The Electric New Paper : PRIVATE PLANE INTRUSION: FIGHTER JETS SCRAMBLED
How did pilot get so far?
Private pilots say they can't fly without approved flight plan, so...
WHY would someone fly into Singapore's airspace without filing a flight plan?
By Tan May Ping
25 January 2008 WHY would someone fly into Singapore's airspace without filing a flight plan?
The Tuesday incident, in which a civilian Cessna 208 had to be escorted by fighter jets to land at Changi Airport, had several pilots puzzled.
Recreational pilot Nicklaus D'Cruz, 41, said private pilots need to submit a flight plan before they are allowed to take off.
GREEN LIGHT Those flying from Thailand to Singapore have to register their plan a week prior to the flight, he said.
And if they are flying from Malaysia to Singapore, they need to do so about 30 minutes before getting on board.
Pilots then need to get clearance to take off.
The control tower gives the green light only if approval has been given by the authorities at the destination, said Mr D'Cruz, who has had his private pilot licence for a year.
He added that pilots indicate their departure time and estimated arrival time on the flight plan.
They also have to calculate the estimated time that they will fly past wavepoints, which could be landmarks such as towns.
'During the flight, we need to report our position every 10 minutes to the nearest control tower,' said Mr D'Cruz, who is the chief executive of golfing company OAAG.
'At any point of time, everyone knows where you are.'The Cessna 208 is believed to have flown in from Koh Samui, Thailand.
How it did so is still a mystery.
Its intrusion prompted the Republic of Singapore Air Force to scramble two F-16 jets to intercept the aircraft.
The fighter jets eventually escorted the single-engine turboprop aircraft to land at Changi Airport.
The incident, which is being investigated by the police, forced the closure of the airspace for almost an hour, and caused multiple flight delays.
Mr D'Cruz said it was almost impossible that the plane had taken off without a flight plan.
He added: 'It could be that the flight plan somehow got lost in transit, and that the authorities here didn't receive it.'
A commercial pilot with six years' experience said he had not heard of anything like that before.
The 29-year-old, who declined to be named, said: 'Flying without a flight plan is a serious breach of conduct.'
Another commercial pilot said that without a flight plan, the aircraft would also not have been able to pass into Malaysian airspace.
'Otherwise, it's crazy to think that the pilot managed to fly from Thailand to Singapore - travelling through so much airspace - without being stopped earlier,' remarked the pilot of 10 years, who asked not to be named.
The pilots said they were certain the authorities here weren't able to get a response or a satisfactory answer from the pilot before sending the jets up.
Said Mr D'Cruz: 'Sending the fighter jets up there is really the last resort.'
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