BATANG KALI: At a glance, a cockpit of an aircraft by the side of the Batang Kali main road could easily pass as just a replica.
However, upon closer look, the wreckage is actually a Hercules C130 - with the fuselage converted into a restaurant that could fit 40 people at any one time. It is named Terminal 1 Domestic and International Cuisines.
Its owner, Mohd Yasin A Bakar, a former engineer with an oil and gas company, said the aircraft was abandoned on a site in Subang and was supposed to be disposed of because the land was to be acquired by the authorities.
However, a friend who is working in the aviation industry offered the aircraft to him.
"My friend knows that I have a piece of land and offered me the aircraft and it (aircraft) arrived in December 2019. The wreckage was at the site for almost two years until my friends suggested that I turn it into a restaurant with a unique concept," he said to Bernama recently.
Mohd Yasin, 56, said the aircraft arrived in two parts - the cockpit and the fuselage.
"I decided to place the cockpit by the roadside in order to attract the attention of passers-by so that they would stop at the restaurant," he said.
He said he spent nearly RM50,000 to convert the fuselage into a restaurant and the expenses included washing the aircraft and installing the roof and floor, besides putting additional structures on both sides of the aircraft wings.
To make it unique, Mohd Yasin said he purposely left the tangled and dangling wire in the aircraft as it is.
He said customers at his restaurant, besides enjoying the special dishes, could also enjoy the natural and rustic scenery from the rear ramp which had been modified into a balcony overlooking the forest area.
The night view is more interesting with the lighting of decoration lights that lined the 150-metre-long aircraft restaurant, he said, adding that it attracts passers-by to stop to take pictures.
The restaurant opened in June last year.
Mohd Yasin advised those intending to go to his restaurant to make advance bookings to avoid disappointments. — BERNAMA