August 9 is approaching and that means preparations for the National Day Parade (NDP) is underway.

At every year's parade, the State Flag flypast is an important component of the show.

We got a behind the scenes peek recently at how the State Flag is prepared at Pulau Sudong for the NDP flypast.

Here are some insights that we gleaned from the experience.

1. Chinook's duty

The flypast is prepared and flown by 127 Squadron of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). The squadron operates the Chinook helicopter that carries the State Flag to the heart of the NDP.

This year's flypast will take place over the show centre at the Floating Platform.

The men given the honour of operating the Chinook for the flypast are Commanding Officer (CO) 127 Squadron Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Liao Ming Hao and Captain (CPT) Tan Jun Sheng.

2. It takes a village (or an entire squadron) to prep the State Flag

Before the show, the state flag is prepared at Pulau Sudong by the flag party.

On the preparations, LTC Liao told us that "the flag party comprises 300 personnel which support the (preparation of the) State Flag".

He went on to explain that "the preparation work for the flag is actually tremendous from rolling the flag which takes quite some time, to the rigging, and preparing the flag for the weekly rehearsals".

And rigorous work it is - unrolling the flag alone takes about two whole hours. Whoa.

3. The state flag is sibei big.

Most of us would have seen it on TV or from the comfort of the Floating Platform and know that it is huge, but did you know how huge it is?

"Most people when they see the flag, they wouldn’t think that the flag is the size of a basketball court," said a grinning LTC Liao.

That's right. The State Flag measures a mind-blowing 18.2m by 27m - about 1.5 times the size of a normal basketball court. That also means it spans an area bigger than an HDB flat.

The flag is weighed down by three ballasts, each weighing about 200kg. These ballasts help keep the line taut and the state flag stable during flight.

4. There are usually 3 state flags set up in case one fails (gasp) during the NDP.

The NDP is Singapore's biggest annual parade, and it's seen by millions. So in true Singaporean fashion of being kiasu and kiasee  (fearful of losing and failing), back-up plans are necessary to ensure that the show goes on without a hitch.

Sharing the measures that are taken, LTC Liao shared:

"There is a set of contingency plans that we've thought through. For example many Singaporeans have seen multiple Chinooks with multiple State Flags."

That's in case the primary aircraft is unable to go into Show Centre. It could be due to various reasons - weather, aircraft serviceability. Basically our contingency plans ensure that the State Flag turns up on time every year."

5. Special air pockets help the flag fly. 

In order to fly such a huge flag from a helicopter, there are air pockets weaved into the flag to enable it to unfurl smoothly in the wind.

The presence of these air pockets also presents a challenge to the pilot. Fly too slowly and the pockets don't catch any air, causing the flag to fold onto itself. Too quickly, and there's too much air caught, which might rip the flag.

The smoothly smooth execution of the flypast at every year's NDP is a testament to the skills of the Stallions, which is the emblem of 127 Squadron.

But it is precisely this tight clockwork execution that brings about a sense of pride in CPT Tan:

"I most enjoy bringing the flag to Show Centre, especially meeting the very stringent target requirements, to show the world we are a professional force".

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Special thanks to MAJ Christopher Eng, Malcolm Koh, and Grace Chew from the Air Force Information Centre for hosting Mothership.sg.

Top image by Joshua Lee.