Getting inside the Tarmac

Week 1 of Semester 2 still feels like yesterday when I first came to Universiti Sains Malaysia and met a passionate 2nd Year Aerospace Engineering senior named Immanuel, and asked him if he knows anyone that works on any Aerospace Engineering-related projects. He said Encik Zihad (now a mentor to me), one of the Lab Engineers in the Flight Mechanics lab. The next day I emailed Encik Zihad, seeking an opportunity to work hands-on, on projects relating to the aerospace industry.

Then Week 3 happened, thanks to Encik Zihad, I and other passionate 2nd Year Aerospace Engineering seniors -  Affif, Fauzan, Xian Hee had the opportunity to become ground crews for several flight tests. 

And Week 4 happened, when Immanuel came to my room, enthusiastically, saying, that we should start finding for opportunities to enhance our skills and work on hands-on projects instead of waiting for opportunities to come.

Then week 7 happened, Immanuel and I thought of reviving the Remote Control Airplane Club which went extinct because of the pandemic. Among the seniors who left the Remote Control Airplane Club due to the pandemic, also known as the School of RC, and graduated were Alif and friends - I hope ya’ll are doing well. To strengthen the squadron, we brought in my wingman, Sanjay, and Kishorr on board. We talked to Encik Zihad about reviving the club and he gave a green light. 

From Week 8 on, we started working on our first Depron Plane project, which we named the Flying Stone Project because we felt it was a stepping stone for many other projects to come.  Thank you, Encik Amir and Encik Zihad for guiding us.

On Week 11, the Flying Stone Project was completed, and two Depron Planes flew at the Sports Complex. The Sports Complex saw several crashes, but we were still happy because this meant, we could go to the Flight mechanics lab and repair the aircrafts again. During the 4 weeks of working on two aircrafts, we were in love with the process, and the beautiful mechanisms involved and got excited about calibrating the electronics and watching it fly. I remember the adrenaline I felt during that time and seeing the theoretical knowledge come to life- I waited my whole life for this. And there’s a lot more I am anticipating in the next 3 years. 

In the past weeks, the Flight Mechanics lab has been our second home. Grateful to have met and learn from lab engineers, Encik Amir and Encik Zihad,  seniors from the School of Aerospace Engineering, and Postgraduate students. Most importantly, I’m beyond grateful to have especially met Immanuel, Encik Zihad, and Encik Amir. The learning process is just beautiful.  Can't wait to see where this journey would lead us.

To go big, we need to start somewhere. Hence this is a small start!