KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Selangor Flying Club (RSFC) is keeping its flying activities alive, despite being in the 'red' by over RM500,000.
RSFC president Major (Rtd) Abdul Razak Hashim said despite the many financial and operational obstacles the club is facing, the committee is bent on saving the country's foremost flying club.
"We had plans to organise fund-raising activities like dinners and air rallies, but had to put them on hold owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent Movement Control Order.
"Alternatively, we are attempting to engage the Selangor state and federal governments, and the Bandar Malaysia developer, to seek some form of compensation.
"The RSFC's activities have been curtailed after flying activities were prohibited from our premises at the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Sungai Besi in 2014, to make way for the Bandar Malaysia development," Razak told The New Straits Times after chairing a committee meeting at the clubhouse at the air base.
Present were RSFC vice-president Lt Cdr (Rtd) Datuk Shamsul Bahrain; club captain Imran Ismail; vice-captain Manimara Muniyandi; and committee members Lee Chong Yen, Martin Richard Haeger, John May, Rajasingam Nagalingam and Nur Azlina Lt Gen (Rtd) Tan Sri Mohamed Ngah.
Also present were RSFC acting office manager Irene Lee and administrator Batumalai Chandrasekaro.
The club has since sought temporary accommodation at a hangar at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah international airport in Subang, with a rental of RM5,000 a month to Redland Aviation Sdn Bhd.
"We somehow are managing with three flying instructors who are training 12 people seeking their private pilot's licence, just by using our sole Piper PA-28 Warrior aeroplane," said Razak.
He added that the club, which has 138 members, suffered RM127,522 in losses last year, owing to lower flying revenue.
"Part of the losses came from outstanding utility bills and RM14,000 in rental fees by our tenant Zetro Aerospace Corporation Sdn Bhd.
"Additionally, we owe creditors RM570,387 for last year, apart from owing our staff nine months' salary (amounting to) RM67,000," he revealed.
The RSFC's woes caught the attention of the Selangor Sultan who expressed grave concern on the fate of the club, which is facing a 'natural death'.
Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who is RSFC patron, felt the facility will cease to exist altogether if it were denied to continue operations.
Razak said Sultan Sharafuddin was worried about the club being left in the lurch after it had served in developing the country's pioneer aviators since 1929.
"Many of these aviators have since gone on to become successful pilots, engineers, maintenance crew and air traffic controllers the world over.
"RSFC has a historical past and assisted in the formation of the country's auxiliary air force with many progressing as military and airline pilots, with the air base serving as the country's main international airport," said Razak.
Among the notable RSFC members are the country's first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-haj; former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad; and late Foreign and Home Minister Tan Sri Ghazali Shafie.
Razak said the Sultan had, through a letter to him on Jan 26, 2017, stated his full backing for the survival of the club, with a 99-year extended lease from April 21, 2017 on its 20,647 sq metres of land.
"The Sultan wanted the RSFC to be given heritage status in view of its 'royal' title and that the historical club had existed on Selangor soil well before Kuala Lumpur became a federal territory (on Feb 2, 1972)," said Razak.
He added that the club is now desperately seeking a resolution to the current impasse.
"Only fair compensation and a new permanent home, preferably at Subang airport, would allow the RSFC legacy to continue," said Razak.
He added that the RSFC has been, since 1927, operating on a 30-year lease at the air base.
When the first 30-year lease expired in 1957, it was extended for another 30 years until 1987
and a third 30-year term until 2017.
Razak, who had also served as RSFC club captain in 1974, added that the RSFC had spent millions over the years to develop itself at the air base with 32,747 square feet (3,042.3sq m) of built-up facilities on 5.2-acres of land (2.10ha)
"The built-up facilities comprise a double-storey office block, a single-storey office, a canteen, a dormitory, a squash court, tennis court, gymnasium, a double hangar and a bungalow house.
"We estimate these facilities and the land area to cost around RM120 million, today," said Razak.
It was reported that Bandar Malaysia will be developed on 196.7ha of land, including the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) station, and will have an estimated total gross development value of RM140 billion.
The master developer of Bandar Malaysia is IWH-CREC Sdn Bhd, the consortium comprising IWH (60 per cent) and China Railway Engineering Corp (M) Sdn Bhd (40 per cent).