KUALA LUMPUR: MY Heli Club will boast its first father-and-daughter helicopter pilot duo when 17-year-old Imogen Singh obtains her Helicopters' Private Pilots Licence or PPL(H) soon.
Imogen is following in the footsteps of her father, Captain Gurjeet Singh, 49, who became the club's first member to receive the PPL(H) last November. He has so far clocked in 135 flying hours.
And when Imogen, an international school student, gets her licence to fly, she will be the club's youngest helicopter pilot.
Gurjeet, a chief executive officer of an export company, took part in the MY Heli Club helicopter training programme to fulfil his love for flying and stunning aerial views.
He prefers helicopters as it does not require an airport to land.
As for Imogen, her interest in flying the vehicle was fuelled during the few times she flew with her dad and was captivated by the sight of animals and the scenery as they flew over forests.
Imogen had just kickstarted her helicopter training programme with the club's captain and chief flying instructor Commander (Rtd) Mohamed Sabri Baharom.
To date, she has clocked five out of the 53 required flying hours and is sitting the principle of flight and air law examinations.
"When I flew for the first time, I was trying to get used to it. When I first took control of the helicopter to get a feel of the aircraft, I was hit with this wave of 'Oh my god, I am flying over buildings and I am floating in the air'.
"I started to get nervous, but I realised that Commander Mohamed Sabri was next to me. He guided me and I became less tense.
"I started to get used to it and from then on flying it became a fun experience," she told the New Sunday Times.
Gurjeet said they were lucky to be able to see parts of the country when they spend their precious father-daughter quality time in the air.
"You can get to parts of the country that have remained untouched.
"We will not understand how beautiful a country is until we see if from the air — places where there are no roads, undiscovered lakes and waterfalls where the waters are so pristine.
"We usually think that only overseas waterscapes are crystal clear. But when we get into the forest, ours are the same too.
"When Imogen gets her PPL(H), flying will be easier when we go on holidays as there will be two qualified pilots. Trust and open communication in the cockpit make a flight safer."