Dear members, fellow aviation professionals and friends
2019 is a very special year for SG – it is 200 years since Sir Stamford Raffles founded Temasek. To the millennials it signifies our 200 years of progress to a developed and economically viable state. To the pioneers, SG54 may have more significance. Whichever way you want to look at it, we can be proud of our achievements.
SIAE will be 44 years old and I have served in the ExCo for 35 years. With the completion of my current term as President in Jul 2019, we will be looking forward to a new team to lead us to the next lap of aviation in SG.
Serving in the ExCo all these years have been fulfilling for me. Starting as VP in 1977 and Hon Secretary for the following 17 years, I had the opportunity to accelerated learning to manage corporate responsibilities and teamwork, often with tough resource constraints and in unchartered grounds. We ventured into aviation magazine, international conference, hot air balloon, computer club, restoration of historical aircraft and overseas university degree programs for members.
Through the SIAE experience, celebrating triumphs and surviving difficulties, I was able to contribute much to my job and more than 20 other committees ranging from charity to government agencies to educational institutions which I have been privileged to be a part.
The socio-economic, political and technological environment in 2019 will be vastly different from 44 years ago. Aviation is now driven by finance instead of technology. Financial productivity has dominated business over labour productivity for more than 25 years. The danger today is the loss of talents coming into aerospace engineering. Our immediate challenge is to prevent the weakening of technical infrastructure from adversely affecting safety. A longer term challenge is to bring back the excitement of aviation to students. SIAE can play important roles in both areas.
Building resilience to survive disruptive forces will be a priority, but it is important that we must not survive at the expense of future generations.
I wish all members, associates and corporate supporters a Happy New 2019!
Lim Yeow Khee BBM
Hon F.SIAE, FRAeS, A/P (Adj) NTU, Adult Education Fellow (IAL)
President, SIAE