A first-generation MAS pilot’s 40-year journey in the skies

Free Malaysia Today

A stroll down memory lane with Lee Ean Keong, one of Malaysia Airlines’ pioneer pilots in 1972.   Written and presented by: Theevya Ragu Shot by: Bani Jamian Edited by: Daniel Chung  Read More: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2023/10/26/first-generation-mas-pilots-40-year-life-in-the-skies/  Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Rn6xEV Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2OCwH8a  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2OKJbc6 Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3cpbWKK Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/2VUfOrv Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/3B1e8lN Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/39dBDbe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTLifestyle #LeeEanKeong #FormerPilot #MAS #MemoryLane

Transcript

00:00 Meet 72-year-old Lee Ian Keong, better known as Captain Lee, a retired pilot from Malaysia Airlines.

00:08 With a career spanning 40 years and nearly 20,000 flight hours, Lee has witnessed the country's history from the skies.

00:17 His journey as a pilot dates back to 1972, when MAS was still known as Malaysia Singapore Airlines.

00:25 There was a time when MSA was going to split to MAS and Singapore Airlines.

00:32 So we were given a choice, you either join SIA or you join MAS.

00:37 In my batch, 12 of us, 9 of them decided to join Singapore Airlines and only 3 of us joined MAS.

00:46 And that's how he earned his title as one of the pioneering first-generation pilots for the airline that's now synonymous with the nation.

00:56 Since then, Lee has travelled the world, but when it comes to unforgettable moments, he recalls his days as a co-pilot in Sabah.

01:05 Those days in East Malaysia, air transportation was the only means of travel for the people because the road system was very bad.

01:14 So you could see some of them carrying their chickens with them and then they would put it right where they were seated.

01:22 And before you know it, the chickens were running all over the cabin of the aircraft and the stewardess would be running after the chickens.

01:30 So yeah, it can be quite humorous at that time.

01:34 Over the years, as Lee climbed the ranks to become a captain, he took charge of the VVIP flights in the 1980s,

01:42 often transporting former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

01:47 Actually, VVIP flights are very stressful because they work on punctuality and time.

01:54 We have to know what time you want to land, we have to know what time you want the door to be open, things like this, you know.

02:00 It has to be precise.

02:02 One of the places that we had a very funny incident was in Papua New Guinea, in Port Moresby,

02:07 where we landed, everything was fine, opened the door right on time, Mahathir was coming out,

02:13 and the Garaku was played as he was coming out, and they raised our national flag, but it turned out to be Singapore flag.

02:22 And the next day, the Papua New Guinea government came out with a big apology in the newspaper, you know,

02:30 and said, "We are so sorry that the wrong flag was raised."

02:34 Despite the glamour often associated with flying, Lee admits that the profession has its own challenges,

02:40 such as month-long separations from the family.

02:44 I always say that for the pilots to have a family, the wife must be very strong,

02:50 because the wife has to play the part of the father, the mother, the organiser, you know.

02:55 Anything happens, she's the one who's going to be doing all the running here and there.

03:00 So the wife of a pilot must be very strong and able and capable, and that's what my wife is all these years.

03:10 Retired since 2011, with children scattered across the globe, Lee continues to fly,

03:16 but now from the comfort of a passenger seat.

03:20 TVI Ragu, FMT Lifestyle.

03:23 (gentle music)

03:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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