Classic aircraft attracts aviation enthusiasts
KOTA KINABALU: A classic aircraft here in Sabah has piqued the interest of aviation enthusiasts from as far as the United Kingdom.
Chris Edwards, 53, came all the way to Sabah just to experience the GAF Nomad N22B, a vintage aircraft model that is currently being used by Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd.
“It is an Australian manufactured aircraft and it was manufactured during the 1970s and 1980s. When production ended, the planes were used quite extensively by the Flying Doctors service in Australia and the planes were also taken up by government associations and armies, especially in the South East Asia area.
“Very few have gone into civilian use. Due to its age and the difficulty in getting parts, most of these planes have actually been taken out of service, they do not fly (that often) anymore. This (Sabah's Air's GAF Nomad) is one of the few that is still functioning,” he said.
Chris added that the said aircraft could be one of the oldest of its kind in the world. He said similar models are currently being used for the Indonesian military while there could be a few models used in Australia and New Zealand.
“For us as aviation enthusiasts, what is special about this plane is its rarity value. I was speaking to the captain earlier and he told me that the plane is nice and enjoyable to fly.
“We are very lucky that we are able to travel around the world, as often as our finances allow. We like to fly on as many aircraft as possible,” he said.
Chris has been travelling around the world in search for unique aircraft for ten years. He came to Sabah with a few of his friends who hail from different parts of Europe.
Sabah Air Chief Pilot (Fixed Wing) Captain Soony Ho explained that the GAF Nomad is a ten-sitter aircraft and it can be used for short field landings and short field take-offs.
It is understood that the aircraft is the seventh model to be manufactured from the factory. There were only about 200 of its kind that were manufactured.
“Around the world, most of these planes are often used for cargo run to the remote areas. We did the same over here (in Sabah),” Soony said, adding that Sabah Air would usually charter these flights for delivering rations.
As of now, Sabah Air only uses the GAF Nomad for private charters for private hospitals. Sabah Air would usually charter patients from a private hospital in Kota Kinabalu to the East Coast (Tawau, Sandakan, Lahad Datu etc).
“We bought the aircraft in 1974 and it is still being used until now. By right, the aircraft should be having around 15,000 to 20,000 airframe hours (flying hours). This aircraft had only used 9,000 hours,” Soony said.
He added that the said aircraft is maintained regularly, according to its fixed maintenance schedule.
“I have flown this aircraft since 2005. I have no issue with it,” he said.