PETALING JAYA: The ill-fated crash involving two Malaysian navy helicopters that collided in mid-air during a rehearsal is an isolated incident with two such cases happening in the past, say aviation experts.
In regard to formation flying accidents in Malaysia, last time it happened was back in 1985 where a Royal Malaysian Air Force pilot and his assistant crashed during an aerobatic show in Kuantan. “When doing formation flying, we always use the same type of aircraft. When I did it before, all four or six of us used the Bell 47 and we never mixed the make of the helicopters.
Captain Ab Manan, who is the Malaysian Pilots Association president, added that formation flying was all about synchronisation and following the leader’s instructions very closely, which could be difficult given the speed the aircraft is going.