66-year-old Frank Singam is one of Singapore's first fighter pilots with the Singapore Armed Forces. He was also part of the first batch of the aerobatics display team - the Black Knights.

The Black Knights are the ambassadors of the air force. They are well known for performing  stunning aerobatic air displays during air shows and the National Day parade.

Today, they have become a household name known for their precision manoeuvrability in piloting fighter planes.

Frank Singam was only 16 then

Singam's journey as a pioneer fighter pilot in Singapore began when he was only 16.

After spotting a recruitment ad for fighter pilots, he went for the interview and was put through several tests. He passed all of them, only to find out that the qualifying age was 17.

He was accepted only after a year, in 1968.

To become a fighter pilot, he had to go for training courses in the UK, with the country's Royal Air Force (RAF). He also had to study subjects including aviation, law and military training.

Singam's involvement in the Black Knights

Initially known as the Osprey Red, the Black Knights was commissioned in 1973, 5 years after the creation of Singapore's air force.

Unlike other aerobatics team, the Black Knights is not a full-time team but part of an operational force.

Because of the level of difficulty in performing the aerial manoeuvres, pilots have to be highly skilled. The team was formed only after the pilots and ground crew went through a stringent selection process following recommendation from their peers.

[related_story]

Within 5 years of joining the air force, Singam grew from being a newbie pilot to becoming one of the chosen four forming the first batch of The Black Knights.

Their first public appearance took place on June 7, 1974.

Merely 4 years after the Black Knights was commissioned, Singam headed the team in 1977 and 1978, and played a crucial role in the team's development in its earlier years.

Good memories

In an interview with Cyber Pioneer in 2015, he recounted being chosen to be part of the Black Knights:

“[It was] an honour lah, because the squadron commanders at the time, who were British, had to hand-pick the guys who can do this job. It was a different kind of flying, different from operational flying. It was a lot of faith in the leader [and] even people flying on your wing had to have faith in you because when you do manoeuvres, you've got to be in position."

He also recalled the SAF Day flypast in 1975, which was particularly memorable:

"The SAF Day flypast in 1975, which the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, then-Defence Minister, attended. We had to fly in from behind the crowd and be precisely over Dr Goh just as he was sitting down. And we did it. As he sat down, our planes came roaring in right over his head! Everyone talked about the broad smile he had on his face."

Singam's military career spanned over 30 years. He contributed not only to the development of the RSAF, which was founded in 1975, but also the aerobatics team.

Today, he is retired from the air force and works as a counsellor.

Top photo composite image from screenshot from RSAF video and MINDEF.