RAF Kuala Lumpur facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
RAF Kuala Lumpur
 Simpang Airport
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| Summary | |
| Airport type | Military |
| Operator | Royal Air Force |
| Location | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Time zone | MST (UTC+08:00) |
| Elevation AMSL | 111 ft / 34 m |
| Coordinates | 03°06′41″N 101°42′10″E / 3.11139°N 101.70278°E |
| Map | |
 WMKK
Location in Peninsular Malaysia
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a. Now assigned to KLIA
Sources: AIP Malaysia |
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Royal Air Force Kuala Lumpur, or RAF Kuala Lumpur, was a special air base used by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was located in what was then called the Federation of Malaya. This base was very important during a time known as the Malayan Emergency.
The RAF built and opened this air base in 1931.
Contents
Military Operations at RAF Kuala Lumpur
RAF Kuala Lumpur was a busy place, home to many different air squadrons. These groups of aircraft and their crews played a big part in supporting soldiers on the ground.
Squadrons and Their Missions
Several squadrons were based here, each with specific jobs:
- No. 52 Squadron used large planes called Vickers Valettas. Their main job was to drop supplies to army troops who were deep in the jungle. From 1959 to 1961, this was the only RAF squadron actively flying these types of missions.
- No. 155 Squadron flew Westland Whirlwind HC.4 helicopters.
- No. 194 Squadron first used Westland Dragonfly helicopters. Later, they got newer Bristol Sycamore HC.14 helicopters.
- On June 3, 1959, No. 110 Squadron was formed when the 155 and 194 squadrons joined together.
- No. 267 Squadron operated several types of aircraft, including Douglas Dakota, Vickers Valetta, Scottish Aviation Single Pioneer, and Twin Pioneers. Some of their planes, like the Dakota and Auster, even had loudspeakers to broadcast messages.
- The Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm also had a squadron here, 848 Naval Air Squadron, which used Whirlwind helicopters.
- No 656 Squadron Army Mobile Servicing Squadron was responsible for maintaining small planes like the Auster AOP.6, Auster T.7, and Auster AOP.9.
- The Royal New Zealand Air Force's 41 Squadron used Bristol Freighter aircraft.
In 1961, the base was given to the Royal Malaysian Air Force. During the busiest times of the Malayan Emergency, the single runway at RAF Kuala Lumpur saw more aircraft takeoffs and landings than almost anywhere else in the world!
The air base was located about 3 miles from the main town. It even had its own swimming pool and a cinema for the people stationed there. Locals often called it Sungai Besi Air Force Base.
RAF Kuala Lumpur as a Civilian Airport
Besides being a military base, this airfield also served as the first civilian airport for Kuala Lumpur. It was known as Sungai Besi Airport.
Early Civilian Flights
Civilian flights were happening at Sungai Besi Airport even before 1957. In the late 1940s, Malayan Airways used planes like Airspeed Consuls and DC3s for domestic flights. In the early 1950s, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) flew Argonauts to the airport. This was after the runways were improved with asphalt.
A new terminal building was built in 1957. This might be why some people thought the airport only opened then. This building was later taken down around 2004.
International Connections
The airport connected Kuala Lumpur to other parts of the world.
- BOAC started a route to London using Britannia aircraft around 1957.
- In 1958, Qantas began flying Super Constellation planes into the airport.
- By 1959, BOAC replaced their Britannias with faster Comets.
A special event happened here when the Duke of Gloucester arrived. He was greeted by Sir Donald Charles MacGillivray, the top British official in Malaya, when Malaya gained its independence, known as "Merdeka".
The civilian airport at Sungai Besi was eventually replaced by a newer, larger airport called Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in 1965.
See also
- Former overseas RAF bases
