The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| WWII trainer, icon of flight, marks 75 years in sky Posted: 10 Oct 2013 07:36 PM PDT This year marks the 75th anniversary of the North American T-6 Texan, the muscular tandem-seat warbird in which countless pilots in dozens of countries honed their flying skills. On Friday, some 30 Texans will set off from Culpeper, 60 miles (100 kilometers) outside Washington, and fly up the Potomac River, over the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, to mark a unique aeronautical milestone. "There's a lot of history in this airplane. It trained so many air forces in the world," said Len "Stoney" Stonich of the North American Trainer Association, which represents owners, pilots and fans of the estimated 1,000 civilian-owned Texans around the world. "They called it 'the pilot-maker' because if you can fly the T-6, you can be up in any World War II fighter and be confident you can fly the airplane," he told AFP. Known as the SNJ in its US Navy version, and the Harvard in Canada's air force, the Texan distinguished itself with its agile handling and aerobatic qualities as it prepared fighter pilots for combat in Europe and Asia. It remained in US military service through the Korean War in 1950-53 and into the Vietnam era - and kept flying for many other air forces for even longer, until South Africa retired its fleet in 1995. In its day, the Texan represented the cutting edge of aviation technology, a mere 35 years after the Wright brothers' first flight on a North Carolina beach. More than 20,000 were built, most of them in Texas - hence the name - of which more than 500 have been restored to flying condition in the United States. With its 600 horsepower Pratt and Whitney radial engine, the Texan can fly 200 miles per hour as its pilots enjoy a commanding view of the skies above and the ground below from within a sliding glass canopy. Given how many were built, it remains the most popular of all World War II aircraft that turn heads at summer airshows all over North America, including the Culpeper Airfest this weekend that will attract 70 vintage aircraft and a estimated crowd of 10,000. It's also starred in the movies, playing the role of Japan's Mitsubishi Zero fighter "Tora! Tora! Tora!" - a 1970 dramatization of 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that pulled the United States into the war. Today, a mint-condition Texan can change hands for about $150,000, according to the aviation classified paper Trade-a-Plane. That's about half the price of a new Ferrari FF sports car - but seeing how it burns 30 gallons of aviation fuel an hour, at $6 a gallon, operating costs add up. "It's a millionaire's game," said retired airline pilot Andy Michalak, who owned a Texan when gas was cheaper and who still flies warbirds of all kinds for the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia. "It's guaranteed to make you broke and happy," added Mike Ginter, the coordinator of Friday's fly-by over Arlington, who got his Texan a year to the day he retired as a US Navy pilot. Commercial pilot Dan Gleason enjoys the next best thing to owning a Texan - flying the one that his employer owns, an experience he describes as deeply emotional and compelling, leavened with a powerful sense of history. "My dad trained in one in World War II, so being able, what, 60 or 70 years later, to be flying the same plane ... it's just a fun connection, a little hard to describe," he said. "It's a unique privilege for any aviator." In lieu of a Texan, Mike Dale, founder of the Culpeper Airfest, went back to his native England to find the remains of a Percival Provost - the same trainer in which he soloed as a Royal Air Force cadet as a teenager. "It was just a wreck. It had not flown in decades. There isn't a single rivet, a single nut and bolt, in that airplane that wasn't a part of the rebuilding," he said, looking out at his pride and joy - one of only four still flying in the world, and the only one in America. While he sees lots of youngsters at Airfest every year, Dale - who at 78 is building a replica of a World War II Nieuport 28 biplane - mourns how aviation has lost the sense of adventure that made it so alluring in his youth. "The interest in aviation is simply not there the way it was 50 years ago, when aviation was big technology," he said. – AFP, October 11, 2013. |
| In Umno, the youth work at steering party back to the centre Posted: 10 Oct 2013 07:21 PM PDT The original party founded in 1946 did not always hold such extreme thoughts on racial supremacy and the notion of being under siege. The country's first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, had preached for Umno to be a party for Malays and a party for Malaya and later, Malaysia. "Umno used to be very centrist. People viewed classical Umno leaders like Tunku and Ku Li as nationalists," said Zaidel Baharuddin, who leads the Barisan Nasional Youth Volunteers (BNYV). Well past its glory days, its supporters are idealistic about their dreams to relive the grand old dame's prime. "I grew up hearing stories from my great grandfather about Umno. Back in those days, it was a party that stood for the people and had the spirit of holding people at its heart," said Rahman Hussin, who heads Akademi Belia, a group linked to Umno supreme council member Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah. "I realised no one was going to fix the party from the outside and we would have to go in and play a part in the party's politics," the 27-year-old Rahman added. Former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, otherwise known as Ku Li, had reminisced in his blog about the Malaysia he once knew when Tunku was Umno's leader. "We had the confidence to unite people under a vision of the common good," Ku Li wrote. "Today's Umno, under its present leadership, is probably beyond reform. Our leaders are the problem, and they have structured the party, bullied and bought it, so that they cannot be replaced by those who would lead to serve," the former Finance Minister said. But the young Umno members are hopeful that they can change the party. "People like myself wants to shift Umno back to the centre. Not back to Tunku's period but toward more hawkish nationalism," said 30-year-old Zaidel, who is a prolific writer. The party has been at odds with the public and internally over many decades of change that saw Umno leaning on right-wing policies that has marginalised other races while isolating most of the Malay community through practices of cronyism. Although Umno has faced criticism for abandoning the Malays, the three-million strong party is still important to the race, argued its supporters. "The Malay struggle is still relevant," said Tengku Zuhri Tengku Abdul Aziz, 37, a special officer in the government. Zuhri referred to the issue of poverty that is still predominant among many Malays, citing the need to "fight for bumiputera equality". Youths like Zuhri subscribe to the belief that equality is still an issue that needs to be fixed if Malaysia were to maintain its social stability. In their eyes, Umno's ties to the Malay community provide a vast stable platform to address these issues. "I don't think one can resolve the problems within the Malay community without involving Umno," said Shahril Hamdan, 28, a consultant with an international firm. "Like it or not, the Malay consciousness has been set by Umno. To fix the Malay community is through and within Umno itself," added the party supporter. Countries where social instability occurs due to imbalances between majority and minority race or sect are examples that in order to keep the peace, the needs of the majority have to be addressed. In the case of nations like Syria and Iraq, having the majority sect situated in the lower rungs of the economy had proved detrimental when society disruptions occur due to dissatisfactions over monopoly and cronyism. To build a better Malaysia, young modern Malays such as Shahril believes that Umno can steer the ship to the right direction, provided it practices inclusivity among its party leaders and externally through the Barisan Nasional government. "The party needs to be Barisan Nasional centrist more than Umno centrist," said Shahril, pointing out the need for Malaysians to have more nationalist views. Zaidel agreed. "I'm in no illusion that Umno has no shortcomings but I think we still have leaders who can pull the country through," he said. Change may just happen though with party polls due in two weeks. Umno Youth supporters are optimistic after looking at the pool of candidates contesting for the party's crucial positions. "Historically, candidates were tied to one school of thought. This time we see multitudes of candidates from those in touch with grassroots Malay policies to those who argue that Malays need to be economically viable," said Rahman from Akademi Belia. "It is the first step to a more inclusive Umno, an Umno that I used to hear about as a child," he added. This time around, Umno's new voting format with votes from some 150,000 delegates compared to its previous 2,000 plus delegates could prove to be a game changer for the party. By including more votes from its nationwide delegates, results from the October 19 elections would indicate if the party is receptive to change or if it would continue to breed the same brand of senior leaders unable to accept contemporary ideas. For Rahman, the chosen ones could dictate if members like himself are given the chance to offer their ideas toward their vision of a better Malaysia. "I hope to capture that spirit of my great grandfather's pride as he passed by the Umno building, proud that he contributed to the foundation of the party he believed in," said Rahman. - October 11, 2013 |
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