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Hey, isn't our flag facing the wrong way?
There's a historical reason for the 'inverted' flags on SIA and RSAF aircraft
July 07, 2009
WHEN he saw the Singapore flag on a photograph of a Chinook helicopter, he did a double take.
Mr Ace Kindred Cheong, 38, a photographer, realised that the crescent moon and five stars were on the right side of the flag instead of on the left.
Was this a mistake or was it done on purpose, he wondered.
Mr Cheong was attending a media conference at the Marina Barrage early last month when he saw an aerial display which was part of the National Day rehearsal.
Impressed by the stunts, he snapped photos of the F16s, the Chinook and Apache helicopters.
While he was snapping away, he noticed the Singapore flag on the right side of the Chinook was inverted but thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him .
But as he was browsing through the photos that he had taken, he took a closer look at one of the Chinooks - and his doubts were confirmed.
So he wrote in to The New Paper.
And we found out that the RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force) is not the only one who flies the Singapore flag in such a manner.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) also displays the national flag the same way on its planes.
The explanation provided by SIA could well apply to the RSAF planes.
A Singapore Airlines spokesman said that the flag is viewed as you would expect to see it flying on a flagpost. When the aircraft is flying, it will fly as it would on a flagpost in the breeze - with the five stars and moon leading, and the red and white sections following.
He also provided a historical reason for the display.
He said: 'It has its origins in shipping, where the ensign of the country is flown off the stern of the ship.'
Never backwards
He also said that historically, 'a national flag should never be seen to be travelling backwards'.
The spokesman also added that this style of replication is the same in most major airlines which fly the flags of their countries.
When The New Paper contacted MrCheong to explain the reason to him, he was relieved.
He said: 'I thought it was a mistake by the RSAF to display the flag that way. I'm glad that I was wrong.
'Now, I finally understand why.'
Thanks to The New Paper.
Ervina Mohamed Jamil, newsroom intern
Hey, isn't our flag facing the wrong way?
There's a historical reason for the 'inverted' flags on SIA and RSAF aircraft
July 07, 2009
WHEN he saw the Singapore flag on a photograph of a Chinook helicopter, he did a double take.
Mr Ace Kindred Cheong, 38, a photographer, realised that the crescent moon and five stars were on the right side of the flag instead of on the left.
Was this a mistake or was it done on purpose, he wondered.
Mr Cheong was attending a media conference at the Marina Barrage early last month when he saw an aerial display which was part of the National Day rehearsal.
Impressed by the stunts, he snapped photos of the F16s, the Chinook and Apache helicopters.
While he was snapping away, he noticed the Singapore flag on the right side of the Chinook was inverted but thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him .
But as he was browsing through the photos that he had taken, he took a closer look at one of the Chinooks - and his doubts were confirmed.
So he wrote in to The New Paper.
And we found out that the RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force) is not the only one who flies the Singapore flag in such a manner.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) also displays the national flag the same way on its planes.
The explanation provided by SIA could well apply to the RSAF planes.
A Singapore Airlines spokesman said that the flag is viewed as you would expect to see it flying on a flagpost. When the aircraft is flying, it will fly as it would on a flagpost in the breeze - with the five stars and moon leading, and the red and white sections following.
He also provided a historical reason for the display.
He said: 'It has its origins in shipping, where the ensign of the country is flown off the stern of the ship.'
Never backwards
He also said that historically, 'a national flag should never be seen to be travelling backwards'.
The spokesman also added that this style of replication is the same in most major airlines which fly the flags of their countries.
When The New Paper contacted MrCheong to explain the reason to him, he was relieved.
He said: 'I thought it was a mistake by the RSAF to display the flag that way. I'm glad that I was wrong.
'Now, I finally understand why.'
Thanks to The New Paper.
Ervina Mohamed Jamil, newsroom intern
