Malayan Airways: "For Half the Pay"
Way back in the 1960s Malayan Airways operated a daily DC3 service from Singapore to Sandakan with stops at Kuching, Sibu, Labuan and Jesselton. The crew night stopped Sandakan and next day flew the same route back to Singapore. It was an interesting and enjoyable two days with a credit of about 17 hours flying. The sector from Jesselton to Sandakan was something special as it was only flown direct if the tops of the en-route mountains could clearly be seen. If they were obscured then it was necessary to go north to Kudat (to avoid Mt. Kinabalu) and from Kudat fly down the eastern shoreline to Sandakan. We often flew along the beaches at 1000' or less and only a poet could describe the beauty of this route. Even on wet cloudy days there was a touch of magic in the DC3 as it purred along effortlessly at 130 kts over stetches of white sand, beautiful blue green water, shoals of coral, beached fishing craft, palm trees, kampongs and waving children. After Kudat with rain restricting visibility it was essential to pay close attention to what lay ahead and it was good to know that Sandakan tower was always ready to send up a flare to help find the airport. The pink glow of a red flare as seen through water streaming off the windscreen was always reassuring and it avoided the necessity of climbing to lowest safe and flying the NDB letdown. It was on one of these scenic flights as F/O that the captain laughingly said to me: "I'd do this for half the pay but don't tell anyone. " My reply "So would I. "
That's how it was in those days, the pleasure of flying came first and all else seemed to come second.
Prince of Dzun