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FireFlyz | 59
If youwerenot theHeadof Flight
Operations for Firefly, whatwouldyou
probablybe?
If I ever get to move away from this
occupation would be probably a musician
or entrepreneur.
Doyouhave anypartingwords ofwisdom
to share for thosewhowish towork in
your industry?
For those who are interested to join the
aviation world, my advice is that interest
and passion should be your guides. as
flying itself is a passion. Once you are in
the industry, youmust have the passion to
follow the procedures of flying and strictly
adhere to them.
Haveyou travelled to anyFirefly
destinations?Do sharewithus oneof
yourmemorable travel experienceeither
with friends or family.
I have only travelled once with my family
to Penang. Sitting as a passenger made
me feel a bit uneasy initially but I trusted
that Firefly has chosen the best pilot to fly
our aircraft and the trip to Penang was a
wonderful getaway for my family and I.
Canyou tell us a littlemore about your
background?
I was born in Malacca in 1969 but was
brought up in Kuala Lumpur. After SPM,
I joined the Royal Malaysian Airforce
and served as a pilot for 13 years in
several bases. Upon completion of my
short service commission, I joined private
flying and later served Transmile Aviation
Services, flying cargo on Cessna 208B and
Boeing 727. I started off at Firefly in Jan
2008 as a pioneer staff operating Fokker
50 out of Penang. I did my conversion
to ATR 72-500 somewhere in Oct 2008. I
was appointed as an instructor as well as
examiner and later on as Flight Operations
Quality Assurance Manager, leading to
my current position as the Head of Flight
Operations Firefly.
What sort of skills andknowledge is
needed for your position?
Book wise, a person holding this post
should have all the knowledge on aviation
regulations. On top of that, good adminis-
trative communication and management
skills are also very crucial. In my opinion,
one should also be humble, as this is a the
main key to ensure smooth communica-
tion from everyone in a company.
Howmuchhas your previous experience
helpedyou inyour current role?
A lot I would say, especially in handling
communication issues with all staff,
regardless of age and rank. I would have
to thank Royal Military College (RMC) for
my leadership and communication skills,
the Royal Malaysian Airforce (RMAF)
for my administrative, teaching and
problem solving skills and the airlines
for my Aviation Industry practises and
Economic Impacts.
What is a typical dayatwork for you?
Interesting as you embark on new
projects for the company but it rates
high on stress management. We know
managing equipment is basically uphold-
ing time periods and making repairs but
managing people is a different aspect
altogether. This requires good reasoning,
understanding, compassion, firmness
and certain level of forgiveness.
Whatdoyoulikethemostaboutyour job?
This is a position where I contribute
greatly to the company and also to the
people working with me to achieve their
goals.
What is themost challengingpart of
your job?
I have to ensure that the company profits
from the ability of the flight operations
and its staff tomaintain good safety stan-
dards, On Time Working Performances
and compliance to all current airline
standard practises.
Howdoyoumanage to achieve awork -
lifebalance?
I have yet tomanage that as this is a 24/7
job but I do ensure that I find the time to
listen to music or play the guitar as well
as having quality time with my family.
The Firefly girls
Taking time off away
fromwork with the
beloved wife