Malayan Airways Remembered (Pre 1965) Amended

[KIFIS]

MALAYAN AIRWAYS REMEMBERED (Pre 1965) Amended List

Way back in the fifties and sixties Malayan Airways the mother and father of present day Singapore Airlines was indeed a great company to work for. Flying DC3s and F27s from the comfort of Singapore, home nearly every night plus the pleasure of flying with contented colleagues made for happy halcyon days. About 1965 progress arrived in the form of politics, policy and bean counters. I moved on and took with me some great flying memories. Humour me and I’ll tell you who were the flying people that built Malayan Airways and in doing so put down the foundation for the world’s most efficient modern airline : SINGAPORE AIRLINES.

THE PILOTS (As they come to mind)

Danny Fenton (DFO) ; Jimmy Brown (Chief Pilot) ; Bill Woods; Charlie Chan ; Johnny Flack ; Douglas Chen ; John Hawkes ; Nagy Segar ; Joe Hutcheson ; Ong Tong Bee ; Pat White ; Len Sorrell ; Tommy Yee Teck So ; Bev Brown ; Teh Hock Ho ; Charlie Rosler ; Johnny Tai ; Ken Toft ; Nick Nichols ; Ambrose Tai ; Ian Laing ; Geoff Kirrage ; Ron Gilmour ; Wally Brunn ; A.C. Leong ; Harry O’court ; Ken Morley ; Y.Y. Fong ; Karl Young ; Jan Bussell ; Jim Couper-Johnson; Len McCully ; Allan Morris ; Jimmy Butcher ; Don Cox ; Choi ; Johnny Muraille ; Tommy Duncan ; Hasim ; Tommy Soong ; Johnny Osmond ; Karim ; John Pereira ; Neil Morison ; John McCausland ; Winky Ho ; Dave Richards ; Jack Clegg ; Hayden Ashley ; Len McCully ; Andy Andren ; Maurice de Vaz ; Rusty Russell ; Harry Roderick ; Duncan Mclachan ; Roy Parker ; Amarsin Gill ; Ces Zuber ; Colin King ; Peter Flanagan ; Victor Ma ; Michael Lai ; Kandy Kandasamy ; Vic Gurum ; M.S. Leong ; Jeh Yeh ; Stan Dinsdale ; Peter Owen ; Don McGuigan ; Bill Mortimer ; Al Virtue ; Wu --.Terry Chiole

And the girls, never to be forgotten. One on the DC3s and Two on the F27s. Always smart and pert, hats at a cheeky angle, big smiles and ever part of the crew.

THE GIRLS (As remembered)

Rosemary Tay (Chief Hostess) ; Susie Pang ; Kitty Murphy ; Ambi Kaur ; Maggie Koh ; Shirley Van Der Beek ; Betty Wee ; Maureen Weinert ; Molly Koh ; Jane Lim ; Milly Koh ; Evelyn Yeo ; Molly Woodford ; Kitty Kong ; Evelyn Teo ; Lily Chen ; Dorothy De Sourza ; Patsy Chan ; Helen Soong ; C.M.. Rodrigues ; Honey Leung ; Betty Lee ; Diana Cheung ; G. Rodrigues ; Velge - ; Violet Lee ; Chiu – ; Thio - . Amy Lim ; Nancy Liu


THE PORTS (Regional only)

Singapore ; Malacca ; Ipoh ; Taiping (grass) ; Penang ; Alor Star ; Kota Baru ; Kuala Trengganu ; Kuantan ; Medan ; Palembang ; Kuching ; Sibu (grass) ; Labuan ; Brunei ; Jesselton ; Sandakan (crushed coral) .

It’s possible I’ve forgotten someone and if so I apologize. Forty odd years is a fair time to drag things back. If there is a name that should be here post a thread and add it or drop a line to the undersigned and if the will is there perhaps we can use this to organize a VINTAGE Singapore re-union. From -

Karl Milton Young
19 Wensley Court,
Templestowe , Melbourne
Victoria 3106
Australia
Tel: +61-3-9842 0253
Fax: +61-3-9842 0254
Email: [email protected]

[titan]

You seem to like Len twice as much as the others.
How do you feel about what has become of this most un-people orientated airline? Was it a friendly place back then? Did people respect each other? How sensitive was the race issue?

Nostalgia just isn't what it use to be?!
http://216.157.69.48/ubb/NonCGI/smile.gif http://216.157.69.48/ubb/NonCGI/smile.gif http://216.157.69.48/ubb/NonCGI/smile.gif http://216.157.69.48/ubb/NonCGI/smile.gif http://216.157.69.48/ubb/NonCGI/smile.gif

[KIFIS]

TITAN

I’ll answer your questions in the order in which you present them.

1. Len McCulley is listed twice only because of a typing error .
2. I don’t know anything about quote “ un-people orientated airlines ". What I do know however is that a happy career as an airline pilot is giving it your best shot and thinking yourself lucky to be doing it. It doesn’t matter which airline you work for and it doesn’t matter which seat you sit in. You’re lucky to be there and a lifetime at it is a rare privilege not afforded to the masses.
3 Malayan Airways was most certainly a friendly place for aircrew. There was much rapport between the expatriates and locals. The flying was always shared sector for sector.
4 There was mutual respect between the expatriates and local Singaporean pilots and it existed both in the cockpit and out. I flew many years as a F/O to local Captains and was treated with great respect. When I became Captain I returned that respect to my local F/O.
5 The race issue was not sensitive because there wasn’t any. Considered this .When the new modern airport was opened at Paya Leba it seemed fitting that the first airline to land there should be Malayan Airways. It also seemed appropriate that the much respected DFO Captain Danny Fenton should do the landing. Danny Fenton gave that sector to F/O Charlie Chan who thus became the first pilot and first Singaporean to land at Paya Leba. Charlie Chan later became Senior Management which is testimony to men like Danny Fenton.

You may possibly say to me “If it was so good, why did you leave?” I left for more engines, more money and distant fields.

KIFIS


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Men must be polished by men

[MASystem]

What about Irene Fong ?

She was there as well

[KIFIS]

MASystem

Thanks for the addition of Irene Fong. Do you have any other girls we can add? Bear in mind this is pre-1965.

KIFIS

[Goldwing2000]

Kifis,
Thanks for your nostalgic look at MSA which brings back some happy memories travelling on their shiny F-27 and the unforgetable
DC-3.
Unfortunanetly the old days of expat crews and locals working in harmony is sadly lacking now with nepotism and racsicm high on MAS management list of achievements which do not include profits for what could be a really wonderful airline.Don't get me wrong there are still some good old timers left in the system, but that is few and far between.
Titan,with regards to the race issue well,it wasn't as bad as it is now with the present PM's well documented open policy towards the Bumi.
In any case the MSA of old could be described as the good old days for whoever worked and travelled on the airline.

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I think,therefore I am,I think.
Ever stop to think and forget to start again?