Top Guns of Dengkil

[Naim 6]

"Top Guns of Dengkil"? Hehehe ... I luv the title!

 

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Careers: Top Guns of Dengkil

By MOHD NOOR ASWAD

 

NST

18 February, 2008

 

The aviation industry is growing rapidly with the emergence of low-cost airlines in Asia and demand for engineers and mechanics will rise in tandem. MOHD NOOR ASWAD reports on the role of Universiti Kuala Lumpur-Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology in meeting it IF you were to stumble upon the campus of Universiti Kuala Lumpur-Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology (UniKL-MIAT), you would be forgiven for thinking it is a secret military base.

 

The main structure of the campus, which is a giant aircraft hanger, looks out of place in the lush jungle surrounding Dengkil, Selangor.

 

Entering the hangar, you come face to face with a breathtaking sight of a magnificent jet fighter.

 

It is an A4 Skyhawk, complete with Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) insignia. Its long nose points at you as it stands guard at the entrance of the hangar like an enormous watch dog.

 

A lone figure is standing next to it caressing the steel hull of the magnificent fighter as if reassuring it of the presence of strangers. He introduces himself as Professor Ahmad Zahir Mokhtar, dean of UniKL-MIAT.

 

The 54-year-old looks more like a seasoned jet pilot than a member of the university's academic community. He laughs at the suggestion before turning his attention back to the jet fighter.

 

"My boys and I put this bird together piece by piece," he explains, with a glint in his eyes.

 

"The RMAF decommissioned the Skyhawk and had it dismantled before shipping the jet to us in bits and pieces. So naturally, we had to put this back together."

 

The "boys" are the university's students and teaching staff who had worked together to put the jet fighter back into fighting form and that is what they do at UniKL-MIAT.

 

"Students are trained to be aviation engineers and mechanics. They learn how to fix and maintain all types of aircraft," says Ahmad Zahir.

 

He is proud of the strong relations UniKL-MIAT has with Malaysia's air force.

 

"Whenever it sends us old parts or even a dismantled jet, we are very grateful because our students can do practical learning on the aircraft. And the air force knows that without aviation engineers and mechanics, there will be no top guns protecting our skies."

 

The strong ties with the local aviation industry are similarly nurtured. Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Air Asia need a steady supply of specialist mechanics and engineers to maintain their growing fleet of aircraft.

 

"Every student will have a job waiting for him when he walks out of here."

 

To Ahmad Zahir, the aviation industry will prove to be the biggest source of demand for engineers and mechanics in the future.

 

"The aviation industry is growing at a rapid pace. Malaysia Airlines is buying more aircraft every year and it will need more specialists to maintain its growing fleet."

 

Plus, with the rapid emergence of low-cost airlines such as Air Asia and others in the region, the demand for aviation engineers and mechanics will rise drastically.

 

"A 747 alone needs 400 people to service and maintain it at a given time."

 

The AFTA Open Sky policy, which will come into effect in 2010, allows more airliners to operate anywhere in the region. That will also contribute to the rise in demand for skilled aviation engineers and mechanics.

 

"The question is, are we ready for it?" asks Ahmad Zahir.

 

It was a big deal when Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) recently granted UniKL-MIAT the Maintenance Training Organisation (MTO) certificate -- the first in the country.

 

The recognition means that UniKL-MIAT is an approved training centre for aviation maintenance in Malaysia.

 

"Anyone who is familiar with flying knows the importance of safety in air travel. The responsibility to ensure that planes are safe to fly lies in the hands of qualified aviation engineers and mechanics. That is what we do here. We train our students to be experts in this field. We don't skimp on the importance of safety and quality of work."

 

The MTO approval means that UniKL-MIAT only produces people who have achieved the highest aviation standard. It took five years and 18 audits for the DCA to grant the university its MTO certificate.

 

"We didn't complain about the long wait. It just made us work harder."

 

While airlines have their own apprenticeship programmes, they can only handle a set number of students at a time. With its MTO endorsement, UniKL-MIAT is in a favourable position to supply the manpower needed by the aviation industry.

 

"MAS and Air Asia have strong relationships with UniKL-MIAT because they know it is a win-win situation."

 

That should not come as a surprise as Ahmad Zahir himself is formerly from MAS and so are many of his teaching staff.

 

"The majority of my staff cut their teeth on aircraft maintenance at MAS. All of us have been through the apprenticeship programme. We have the hands-on experience and the qualifications. More importantly, we know what is needed to train a specialist group of aviation maintenance personnel."

 

Ahmad Zahir is proud of the fact that 80 per cent his students come from poor backgrounds. The Perlis-born son of religious teachers knows too well the hardship that many of his poor students face.

 

"There are people who still think those from villages can only be padi farmers, yet look at me now. Most of the students come from poor families. Once they graduate they will be looking at about RM5,000 a month in salary. That can help elevate the quality of life of their families."

 

Not resting on its laurel, UniKL-MIAT has also started a community outreach programme to get young people interested in the world of aviation.

 

"Last year, we conducted a four-day aviation camp for secondary school students. For RM100 they not only got to learn about aviation but also had fun flying on a Cessna light aircraft!

 

" I plan to make it an annual event."

 

The father of four is passionate about this as he strongly believes that interest in aviation must start at an early age.

 

"When I was in Standard Four, a helicopter made an emergency landing in the middle of town. Maybe it didn't have spare parts as it was stranded there for a few days. I would go and see it every day. That first encounter made an impact on me."

 

Each time his family went to Alor Star, Ahmad Zahir would ask his father to stop at the Kuala Batas RMAF base to watch helicopters and airplanes there.

 

"I would commit to memory the name of every aircraft. In secondary school, I knew I wanted to be involved in aviation when I grew up."

 

The kampung boy is breaking down barriers and paving the way for Malaysia to be the aviation hub for Asia. As Ahmad Zahir puts it: "I want the university to evolve into a centre of excellence in the areas of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul in the region. This is just the beginning."

 

It is not an easy job Ahmad Zahir concedes but he is ready to face the challenges.

 

As Winston Churchill once said: "It's not where you come from that matters, it's where you stand today that counts!"

 

And it all started with a broken-down helicopter in the centre of a small town.

 

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sun...2157058/Article

[Radzi 2]

Some of our members have passed thru MIAT.

[Fitri Shukri 0]

Why won't they just build MIAT at KUL or SZB?

 

Anyway, UniKL has its 'maritime/naval' version at Lumut. Just completed recently.

 

The surprising thing is, Universiti Kuala Lumpur is hardly at Kuala Lumpur. Their campuses are at Kulim, Malacca, Sepang, Lumut, Bangi. Only its headquarter, which more like a corporate HQ rather than a university campus is at KL near Jalan Raja Laut.

[iwan 3]

this article just reminds me how much i regret not taking the course at MIAT..after i completed my foundation with UniKL,i was to make a choice of which degree programme to take..i wanted to enter miat so much but at that time,their degreee program was not approved by LAN..and if the program still wasnt approved later,the students would be transfered to mechatronics..not wanting to take the risk,i chose 'industrial automation and robotics technology' as my major and about 5 months after that,the miat degree program got approved and i will never stop regretting my decision..

 

if im not mistaken,the MiAT campus in dengkil will indeed be moved to SZB..no confimation of when or whether its true..just heard from my lecturers..here a a few pics of MiAT when we were brought on a 'tour' to all the UniKL campuses a few years back to decide on the course that we would prefer..

 

a view of the hangar

 

 

giant 737 seems to dwarve all the other planes..

 

couldnt find any other skyhawk pics so here is an embarassing moment..yea i coan be vain at times..

 

skyhawks turbines

 

i love this helly...very cute..

 

 

some people are just not born to be 'captains'..

 

sorry for the quality of the pics guys..gambar camera phone only..

Edited February 21, 2008 by iwan

[Louis L. 2]

wow , those kind of study environment i guess will motivate me to wake up early in the morning to go class , instead of skipping right now for my case

[Mohd Idham 0]

wow, flying with side window open, wanna feel fresh air ke?

[Geoff R. 0]

Does any one have any information about the Boeing 737 and Boeing 727 (marked as MKN) at MIAT.

 

I have searched but can't find any identities or histories for these aircraft.

 

Geoff

[Kee Hooi Yen 0]

Is it the one we can see from Elite Highway ?

 

Everytime when i pass there i can an aircraft hanger with few aircrafts. I am wondering what building is it. Is there any runway attach to this building ?

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

Is it the one we can see from Elite Highway ?

 

Everytime when i pass there i can an aircraft hanger with few aircrafts. I am wondering what building is it. Is there any runway attach to this building ?

 

I don't think so. All the airplanes in the hangar are disassembled and shipped there by truck, if I'm not mistaken.

[Radzi 2]

Is it the one we can see from Elite Highway ?

 

Everytime when i pass there i can an aircraft hanger with few aircrafts. I am wondering what building is it. Is there any runway attach to this building ?

 

Yes it is visible from the ELITE highway. No there is no runway there.

 

And those aircraft are all on the ground, not hanged. It is in a hangar, not in a hanger.

Sorry, can't resist the temptation.

[Kee Hooi Yen 0]

Yes it is visible from the ELITE highway. No there is no runway there.

 

And those aircraft are all on the ground, not hanged. It is in a hangar, not in a hanger.

Sorry, can't resist the temptation.

 

Haha, thanks for the correction

[Geoff R. 0]

Does any one have any information about the Boeing 737 and Boeing 727 (marked as MKN) at MIAT.

 

I have searched but can't find any identities or histories for these aircraft.

 

Geoff

Answering half my original question I have discovered the Boeing 727 is ex TWA N94314 and was broken up into sections at Opa Locka, Florida, in November 1999 and later transported to Malaysia - presumably in 2000.

 

Still looking for the identity and history of the Boeing 737. Any one know anything?

 

Geoff

[Samsyuri 0]

The Boeing 737 was ex Air Fast of Indonesia. Can't remember the regn. There were two of them disassembled in SZB. One trucked away to MIAT and the other were cut in pieces.

[Geoff R. 0]

The Boeing 737 was ex Air Fast of Indonesia. Can't remember the regn. There were two of them disassembled in SZB. One trucked away to MIAT and the other were cut in pieces.

 

Thanks for the information Samsyuri.

 

The two Airfast aircraft that were broken up at SZB I think were PK-OCF and PK-OCG.

 

Do you know roughly when they were broken up? The earliest B737 sighting at MIAT I have was in September 2004.

 

Geoff

[MIR 2]

 

i love this helly...very cute..

 

 

 

Iwan, do you know the rego of the Blue Hughes helicopter and Piper Apache(next to the Rotorway heli) ?

[Geoff R. 0]

Iwan, do you know the rego of the Blue Hughes helicopter and Piper Apache(next to the Rotorway heli) ?

 

These are unidentified aircraft for me too. Also heard that an ex PDRM Cessna U206 went to MIAT. True? If so anyone know which one?

 

Geoff

[MIR 2]

These are unidentified aircraft for me too. Also heard that an ex PDRM Cessna U206 went to MIAT. True? If so anyone know which one?

 

Geoff

 

The U206 could be 9M-PSA.

There was a paper presented by them last year, "Review of Aircraft Maintenance Documentation ForAging Aircraft: Ex-Unit Udara PDRM 9M-PSA"

http://mfi.edu.my/icet/images/pdf/programschedule.pdf (go to page 6, 2.40PM)

[500 Fan 0]

 

Iwan, do you know the rego of the Blue Hughes helicopter and Piper Apache(next to the Rotorway heli) ?

 

Hi to all here on MalaysiaWings. I am currently carrying out research for a planned book on the history of the various test and prototype versions of the Hughes/MD500 series of helicopters. I found the photo of the blue Hughes 500 while searching on Google and it looks like it is a prototype Hughes 500 used for the certification of the Hughes 500 series back in the late 1960's. From the information I have, it looks like this helicopter was the second Hughes 500 ever built and is the oldest civilian-production Hughes 500 now in existence. Therefore it is actually a very rare and historical airframe. I hope those in charge of this helicopter look after it. It certainly looks like it is in great condition.

 

500 Fan.

[johan van helden 0]

Could you please share the link with the photo you are refering too?

 

Second question what is the reg or c/n of this prototype?

[Gavin Andrew David 6]

We've just transferred a Boeing full flight simulator to MIat recently.

 

That's quite a serious move for them to have a simulator for training engineering students

[Geoff R. 0]

MIAT has obtained a Bo.105 helicopter G-NAAB.

 

Photos are posted on their Facebook page

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.695774033782930.1073741840.287109431316061&type=1

 

Geoff

[Syukri 0]

Gavin,is it the NG simulator or the Classic one?

[Tamizi Hj Tamby 1]

The MBB BO-105(G-NAAB) was ex-Air Ambulance; Here's the info:

http://www.ukemergencyaviation.co.uk/G-NAAB.htm