• 2 state flags, each carried by a Chinook helicopter, will fly over Singapore’s east and west on National Day
• The move is part of efforts to bring the NDP closer to the heartlands this year
• This year’s state flag flypast will also feature its first female Chinook helicopter pilot

SINGAPORE — In another move to bring the National Day Parade (NDP) to the heartlands this year, the state flag flypast will pass over a string of neighbourhoods around the island instead of being confined to the Padang.

The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said in a media briefing on July 16 that two Chinook helicopters carrying the state flag will make their way in opposite directions around the island, spending about one hour in the air.

One Chinook will fly towards the east, while the other will fly towards the west. Each will be accompanied by a pair of Apache helicopters.

The new routes for the state flag flypast are among several changes made to this year’s NDP in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of a single show, this year’s NDP will feature a morning segment at the Padang followed by an evening performance at The Star Performing Arts Centre at Buona Vista.

There will also be a greatly reduced audience at this year’s NDP, with the segments to be broadcast live and streamed on internet platforms instead.

The state flag flypast will take place during the morning segment, with the first Chinook flying through the Padang at around 10.30am when the national anthem is being played.

A map showing the routes of the two state flag flypasts on Aug 9, 2020, one heading towards the eastern part of Singapore, the other the west. Illustration: Mindef

It will then fly along the eastern coast of Singapore, proceeding to Bedok, Changi Airport, Pasir Ris Park and Bedok Reservoir before heading north to Punggol East. It will continue to fly over Seletar and Yio Chu Kang before finally landing at Sembawang Air Base.

The second Chinook helicopter will start from Pulau Sudong and head west, covering Jurong, Yew Tee, Woodlands and Bukit Panjang, before turning south over Ang Mo Kio and landing at Sembawang Air Base.

In previous years, the state flag has only been flown over the Padang for five to 10 minutes.

Captain (Capt) Eugene Chua Wenjun, who is in charge of planning the flypast routes, said that his team had conducted studies on the ground to choose routes that will allow as many people as possible to see the flags.

The flags will be flying at 1,000ft (305m), instead of the usual 800ft (244m), to ensure that they are visible from housing estates while avoiding obstacles like tall buildings or cranes along the way, said Capt Chua.

In another first, this year’s state flag flypast will also feature its first female pilot on the Chinook helicopter. Capt Trixie Tang Yingsi from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will be flying the helicopter taking the eastern route.

Captain Trixie Tang Yingsi from RSAF inspecting the CH-47 Chinook helicopter at Sembawang Air Base on July 16, 2020. Photo: Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY

As a debutant, Capt Tang said that the biggest challenge will be ensuring that the Chinook enters the Padang when the national anthem plays.

“There may be changes to the timing of the parade when the parade progresses. So when there is a change of the timing of the parade, we also have to adjust our timing to be able to reach a specific portion of the national anthem at the show centre,” said the 31-year old.

The team has also had to adapt to a shortened timeline for parade rehearsals, said Capt Tang.

Rehearsals for NDP on Aug 9 began in June instead of May due to the circuit breaker from April 7 to June 1.

With the shortened timeline for flying rehearsals, most of the team’s training and preparation work was done on the ground and with the use of flight simulators, said Capt Tang.

For Military Expert 2 (ME2) Sukhdesh Singh Sandhu, who will be participating in the state flag flypast for the sixth year, this year’s flypast will be especially challenging due to the new flight routes.

“As crew members we have to be familiar with the route that we are flying within the heartlands. We especially have to look out for special obstacles along the way like cranes and high-rise buildings that we mark as monuments as we are flying around just to avoid it,” said the 35-year-old flight engineer.

Preparations for the state flag flypast at Sembawang Air Base on July 16, 2020. Photo: Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY

A Temporary Restricted Area (TRA) will be established over the Padang and various other locations of Singapore on Aug 9 from 8.55am to 11.30am.

The TRA prohibits the flying of all unauthorised aerial activities such as kite-flying and drones. This is to ensure the safety of the public and the aircraft that will be flying at low levels as part of the aerial activities for NDP, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore in a press release on July 20.