Following the principle of “People
First, Performance Now”, the government sold their Boeing 737 BBJ and Airbus
A319 VIP transports and used the proceeds of the sale to improve the public
transport system. VIPs and their tag-alongs will now travel on commercial
flights operated by Airasia X or Malaysia Airlines for medium and long haul
flights (The government is looking for a buyer for their other VIP transport,
the Bombardier Global Express BD700). For domestic and short haul flights, a
choice of the Fokker F28, Dassault Falcon 900 or the “new” DHC Caribou
(subject to availability).
The Caribou was taken out of
retirement and the powerplant, propeller, cockpit and interior was
refitted/upgraded/refurbished to the standards of a VIP transport aircraft.
This article is based on some
true things, however, has been fictionalized and all things appearing in this
work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real things, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The plane was built OOB and
decorated with homemade decals. Propeller was scratch built by
photocopying a propeller from a Italeri C130J kit onto a mailing label
which I then stuck on a plastic sheet. I cut the blades out and applied
window paint (from the art supplies stores) to add some body to the
otherwise thin blades. Sacrificed 2 perfectly functioning ball point pens
for the propeller spinner, made 6 slots in each spinner and slotted the
blades in. My representation of the Dowty propellers.
Happy Merdeka 2010. I have faith.
KH Lee
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|