| James Kon |
HARD work and perseverance proved to be the life changing factors for 1097 Lt (U) Muhd Harith bin Haji Edin who finally received his Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF)’s Wing yesterday to realise his dream of flying a military helicopter to contribute to the nation.
Muhd Harith, is one of the four recipients of the RBAirF Wing. He and 1091 Lt (U) Abdul Haqim bin Haji Yahya have completed their initial Entry Rotary Wing and UH60A/L Blackhawk Track Course at Fort Rucker, Alabama, United States, while 1023 Lt (U) Mohd Nazmi bin Nasrudin and 1026 Lt (U) Mohd Aliff bin Haji Zulkifli, both completed their Elementary Flying Training and Single Engine Rotary Wing training at RAF Cranwell.
Since in his younger days, Muhd Harith’s ambition was to become a military helicopter pilot after frequently watching helicopters fly over his home in Kampong Rimba.
In an interview yesterday, Muhd Harith, recalling the start of his long journey towards becoming a pilot said, “I started by joining the Boys’ Wing in 2005 and graduated in 2007 as a private and joined the RBAirF as an aircraft technician. I worked as an aircraft technician for five years and was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal.”
1097 Lt (U) Muhd Harith bin Haji Edin receiving his wing from the Commander of the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF), Brigadier General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Shahril Anwar bin Haji Ma’awiah during the ceremony yesterday. – JAMES KON
“I completed the National Diploma in aircraft engineering course and then took up the Higher National Diploma in order to enrol in the Officer Cadet School (OCS). I took up the Higher National Diploma (HND) part time and with my own expenses. I was working daytime and studying at night. It was a really tough time as I needed to wake up early to head to work and also had to engage in my studies until late at night,” he added.
He recalled that, “There were those exhausting moments when I wanted to quit chasing my dream of becoming a pilot. Fortunately, thanks to the support of my family and officers in RBAirF, I didn’t give up. My perseverance and sacrifice were rewarded after I graduated with a HND and enrolled in the OCS.”
He hoped that his story of perseverance and sacrifice to chase his dream would inspire the younger generation to work hard to achieve their dream to contribute back to the nation.
Speaking about the 10-month course at Fort Rucker, Alabama, United States, he said, “We took two courses in the US which are the Initial Entry Rotary Wing and UH60A/L Blackhawk Track Course. This is the first initiative of its kind to help further expedite training and we feel very fortunate to participate in the training.
“We would like to convey our appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam for the opportunity to be involved in the training.”
The training and course, he said, “went very smoothly. We also were able to forge friendships with participants of the training who are from around the world”.
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