RSAF Stole The NDP, Part Of It At Least

The RSAF’s participation in this year’s National Day Parade (NDP) is unprecedented. Not only did they put up a myriad of fifty aircrafts for the main show, including the previews and rehearsals leading up to the main show, their Black Knights aerobatics team also put up additional performances on three days of the jubilee weekend.

Quite clearly many people have been attracted to watch the RSAF performances. Why else would there be mayhem at Marina Barrage and Marina South. My blog became overloaded from hits coming in to check the timings of aircraft appearances.

The RSAF’s social media team did a fantastic job. My Facebook timeline was constantly filled with their updates. They kept posting. They had photos, and they had videos. They did many behind the scenes videos, making sure their stories covered all angles.

I was impressed, for example, that they did not forget the flight line crew, the men and women working on the ground who make the flight possible. Most of the time only the aircrafts and the pilots are featured. There is no doubt that the pilots are the stars. But it’s nice to know that the people on the ground are also acknowledged.

The RSAF did such a good job that, I wonder, if they had kind of stolen some of the limelight from the NDP itself. Their flypast has no doubt always been a part of NDP shows, but the scale of their involvement this year has gone up to a new level.

After this NDP, how many young Singapore men now want to join the RSAF? This is one heck of a recruitment exercise. Clearly wins the Navy’s ME1 Clarie Teo.