done it in 2012. It is my understanding that by sometime next year, Air China too will retire the last of its B744 from passenger service. Does anyone know which other airlines have retired their B747 from passenger service and who's planning it (and in what time frame and with what replacement aircraft type)? Many thanks. KC Sim

I fully agree that the Captain and the pilots' primary function in such a situation is to safely fly the plane and leave the cabin attendants to ensure that passengers are briefed and where necessary, perhaps even rehearse the use of emergency gears and brace positions. I am certain that the cockpit crew and the cabin crew are in communication and the latter make the call on what to say to the passengers. Kudos to all the crew members in the cockpit and in the cabin for safely bringing back MH002 to KLIA. This is the true test of their professionalism and they have made a good account of themselves and of Malaysia Airlines. Does anyone know which aircraft was involved in the incident? Perhaps it is also time for MAS to seriously consider looking at replacement for the B744 fleet ... not just with the A380s but perhaps something of the right size. And if an order takes too long to fulfill, perhaps a lease should be considered. KC Sim

The most unglamourous transport used by any VVIP worldwide must surely be the one used by Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong ... he travelled to some summit meetings in a Fokker 50!!!!! But that saved us tonnes of tax-payers' money .... KC Sim

On 14 April 2012 (Sat), I was surprised to see VH-OQA being pushed back from its parking stand at bay 104 ... it was powered up and eventually taxied out of sight. It eventually re-appeared and apparently taxied around Changi Airport for slightly more than an hour before returning to its original stand. On 15 April 2012 (Sun), it departed on its first air test since the incident in November 2010 ... and contrary to my expectation of a gentle take-off ... it rotated early and climbed steeply into the crisp morning sky. It made an early right turn and went on a test flight that lasted all of four hours and three minutes. It is really good to see Nancy-Bird Walton back in the air and these pictures were taken on 15 April. Now it leaves only for Qantas to perform at least one more test flight (perhaps an acceptance flight), give -OQA a good scrub-down and then bring it back to Sydney on the night of 21 April. It is expected to be received with much fanfare in SYD on the morning of 22 April. KC

The controversy aside, I am pleased that Mr David Cameron chartered the B747-400 of Atlas Air ... I was wondering when I would have the opportunity to see and photograph this beautiful Jumbo ... and it turned up yesterday in Singapore Changi Airport for a brief 2-hour stop before going on to Nayphitaw in Myanmar. KC Sim

It seems like MAS has had a change of heart ... according to a report by Air Transport World which is partially quoted below: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has moved to distance itself from reports that it would create child-free zones on new Airbus A380 aircraft when it enters the fleet in July (ATW Daily News, March 12). In a spate of reports, the carrier said it would ban children under 12 from the upper deck of the new planes. However, MAS said that when the main deck is full “we will still accommodate such demand in the 70-seat upper deck economy-class zone of our A380.” “Arising from the absence of bassinet facility in first class, Malaysia Airlines will accept infant travel in business- and economy-class zones,” MAS Dato’ Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani, EVP-customer experience said in response to questions from ATW Is this yet another flip flop ... why can't the management think through something thoroughly and debate such ideas internally and exhaustively before announcing them. KC Sim

Actually, having flown on more than 60 airlines since 1981 ... I must say that my greatest irritations have been with grown-ups rather than children. Some of these include : - people who MUST stand on the aisle to talk to the friends seated (even as the seat next to their friend is empty). They just MUST be seen ... never mind how many times the crew needed to move up and down the aisle during meal service. - people who stand in the aisle while a movie is on the main screen (in the days before IFE is common) ... I once had to ask a lady if she intended to stand all the way to London ... she sat down at lightning speed after that and other passengers applauded - people who play footsie with you by placing their feet in the space beneath the seat in front of me ... I had to tell such people to keep their feet in front of them and if I want to play footsie, I will invite them to do so - people who recline their seats violently as soon as they finish gobbling down their meal ... and those who do so even before the flight has taken off - people who rest their hairy arms beyond the armrests ... I truly dislike this and will therefore avoid airlines with 10-abreast B777s such as EK - people who talk loudly about all their life achievements ... even as their friend's ear is less than a foot from their lips - people who stand on the aisle or next to the emergency exit to do bending and stretching exercises in a showy manner. I once saw this man who wore an almost-Christmassy outfit doing almost erotic stretches ... - people who push against the back of your seat when they get out of theirs or when they walk past you in the aisle ... this happened to me throughout my flight on Olympic Airways from BKK to ATH and again on the way back! Recently on my Finnair flight from HEL to SIN, it happened again - they don't seem to need any sleep at any stage of a flight lasting longer than 12 hours. - people who break wind continually or burp or suck their teeth for a long time after their meals ... Actually, there are lots more instances of irritating grown-ups than I could list right now ... KC Sim

Personally, I do not know if this is a good or a bad policy. Not having kids myself, while I am apprehensive about having them nearby, I am also sympathetic to parents trying their best to calm their kids down in airplanes. Sadly, many parents do not understand why kids scream in pain - especially during landing. I was on a B727 flight operated by MIAT Mogolian Airlines and this 40-something year old stewardess noticed a young mother struggling with her very small baby which was screaming loudly. She came up and put her mouth to the ear of the baby - and I do not know if she blew into its ears or sucked it - and voila, the kid was calm. Apparently it is something to do with equalising the pressure in the ear and easing the pain in it. I personally take a piece of tissue paper and blow my nose into it to restore the pressure in my ears. While this policy will appease those who dislike having children that inevitably make noise nearby, it would turn off those with children. And with this policy, I can now imagine another category of passengers sitting on the upper deck of the A380 who will complain loudly to the crew if they see any kids there - even if the kids are well-behaved, simply because the rule clearly states that no kids on the upper deck! And they don't even realise that they are perhaps as irritating as any kid could potentially be. What would be the situation if a family wants to travel on an A380 flight ... and all seats on the main deck have already been either allocated or requested for by passengers already booked to fly ... and there are still unsold seats on the upper deck? Will the airline move passengers with pre-allocated or pre-requested seats on the main deck to the upper deck just so that it could accept the booking of this family on the main deck? If yes, does it not upset those who have to move to the upper deck (I personally do not like the upper deck) because they may have elected to sit on the main deck for specific reasons? If MAS does not move the main deck passengers without children to the upper deck just so it could sell seats on the main deck to the family, it would be staring at lost business. Perhaps it might be better for MAS to (internally) agree to where possible not have children on the upper deck ... and as far as possible up to the check-in stage, keep families with children on the main deck but if really need to, then judiciously place only families with older toddlers on the upper deck. That way, the airline has sufficient flexibility to keep its upper deck more exclusive, manage its yield and passenger load factor and avoid having its crew members caught between a rock and a hard place. I agree with an earlier post that noise-cancelling headphones are a great tool to insulate oneself from screaming kids and babies ... I don't like such headphones as it gets rather hot around the ear after a while but find solace and serenity in the type that sticks into the ear channel and then turning on the music softly. That way, I have survived many screaming episodes and never needed to give these poor parents struggling to appease their babies the dirty look. It is tough enough being parents to babies and young kids ... and they don't need the additional pressures of sarcastic calls, dirty looks and other negative signals from fellow passengers. Now they have an airline that does not want them in certain parts of the aircraft. KC Sim

While AirAsia X's attractive fares is going to slaughter MAS - insofar as budget-conscious travellers such as backpackers, students and even well-heeled informed travellers - it is likely also a nail in the coffin for those who were hoping that Qantas would return to KUL. When Qantas and British Airways left Kuala Lumpur, their chief miff was the low yield (at that time, MH's fares were pressuring them to match or walk away) on the KUL route. Would be interesting to see what IAG's interest in MH would turn out to be. KC Sim

Wow, you could almost imagine this going to S7 Airlines! Nice!!! KC Sim

I learn something new here ... so "otak" means "brain"? Yucks ... and to think that the Otak-otak is one of my favourite food .... KC Sim