“Sun, Shrills & Steel

- Singapore Airshow 2012 -

The sun-rays are raining barbs down onto my skin, gleaning off the metallic bodies of the aircraft on display. Not long after, one can hear the roar of jet engines, see white streams of smoke accompanied by an orchestra of shrills and screams from the audience.

"Welcome to the Singapore Airshow 2012: Asia's Biggest for Aviation's Finest" goes a large banner on my way into Changi Exhibition Centre.

As a first time visitor to the Singapore Airshow 2012, I was exhilarated by the sheer numbers of aircraft on static display and the fascinating aerial display. Much as I try to concentrate on my job as a trade visitor at the show, I could not help but get distracted by these "top-guns" surrounding me. For me, this is the closest I have ever been to a fighter jet such as the F-15SG or to a luxurious private jet such as Jackie Chan's Embraer Legacy 650.

I was fortunate to be able to tour the interiors of most of the aircraft that I could only dream of buying. Stepping into Jackie Chan's Legacy 650, I was told to remove my shoes. Given the inconvenience of doing so, I just took a sneak peak from the entrance of his jet and in case you are wondering where are the photos of the jet's interior, there are none. We're not allowed to take photos in Jackie's jet. But what I can tell you is that the interior is immaculately designed by BMW with seats that can be transformed into an extended bed. Jackie's plane also had a specially customised registration number of "N688JC" if I didn't remember wrongly. All these customisations add up to a whopping price tag of more than US$30 million!

Then of course, there was the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Didn't manage to tour the interior as I arrived late but I don't think it will be any much different from other Boeing aircraft. Having said that, these two aircraft were only on static display during the Trade Days and so the public did not have the opportunity to take a shot with them. So you can imagine how priceless a photograph I had with these jets yeah?

Finally, the military aircraft on display were also a feast for the eyes. The United States Air Force's (USAF) B-52 bomber graced the aerial display and many others such as the USAF's C-17, E-3B Sentry and KC-135 were on static display. The United Nations of aircraft were at the Singapore Airshow. There's the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) C-130J, the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) MIG-29N, the Italian Air Force's Alenia C-27J Spartan and the Royal Air Force's Airbus A330 MRTT.

So that's about it folks with the Singapore Airshow 2012 and stay tuned for my next post which will be a photo montage of the sights at the Singapore Airshow 2012!

Crowds flock to Singapore Airshow 2012 - 18 Feb 2012

Source: 154thmedia2012