I guess my theory is right, that u can just be anything and be anywhere that you want to be with a camera in your hand. I had another unforgettable moment just recently, circling Kuala Lumpur city centre particularly KLCC and KL Tower on a flying machine, the lightest and the slowest aircraft ever … a paramotor.
It was totally unplanned.
My flying partner and I saw an opportunity and we decided to grab it. Our second time flying tandem together in a crowded city centre while our first experience was quite scary. We were new and inexperienced at that time while we took up a flying job to circle around Petaling Jaya area, a crowded highly populated city centre in the heart of Petaling Jaya.
We always wanted to fly circling Kuala Lumpur particularly KLCC, once was the tallest tower in the world. Who doesn’t want to do that? Had a goosebump though when we started our flight that morning. I smell fear.
Curiousity will conquer fear even more than bavery will
Flying in between congested building area is not easy. Wind in between tall buildings is unpredictably strong due to the funnel effect and obviously dangerous for a light flight aka paramotor like us. Yes … fear of the unpredictable.
View of the city from the Royal Selangor Golf ClubI love this!
We started with a good vibe.
The weather was good with a zero wind condition at our takeoff site, it added great confidence to both of us. We made our usual safety test while on air before heading to KLCC and KL Tower, we circled a few times around the Royal Selangor Golf Club and as we gained our confidence … we then proceed to the city centre airspace.
Uhhh … after years of taking photos at high altitudes while flying, I still had that ‘gayat’ or vertigo feeling especially if we were flying close to buildings. Scary but worth it!. Both my flying buddy and I love flying so much that little hurdles or challenges while on air so far couldn’t kill our spirits.
I set my camera at ISO 800 and put it on S mode and start framing my visual composition. Instead of my usual D810, I opted for a mirrorless camera with an equivalent of 24-70mm lens. For safety reason, I am looking forward to changing my photography gears to another lighter option.
The other side of KLCCWefie on air while cruising at 1000 feet up on the horizon
This experience honestly inspired me to dream further.
I want more experience like this. Am adding a few more things to my “to do list before I go senile”… a dream of flying across the pyramids in Egypt, flying across the beautiful landscape of Yemen and exploring the airspace of the City of Dubai. In Sha Allah, if Allah permits.
I like!
I hope that I would never get bored of this.
Maybe my life is not as perfect as the rest of makcik and pakcik bawang out there at the kitchen corner safely curling in their comfortable nest. How I choose to live my life might look a bit weird compared to the rest of the so-called ‘perfect’ people … but so far I feel alive, contented and blessed with whatever presented by the Al-Mighty to me. I don’t give a damn … It’s my life, I’ll have it my way.
“There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.”
I have been home bound for months now. My last trip outside Malaysia was to Mongolia and Lake Baikal, Russia in March early this year. I am still not sure where is my next destination yet. I am ok with just anything …
Yeah … I do miss my traveling moment for sure.
The quietness, the feeling of being lost, the discovering, the learning and breathing the air of strangers land but I do believe in not exaggerating or over indulging upon something. Maybe because I get bored easily, too much of anything could kill my interest.
Well … I was not basically just sitting at home for this past few months. That travel addiction still stings me badly and I have a ‘secret’ way to sooth it down before I turned mental. I tagged along with my other adventurous soul group … my paramotor friends of course.
At Kuala Selangor … enjoying the morning light
Of late they are into cross-country flying aka XC flying with paramotors.
I didn’t expect to experience such a rich and raw exploration moments while hovering low in the airspace. The landscape from high above is dreamy and mesmerizing, the air smells differently … it felt as if I am physically not here in Malaysia but somewhere traveling across different continental within 1.5 to 2 hours of each flight.
We would be in a deep forest for 10 minutes, in urban cities in another few minutes, on acres of acres of orchard, on some mysterious island, in a blue looking lake and sometimes just hover around a small town around Antara Gapi for maybe 10 minutes.
From Kundang to Bukit Beruntung, Kuala Selangor on 2017.07.23
We flew in a small group … most of the time with well-experienced pilots, around 4 to 7 of them. As usual … I would be in charge of capturing the moments of us, flying. We started very early in the morning before the morning light is out, took-off from our flying base around 7:00 to 7:30 am so that we could catch the early morning light from the horizon … morning light is always our favorite.
For me …. the best way to end a hectic week is not through snuggling on your bed for the whole morning on the weekend but to do all this lol … mental? Yes …
Inside a cloud at Tekah Airfield on 2017.04.15
Unlike paragliding, thermals are not our best friend. The wind tends to be calmer early in the morning and we would experience the heat around 10 am when the sun is fully out. The heat created thermal heat on the airspace and our wings would swing according to the heat flow which is not good (dangerous too) for flying low.
So, by 10 am we are expected to land safely at our starting takeoff base.
And yeah … sometimes we drove out of Kuala Lumpur to the east and west part of peninsular Malaysia with our engines and wings and join our local flying friends from those areas.
Kuala Besut, Terengganu from up on the air on 2017.07.16
Is it dangerous? Hmmm …
As I mentioned earlier in my previous post about paramotor, any extreme sport requires you to have a certain level of skill to ensure safety. And that skill is acquired from hours and hours of flying training or flying experience. And planning is very important.
Apart from making sure that the engines and wings are in its best condition … we tried to minimize our risk by ensuring proper planning before and during each flight with the help of technology.
From Pulau Indah to Morib Beach during low-tide on 2017.04.09
MBOR challenge achieving 10,000 feet in a group at Tekah Airfield on 2017.04.15
Inside a cloud at Tekah Airfield on 2017.04.15
At the Water Reservoir Sungai Tinggi, Kuala Selangor on 2017.05.13
At Bukit Tabur, Selangor on 2017.05.21
At Unisel wetland, Batang Berjuntai, Kuala Selangor on 2017.05.28
From Kundang to Tanjung Malim, Perak on 2017.06.11
We saw this S-shaped river on the way to Tanjung Malim on 2017.06.11
Flying over Antara Gapi airspace on 2017.06.11
Bukit Beruntung area on 2017.07.23
From Kundang to Bukit Beruntung, Kuala Selangor on 2017.07.23
Pantai Irama, Bachok, Kelantan on 2017.07.15
Kuala Besut, Terengganu on 2017.07.16
The shoreline of Kuala Besut, Terengganu on 2017.07.16
From Kuala Besut to Perhentian Island, Terengganu on 2017.07.17
From Kuala Besut to Perhentian Island, Terengganu on 2017.07.17
Is it scary?
Honestly yes … sometimes lol … but when you are already up there on air, your thought mostly would be on how to ensure that we are well prepared for the worst. I call it the survivor instinct …
The shoreline of Kuala Besut, Terengganu on 2017.07.16
Flying cross-country gives us the opportunity to see the world in a way that most people would never will and it is a privilege for me to be a part of it.
And, sharing the beauty version of layers and layers of landscapes from up above through my lens with my viewers is very self-fulfilling. Some might get personal seeing me mingled around comfortably among my ppg friends … get it over with, after experiencing life I believe that there is more to it than getting hitched, In Sha Allah kot ha ha ha.
From Kuala Besut to Perhentian Island, Terengganu on 2017.07.17
I might appear bias or might have inhaled too much dust while flying but I think it is a privilege for a human being to be able to fly at will either with a light-aircraft or a wing and glide on air doing paragliding or with an engine attached to a wing like a paramotor.
And I am not sure when this flying privilege could last as air regulation might change according to technological change or cost hike on flying kill enthusiast or in an extreme case, political change – so I believe that it is very fortunate for us to be able to fly at our own will today.
Sharing some snapshots from our GoPros during a few of our XCs here in today’s post as an inspiration and motivation for ourselves … fly high peeps! create your own moment.
To view photos from this post in better resolution … please click here
Sunset flight from our takeoff base at Pulau Indah to Jugra Hill on 2017.08.13
My article in ‘NST botsclick!’ on what to shoot during monsoon season. Google to read in details
It’s the end of February yet the monsoon season still refused to leave our shore. We still experienced occasional rain and thunderstorm here and there. I am not complaining … I love rain, rain reminds me of home … of my bed and my blanket to be precise.
I was with 26 Paramotor PPG pilot friends last weekend covering their story on XC Pantai Timur Feb 11-12, 2017 together with my Janjiflyteam. We planned to fly together along the shoreline from Sri 7 beach, Tumpat, Kelantan to Cherating beach, Pahang covering 3 states (Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang) for 2 days but mother nature seemed to have its own plan.
Strong wind and heavy rain for the whole weekend during our XC event last weekend. We were basically chased away by the strong wind and the rain. Most of us failed to take-off from all 9 of our take-off points along the shoreline. And … moral of the story is … I have no thrilling ppg flying photos to show off for you peeps 🙂
Well … me and my camera … we go everywhere, we explore anything, rain or shine. Jom … sharing my monsoon photos taken during our ‘chasing the monsoon’ moment.
Batu Buruk beach, Terengganu with the dark dramatic sky
Strong wind approx 40 knots with thick clouds and slight drizzled … not complaining!
Fishing boats lining along the beachFishing boats lining along the beachFishing boats lining along the beachA ppg pilot preparing to brave the wild wind at Semerak beach, Tok Bali, Kelantan
I am packing up for my next adventure … a trip exploring Mongolia and Southeastern Siberia. Preparing for a winter adventure … this would be my first experience exploring a strange land at -14’c … am not sure how am I gonna deal with it but I’ll figure it out once I am there.
It’ll be a 15 days trip from Beijing to Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia and to Irkutsk then straight to Lake Baikal via Trans-Siberian train. Uhhh … I am curious to the max now! Gotta go … bye
Cheers,
MM
ps – google for Salliza Salleh to read the NST article clip mentioned above yeah.
Jugra Hill, Selangor, Malaysia: Paraglider TO base. The view before the storm strike
This year is going to be my third year flying and photographing Malaysian paramotor (ppg) pilots, with JanjiFly Aviation Club Malaysia. 2 solid years of experiencing the joy of flying and hovering around Malaysia’s airspace with our wings. Traveling with our gliders …
SSP Cyberjaya, Malaysia: A view down from my paramotor ride
Yeah … I realized that here in Malaysia, this sport is still dominated by men, unlike paragliding. The heavy engine, the tendency for the engine to create drama and the expensive cost of this sport are probably the major hindrance for just any woman to adopt this hobby.
Me … I have my camera and we go everywhere. No boundaries …
SSP Cyberjaya, Malaysia: A fishing trip up there on the cloud
How do I see all this? Well, I have the ‘explorer’ character in me that had been there for as long as I can remember. Being able to constantly fly with them allow me to explore and experience moments that are different from the ordinary.
Was it easy? Doing all this in my ‘conservative and judgemental’ Malay society? Nope … it has never been easy since my day one. My poyoness aka numbness attitude saved me from all those nasty words thrown at me lol. It has never been easy to be different.
Sharing another unexpected moment while flying at SSP Cyberjaya with beautiful morning light at zero wind and the subject was perfectly fit in. And we have a
And we have a ‘fishing trip with friends in the cloud’ moment.
SSP Cyberjaya, Malaysia: Beautiful reflection
Photos were taken from my paramotor tandem ride at SSP Cyberjaya, Malaysia with my 70-200mm f/4 lens. For a moment like this, my advice is …be extra cautious with your camera shutter speed.
SSP Cyberjaya, Malaysia: Beautiful lie
Gotta run …. bye
Cheers,
MM
ps:
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
~Lord Byron
at Tekah Airfield on October 01, 2016 with my flying buddy
I always wonder.
On how would our earth look like from 10,000ft high up on air from a paramotor ride? Just you and your bared machine up high above the cloud looking down upon the earth with both of your feet dangling in the air at 10,000ft … wohooo!
I said yes when my PPG friends (powered paraglider) invited me to their latest flying event, a Malaysian Book Of Record (MBOR) challenge to fly as high as 10,000 – 15,000 feet up on air this coming December as their professional photographer.
They had a few rounds of training at Tekah Airfield, Taiping, Perak.
I tagged along as part of the team and as the flying partner to En. Tazza. Flying with him is always a good vibe. It seemed that both of us adore flying so much that whatever people said about us, we would still be a good partner. Last weekend on October 1st and 2nd were their second MBOR training. They planned to test their physical endurance and engine capability while attempting to reach at least 6000ft to 8000ft.
imagine your feet dangling on air at 6000 ft
The wind was gusty that morning.
We were swaying from left to right, up and down dangling on the airspace. I nearly vomited out my early morning ‘nasi lemak’ (breakfast) 😛 … oh boy! after hours and hours of flying with them I still experienced air sickness, It showed how gusty the wind was that morning.
Since ‘giving up’ has never been my favourite words. So, we kept on going.
The gutsy wind finally settled calmly as we ascended exceeding 3000ft and we started to feel the chill and oh my God! the view was priceless. Look at how huge the airspace was. Oh, the word ‘priceless’ felt underrated … the view was awesome A+++.
at 1935m = 6354 ft … bullseye! we reached the targetthe view at 6000ftthe view at 6000ftthe view at 6000ftat 6000ft … and that fluffy clouds on the left
I often get misunderstood by my viewers.
Guess that professionalism is still unknown to some of my conservative audiences. It may seem like I am the only woman in the team but as a frequent traveller and a professional photographer, this is a normal on-the-job environment for me. I didn’t feel awkward at all as I am not doing anything wrong … religiously or morally. The view up there is worth all the bad mouth rumours on the ground.
People do talk but having a mutual understanding between me and my subjects makes my work comfortable and easy … truly blessed!
“To live is the rarest thing in the world, most people just exist. That is all.” ~ Oscar Wilde
at 6000ft we blend well with the surroundingbeen here, done that!
Yeay … been there, done that! and I am slowly moving on to my next project.
Preparing myself to get lost in Jogjakarta, Indonesia in mid-November. This is going to be my 3rd time wandering in Jogjakarta … this time around I will be joining my local photographer friend hunting for lights around the beaches, jungles, hills, paddy fields and some bushes outside Jogjakarta. Wish me well …
Bye for now
Cheers,
MM
ps – I am leaving it all to Allah, he is the best of planners. Ameen …
And [remember, O Muhammad], when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you [from Makkah]. But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners. [Al-Anfal verse 30]
MATSUDA MASHIMARU 