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55-509: The Singapore Youth Flying Club ( SYFC ) is a flight school based in Seletar Airport , primarily funded by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) . Established in 1971, the club aims to introduce and promote aviation to students, by providing aeromodelling courses for secondary school students and flight training courses for pre-tertiary students, and encourage trained pilots to serve in

110-720: A locally built engine cover which earned these the name "Härkä-Moth" ("Bull Moth"). Two Gipsy Moths were purchased by the Paraguayan government during the Chaco War . They were used as liaison aircraft. One was lost in a fatal accident at Ñu-Guazú Air Force Base and the other survived the war. It was transferred to the Paraguayan Aeroclub in 1936. The bulk of military Moths however were civilian sport aircraft impressed by their countries air forces and used as trainers and liaison aircraft. Like this, civilian Moths ended up flying for both

165-571: A search and rescue service for the Singapore area. The station was also, at that time, home to 209 Squadron , equipped with Single and Twin Pioneer aircraft. 65 Squadron based at Seletar operated Bloodhound Mk II surface-to-air missiles as anti-aircraft defence from 1 January 1964 until the squadron was disbanded on 30 March 1970 with the equipment and role handed over to 170 Squadron, Republic of Singapore Air Force . Auster aircraft were flown during

220-775: A sister squadron of 205 Sqn. The formative years of the SADC (later the RSAF) was established at Seletar Airbase in September 1968, with the setting up of the Flying Training School (FTS) utilising three Cessna 172 G/H on loan from the Singapore Flying Club. The subsequent arrival of eight new Cessna 172Ks in May 1969, took over the duty from the former and contributed to the increase of training tempo for more selected trainees to participate in

275-505: A split axle. The production run for the DH.60X Cirrus Moth was replaced by later Gipsy powered variants, but it was still available to special order. Although the Cirrus engine was reliable, its manufacture was not. It depended on components from surplus World War I 8-cylinder Renault engines and therefore numbers were limited by the stockpile of surplus Renaults. de Havilland therefore decided to replace

330-503: A trip of three weeks, and returned the following year. Although the DH.60T was aggressively marketed as a military trainer, response was rather lukewarm. In particular the RAF initially purchased only a handful of aircraft for testing and found that many aspects of the Moth did not suit their method of military flight training. However, by 1931 the RAF had acquired 124 DH.60M Moths and these were used by

385-716: Is currently open for arrivals and departures from 07:00 LCL until 22:00 LCL. It has a single runway with 27 aircraft stands, 100 square metres of warehouse space and can handle 840 tons of freight per day. In 1998, the airport recorded receiving a total of 7,945 scheduled flights, handled 23,919 passengers and 6,025 tons of cargo. The airport fire service, AES Seletar, is provided by Changi Airport Group. AES Seletar has 1 station housing 6 apparatus (water tender, foam tender and others) and provides Level 7 protection. The Republic of Singapore Flying Club and Seletar Flying Club are situated at Seletar Airport. The renowned Singapore Youth Flying Club has its headquarters built on western side of

440-515: The Airbus A320 family (but not at full takeoff load). The runway designation is 03/21, where the precise headings on ground of the actual runway are 033° / 213°. RAF Seletar was a Royal Air Force station in Singapore between 1928 and 1971. Plans for establishing an airfield, flying boat and naval base in Singapore were first agreed by the RAF in 1921. In 1923, two sites in the northern region of

495-672: The Battle of the Philippine Sea (Marianas Turkey Shoot) in June. Seletar's present runway was built during the Japanese Occupation. After World War II, the base went back to the RAF and, in the late 1940s and 1950s, the base was heavily involved in the Malayan Emergency , with Beaufighters , Spitfires and Mosquitos based there while operating against Malayan Communist insurgents. Among

550-556: The Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation . From June 1962, 66 Squadron (led by Sqn Leader Gray) with their Bristol 192 Belvedere helicopters were also based at Seletar, and were sent on frequent tours and detachments to Kuching , Brunei, Labuan and Butterworth as part of the Borneo hearts and minds campaign (the squadron was later disbanded in March 1969). The helicopter squadrons provided

605-469: The Seletar Aerospace Park . Today, Seletar Airport mostly serves turbo-prop and smaller-sized private and business jet airlines and aircraft. It helps to serve as a secondary destination to Singapore for turbo-prop aircraft to decrease load from Changi Airport, which has heavy air traffic consisting of jet aircraft. Nevertheless, the airport's runway is capable of handling jet aircraft such as

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660-422: The aviatrixes , London secretary Amy Johnson flew her Gipsy Moth (G-AAAH "Jason") 11,000 mi (17,703 km) to Australia in 1930, and Jean Batten used a Gipsy Moth for her flights from England to India and England to Australia (the aircraft used to fly to India was G-AALG borrowed from Victor Dorée, who then owned the aircraft. In March 1928 Mary Bailey flew her Cirrus Moth solo from Croydon to Cape Town,

715-618: The Central Flying School and other training units until 1939. Moth trainers were however ordered by a number of foreign air forces including those of Argentina, Australia (as noted above), Austria, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the flying arm of the Danish Navy. Finnish Valtion lentokonetehdas licence-built 21 Moth trainers of which 18 were purchased by Finnish Air Force . First examples were equipped with Cirrus engine while 11 later ones had Hermes engine, X-type landing gear struts and

770-448: The Cirrus with a new engine designed by Frank Halford to be built by his own factory. In 1928, when the new de Havilland Gipsy I engine became available, a company-owned DH.60 Moth G-EBQH was re-engined to become the prototype DH.60G Gipsy Moth. Next to the increase in power, the main advantage of this update was that the Gipsy was a completely new engine available in as great a number as

825-543: The Emergency and Confrontation periods in troop/enemy spotting patrols. In December 1966, three Andover CC Mk1 arrived to replace the ageing Vickers Valetta C1 aircraft of 52 Sqn . 52 Squadron was later reformed in March 1967 after the arrival of a further three aircraft. By now, Confrontation had finished and with no purpose the squadron moved to Changi in 1968 before being disbanded in January 1970. The RAF station closed at

880-850: The Gipsy Moth were the Larkin Aircraft Supply Company in Australia (which built 32 DH60 Cirrus Moths for the RAAF ), the Munitions Supply Board built 6 DH60M's and Commonwealth Dockyards (Codock) built 1 DH60G also for the RAAF, while Genairco built 3 DH60X, and de Havillands own factory in Australia locally built 7 DH60G Gipsy Moths. Other manufacturers of the DH60 were Morane-Saulnier in France (40 built),

935-805: The Moth Aircraft Corporation in the U.S. (18 DH60G built and 161 DH60M built). A further 40 built were by de Havilland Canada and 10 built by the Norwegian Army Aircraft Factory in Norway. (Note that the General Aircraft Company, (Genairco) in Australia, after overhauling and repairing 6 DH60 Cirrus Moths for the RAAF and then building 3 local examples of the DH60X Cirrus II Moth, also went on to design and build their own derivative "Aussie Moth" biplane. This Genairco design

990-403: The Moth was the aircraft of choice to equip the clubs. De Havilland then used this income to concentrate on developing the Moth further into a mass-produced, mass-market aircraft. The Moth made the aero clubs at least just as much as the aero clubs made the Moth. The Moth remained the mainstay of the clubs even long after more modern aircraft became available. With de Havilland's habit of painting

1045-692: The Nationalist and Republican air forces during the Spanish Civil War . This was repeated on a larger scale during the Second World War where Moths ended up flying, amongst others, for the air forces of Egypt, China (with several captured ex-Chinese aircraft flying for the Japanese), Ireland, Italy, Iraq, Belgian Congo, Dutch East Indies (later taken over by the Indonesian AF), South Africa, New Zealand and

1100-709: The Prince of Wales purchased a Gipsy Moth (G-AALG) for his own private flying, the aircraft became popular with high society . In addition the Moth was used for many record flights. The 'Lonely Flyer' Sir Francis Chichester flew his Gipsy Moth from England to Australia, on to New Zealand and then across the Pacific to Japan. Although he originally planned to fly around the world, a crash in Japan convinced him to switch to sailing. (Chichester subsequently named his yachts 'Gipsy Moth II', 'Gipsy Moth III', and most famously, ' Gipsy Moth IV '.) Of

1155-651: The RSAF. As of 2023, more than 7,500 students have been through the flight training programme, with over 1,200 students graduating with a private pilot licence (PPL), 80% of whom move on to become RSAF pilots. Recognising the need to maintain a steady stream of pilots for the RSAF, the Junior Fying Club was established by Minister for Defence Goh Keng Swee in December 1971 to offer free flight training to youths in Singapre, with

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1210-413: The ageing fleet, 13 Diamond DA40s were purchased at a cost of US$ 3.4 million in total. Seletar Airport Seletar Airport ( IATA : XSP , ICAO : WSSL ) is a civilian international airport serving the north-east region of Singapore . It is located approximately 16 km (9.9 mi) northwest from Changi Airport , the country's main airport, and about 16 km (9.9 mi) north from

1265-506: The aircraft and the Air Ministry subsidised five flying clubs and equipped them with Moths. The prototype was modified with a horn-balanced rudder , as used on the production aircraft, and was entered into the 1925 King's Cup Race flown by Alan Cobham . Deliveries commenced to flying schools in England. One of the early aircraft was fitted with an all-metal twin-float landing gear to become

1320-518: The airfield. When the Japanese launched their invasion of Malaya and Singapore , Seletar housed four RAF units. 205 Sqn operated Consolidated Catalina flying boats, and No. 36 and No. 100 Squadron RAF operated obsolete Vickers Vildebeest torpedo bombers (as well as five Fairey Albacores acquired by 36 Sqn to supplement its Vildebeests). These flying squadrons were serviced by 151 Maintenance Unit RAF. 21 Squadron , Royal Australian Air Force

1375-498: The airport's runway . Completed in June 2003, the clubhouse also has its own parking bays for its fleet of Diamond DA40 . In addition, the rotary training unit of Republic of Singapore Air Force – 124 Squadron, has a training detachment at the civilian airport although it is normally headquartered at Sembawang Air Base . Previously, Berjaya Air operated scheduled flights to Tioman and Redang . The Berjaya Air service ended on 31 October 2010 and relocated to Changi Airport , though

1430-508: The airport. All pick-ups by private transportation occur at the arrival pick-up point. De Havilland Gipsy Moth The de Havilland DH.60 Moth is a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company . The DH.60 was developed from the larger DH.51 biplane . The first flight of the ADC Cirrus -powered prototype DH.60 Moth (registration G-EBKT )

1485-488: The basic flight-training course. On 29 October 1977, four armed Vietnamese hijacked a domestics Air Vietnam flight from Saigon , Vietnam to Phu Quoc island west of Saigon, and forced the aircraft, a Douglas DC-3 , to land at Seletar Airport. The hijackers killed two Vietnamese crew members and seriously wounded a third. The hijackers were seeking political asylum in Singapore and eventually surrendered themselves to Singapore authorities. Changi Airport Group took over

1540-610: The bottom mainplanes and no ailerons on the top ones. Colour options still remained as simple as before: wings and tail in "Moth silver", fuselage in the colour the buyer chose. As there was no real comparison between the original DH.60 and the new DH.60G, the Gipsy Moth quickly became the mainstay of British flying clubs as the only real recreational aircraft in the UK. By 1929 it was estimated that of every 100 aeroplanes in Britain, 85 were Moths of one type or another, most of them Gipsy Moths. This

1595-583: The club colour, either black or white on the fuselage. As the Royal Aero Club marketed the idea of flying clubs to other members of the Commonwealth , the de Havilland Aircraft Company followed suit and soon established subsidiaries in Australia and Canada to supply the local flying clubs with Gipsy Moths. Canadian Moths were offered with a detachable canopy for winter flying. Other factories to licence-build

1650-760: The end of March 1971 (see East of Suez ) and Seletar was handed over to Singapore's Department of Civil Aviation . Several aircraft types flew their last RAF operational sorties from Seletar including the Short Singapore flying boat (Mk.III K6912 of No. 205 Squadron RAF 14 October 1941, aircraft transferred to No. 5 Squadron RNZAF ), Supermarine Spitfire (PR.XIX PS888 of 81 Sqn 1954), De Havilland Mosquito (PR.34 RG314 of 81 Sqn 1955), Short Sunderland flying boat (GR.5 ML797 "P" of 205 Sqn, 15 May 1959) and Bristol Beaufighter (TT.X RD761 Station Flight 1960). The Short Sunderland flying boats started in RAF service from Seletar on 22 June 1938 with 230 Sqn ,

1705-399: The engine the fuselage remained the same, the exhaust still ran alongside the left side of the cockpits and the logo on the right side still read 'De Havilland Moth'. The fuel tank was still housed in the bulging airfoil that formed the centre section of the upper wing. The wings could still be folded alongside the fuselage and still had de Havilland's patented differential ailerons on

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1760-403: The first Moth seaplane. The original production Moths were later known as Cirrus I Moths. Three aircraft were modified for the 1927 King's Cup Race with internal modifications and a Cirrus II engine on a lowered engine mounting. The original designation of DH.60X (for experimental) was soon changed to Cirrus II Moth ; the DH.60X designation was re-used in 1928 for the Gipsy I powered version with

1815-437: The initial fleet consisting of eight Cessna 172s and six AESL Airtourers . On 5 March 1988, Minister for Education Tony Tan announced the renaming of Junior Flying Club to Youth Flying Club, aligning the club's intent of developing youth pilots in Singapore. On 12 November 1989, Minister for Communications and Second Minister for Defence (Policy) Yeo Ning Hong announced the acquisition of 12 Piper Warrior IIs to replace

1870-616: The initial fleet, at a cost of S$ 2 million. On 23 June 2001, Minister of State for Defence and Information and the Arts David Lim announced the construction of a S$ 16 million new clubhouse at its current location, and the Youth Flying Club was renamed to the Singapore Youth Flying Club. In 2002, two PAC CT/4E Airtrainers were acquired and commissioned by Minister of State for Defence Cedric Foo . In 2010, to replace

1925-456: The island were approved. The first planes to arrive at the base were four Supermarine Southampton seaplanes on 28 February 1928. RAF Seletar was also used for civilian flights from 1930 to 1937, when Kallang Airport was opened. Amy Johnson landed at Seletar in May 1930 on her UK – Australia flight in her Gipsy Moth named 'Jason'. Amelia Earhart also landed there in June 1937 on her world flight attempt in an Lockheed 10 Electra . With

1980-549: The jurisdiction of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force . From 1942 through 1945, a number of IJN squadrons were based or transited through Seletar mainly, for training. Among the units known to be based at Seletar during this time were 936th Kōkūtai ( B5N Kate , D3A Val and E13A1 Jake ), 381st Kōkūtai ( A6M Zero and J2M Raiden ). The 601st Kōkūtai was also stationed there for training early before its destruction on board Japanese aircraft carriers during

2035-488: The main commercial city-centre. The airfield was originally opened in 1928 as RAF Seletar , a military airbase of the British Royal Air Force (RAF). The base was handed back over to Singapore in 1971. The Government of Singapore intended for Seletar Airport and the surrounding areas to function as the operating aerodrome for their plan to expand Singapore's status as an industrial aviation hub , today known as

2090-477: The mainstay of the British flying scene up to the start of WWII. The war however marked the end of the Gipsy Moth and post-war it was quickly replaced by ex-RAF Tiger Moths pouring into the civilian market. The DH.60 arrived at the right spot at the right time. Next to the Moth's maiden flight, 1925 also marked the birth of the first five Royal Aero Club flying schools and clubs and with its simplicity and performance,

2145-726: The management of the airport from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore on 1 July 2009. As part of the Seletar Aerospace Park programme, the runway was extended to 1,840 metres in 2011 to enable larger and heavier aircraft to use the airport. The airport's avionics systems were also upgraded. The airport underwent refurbishment in 2015 as part of plans to relieve pressure on Changi Airport by increasing Seletar Airport's capacity and move smaller and slower aircraft from Changi to Seletar airport. A new passenger terminal building opened on 19 November 2018, replacing

2200-400: The manufacture of Moths necessitated. The new Gipsy engines could simply be built in-house on a production-line side by side with the Moth airframes. This also enabled de Havilland to control the complete process of building a Moth airframe, engine and all, streamline productivity and in the end lower manufacturing costs. While the original DH.60 was offered for a relatively modest £650, by 1930

2255-772: The many squadrons based there during this time were Nos 60 , 81 and 205 Sqns of the RAF . The base was also the home of 390 MU – the Maintenance Base for the whole of the RAF Far East Air Force - FEAF. During the 1960s, RAF Seletar was home base to No's 103 and 110 Squadrons , both of which were equipped with Westland Whirlwind Mk 10 helicopters and to 34 Squadron, which was equipped with Blackburn Beverley transports. All three Squadrons (among several others) were involved with support of operations in North Borneo during

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2310-479: The previous passenger terminal. The terminal houses four check-in counters, six immigration lanes, two security screening stations and a gate holdroom that can accommodate 200 passengers. In 2018, the use of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Seletar Airport by Singapore was disputed by Malaysia, saying that the flight path used by the system may encroach into its airspace. In 2019, an agreement

2365-499: The price of a new Gipsy-powered Moth was still £650, in spite of its improved engine. A metal-fuselage version of the Gipsy Moth was designated the DH.60M Moth and was originally developed for overseas customers, particularly Canada. The DH.60M was also licence-built in Australia, Canada, the United States and Norway. Also in 1931 a variant of the DH.60M was marketed for military training as the DH.60T Moth Trainer. In 1931, following

2420-837: The resumption of flights to the airport since the suspension of commercial flights due to the pandemic. Two bus services (services 103 and 117) are available from the old airport terminal. Since 14 October 2018, Service 102 also serves the new airport terminal of Seletar Airport, with a bus stop within the Passenger Terminal Building. Service 102 allows access to the North East Line via Sengkang and Hougang station. Passengers heading to Changi Airport can alight at Jalan Kayu roundabout and transfer to 858. Connections to Tampines, Bedok, Pasir Ris & Serangoon via services 168, 39 and 103 are also possible here. While there are currently no Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) services in

2475-453: The threat of war in the area, the RAF started building up their forces in the Far East in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Seletar airfield was the target of carpet bombing when Japanese navy bombers conducted the first air raid on Singapore , sometime after their ground forces invaded Kota Bahru . It was abandoned when the Japanese took Johor Bahru , which brought their artillery in range of

2530-569: The upgrade of the Gipsy engine to become the Gipsy II, de Havilland inverted the engine and re-designated it the Gipsy III. This engine was fitted into a Moth aircraft, which was re-designated the DH.60G-III Moth Major. This sub-type was intended for the military trainer market and some of the first aircraft were supplied to the Swedish Air Force. The DH.60T Moth was re-engined with the Gipsy III and

2585-562: The vicinity, passengers may transfer to service 103 at Aft Baker St bus stop to head to Yishun MRT station on the North–South Line . Geographically, the closest MRT station is Sengkang MRT/LRT station on the North East Line via Thanggam LRT station on the Sengkang LRT line 's West Loop. Taxis are available at the taxi stands located outside the departure hall. There is an additional airport surcharge for all trips originating from

2640-513: The wings and tailplane of the Moth in silver also came the clubs' habit of distinguishing their aircraft by painting their fuselage in one distinctive club colour. Aircraft of the London Aero Club had a yellow fuselage (plus yellow struts and wheel caps); those of Newcastle a red one. Green stood for the Midlands and blue for Lancashire. Registration letters were black on the wings and, depending on

2695-510: Was also based at Seletar in 1941–42, and was in the process of converting from lightly-armed CAC Wirraway trainers to Brewster F2A Buffalo fighters, when hostilities began. These units stayed until January–February 1942, soon before the surrender to the invading Japanese. During the Japanese occupation, Seletar as was in the case of Sembawang came under the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service while Tengah fell under

2750-471: Was carried out by Geoffrey de Havilland at the works airfield at Stag Lane on 22 February 1925. The Moth was a two-seat biplane of wooden construction, it had a plywood covered fuselage and fabric covered surfaces, a standard tailplane with a single tailplane and fin. A useful feature of the design was its folding wings which allowed owners to hangar the aircraft in much smaller spaces. The then Secretary of State for Air Sir Samuel Hoare became interested in

2805-554: Was discontinued after four years. Berjaya Air has since returned to Seletar from Redang on a charter basis. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the number of daily commercial flight operations at the airport has severely declined. Airport operations are also subjected to new processes and rules laid down by the Singapore government Ministry of Health and according to the Infectious Diseases Act. On 13 June 2022, Firefly marked

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2860-610: Was in spite of the fact that with de Havilland having switched from the Cirrus engine to its own Gipsy engine, surplus Cirruses were now pouring into the market and a trove of Cirrus-powered aircraft like the Avro Avian , the Klemm Swallow , and the Miles Hawk started fighting for the flying club and private market. Although replaced in production by the DH.82 Tiger Moth , the Gipsy Moth remained

2915-432: Was initially re-designated the DH.60T Tiger Moth. The DH.60T Tiger Moth was further modified with swept back mainplanes and the cabane struts were moved forward to improve egress from the front cockpit in case of emergency. The changes were great enough that the aircraft was again re-designated, becoming the DH.82 Tiger Moth . Apart from the engine, the new Gipsy Moth was a standard DH.60. Except for changes to accommodate

2970-429: Was reached between the two countries whereby Malaysia will immediately suspend its permanent restricted area in the airspace over Pasir Gudang , while Singapore will similarly suspend its implementation of Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedures for Seletar Airport. Seletar Airport now operates as a general aviation airport, mainly for chartered flights, private aircraft operations and training purposes. The airport

3025-565: Was strongly influenced and based on the DH60 fuselage layout but with intended improvements including a wider fuselage able to seat 2 in the front cockpit, deeper cockpit doors and with a different wing and rudder profile. While initially called a "Genairco Moth" and now more correctly called a " Genairco Biplane ", these later 9 aircraft (with 2 built as cabin biplanes) are not variants of the DH60 Moth despite some DH production lists including them.) Most Gipsy Moths belonged to flying clubs, but after

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