TDY Gouge - Singapore

Singapore - Diplomatic clearances are a hot topic with Singapore. You will overfly Malaysia on the way in and out. Make sure you you have it all in one sock, at least DIP-wise, before you even think of taking off for or from Singapore. If you are going into Changi In'tl, contact Changi Ops at least 30 minutes out with ETA and fuel request. Take a close look at the Foreign Clearance Guide for entrance requirements. Changi Int'l provided us with excellent ground service. The operations center will provide transpo to the terminal for your baseops boogie and chow. The dispatch center was most helpful in flight planning. NOTE: the Singapore 1801 is a little different and you HAVE to use it. Find some copies beforehand or wait until you arrive. The SID for Changi is only found on the Jepp plates so find a way to get that, ideally before engine start! The food court is upstairs with excellent fried rice which they cook right in front of you. There are also the standard int'l airport shops for souvenirs, etc.

~Traders was a nice hotel. Contrary to popular belief, chewing gum is allowed in Singapore now. Most crews are put up at Trader's and get access to the Trader's Club which means free breakfast and free snacks in the evening. Taxis are dirt cheap. If you have one day to see everything here's a suggested itinerary (note, take a cab everywhere): Head to the gondola terminal to take the gondola to Sentosa island. Check out the island and then go back to the terminal. Proceed to Suntec City for some shopping or Nelson Circus to try the Hawker booths for food. From there head to Little India or Chinatown. The Singapore Zoo and Night Safari are definitely worth a visit. There's a 30 minute gap between when the Zoo closes and when the Safari opens. Other possibilities for your trip include crossing the border into Malaysia but be careful bringing back counterfeit DVDs as there was a crew chief that ended up in jail overnight for transporting adult DVD's across the border.

Paya Lebar, Singapore is the military base in Singapore. They have peculiar airfield hours and if this gets overlooked, you'll find yourself at Changi Int'l. There is an AMC rep located in the cargo shacks with a DSN line and a computer with internet access. There is also a decent base operations with weather, etc. TAKE HEED: check with Paya Lebar's dispatch to verify your departure routing and flight plan route. Chances are they have preferred routing for your destination and it won't match your CFP. Better to find this out sooner than later. Check the walls for their local SIDs. You won't take off to the South regardless of the winds. One other piece of advice...stock up on chow before your departure. There are very limited resources for food at Paya Lebar, i.e. a shack with with kettles of oriental noodle-fish-chicken-spice concoctions. If your into that sort of thing at 0500, great! If not, it will be a long flight unless you stock up beforehand. If you RON, there is a posssibility that they will put you up on the base, but not likely. We were "forced" to go downtown to a 5-star hotel, Traders, which treated us like kings! The opportunities for food, shopping, and entertainment are too numerous to mention. The hotel concierge was more than helpful with maps, directions, recommendations, etc. Denny's, Stuart Anderson's Black Angus, numerous sports bars, and plenty of oriental chow is all with walking distance and the cabs are cheap, too. After a few days with no ETIC they booted us from Traders and we were forced to endure a night at Sentosa Island's Shangri-La (65) 738-2222 FAX (65) 831-4314 ths@shangri-la.com www.shangri-la.com , which is another luxury resort complete with private beach, pool, spa, and a 3-hour happy hour! Once again treated like royalty. Golf is available but a little pricey. Enjoy! ~If you drop in for a quick turn, ask the TA guy for orders of the Fried Rice. It is excellent, and you can get hot or mild. About $5.00 an order. Paya Lebar - Loads and Booms read your foreign clearance guides carefully. Customs is not pleasant if your paperwork is not in order.