On 30Apr2010, WOA receives an email from member Dr Matthew Cheng in middle of conflict-zone in Afghanistan. We are publishing this article to salute Dr Matthew Cheng's courage, genuinely kind heart to save lives all over the world and celebrate his safe return to Singapore. His honor to mankind to constantly volunteer himself for humanitarian missions in conflict zones deserves our respect. 

Photos courtesy of Dr Matthew Cheng

Dr Matthew Cheng is in Afghanistan representing Singapore as a volunteer surgeon with the United Nations field hospital in the hot-zone, and this is not the first time Dr Matthew has bravely volunteered to be in conflict zones having previously volunteered in East Timor.

His email to us in the middle of conflict zone was to express his support for WOA's drive with the formation of Seletar Aircraft Owners' Group to lobby for optimized compact parking in Seletar Airfield to accommodate private aviation operations. Dr Matthew currently owns a Robinson R22 parked in Senai, Johor because Seletar Airport couldn't afford a parking space for him in his hometown of Singapore forcing him to relocate to our friendly neighbor in Malaysia (where WOA has 2 aerobatic aircrafts based there as well)

Affable Dr Matthew Cheng is a prominent surgeon in Singapore hospital scene and a passionate aviation enthusiasts who is also an FAA certified helicopter and gyrocopter CFI. We foundly remember the night he rushed to a WOA pilots dinners gathering event even late at night past 10pm even after a hectic day of surgery and patient consultation.

Below is a footnote from his email from Afghanistan to us:

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Please include my R22 in your temporary & final parking planning. I support self-governing by GA pilots, self ground handling (push back) & I hope the fixed wing guys will let me park next to them (perhaps at one end of the parking row). I attach also the R44 info as these are the 2 mostly likely piston GA helis around (Ashley/Lloyd helicopters has one), the R44 is 3m longer & less than 0.5m wider.

Thanks Meng, Dimitri, Greg & fellow pilots, you have always been very kind & helpful, even to this rotorcraft oddball. Will meet again when I return to Singpapore.

PS. My camp was attacked by 107mm rockets yesterday night & we had to take cover in bunkered area. Last week we lost a soldier in our emergency room from wounds sustained in combat from an IED. Another was burnt in his vehicle beyond recognition. But we managed save his colleague who sustained multiple fractures & injuries after the blast threw him out of the vehicle. Amidts the gloom, I am am always looking for little miracles daily. I hope the same for our parking quest & to improve GA in Singapore. 

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The rest of his email contains narratives and never seen in public photos of his mission in Afghanistan which upon viewing, really humbled us and gives everyone that moment where we realize how fortunate we are to live in a safe and comfortable part of the world. We shall share a brief pictorial summary of what we feel could be shared in public....(note: WOA has intentionally removed references to names of specific places for security reasons)

Kandahar Airport, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan

Camp is in a southern province in Afghanistan. Elevation is about 4000 feet. It is a valley surrounded by mountains. Rockets are fired from them into our area by the Tali---. Several months ago, they succeeded in killing & injuring some soldiers in camp with those rockets. Rocky ground, blue skies, quite beautiful but the fine dust is easily churned up into the air & gets into everything & is something you have to live with. The sound of helicopters are always in the background as the medical centre is next to the dirt air strip. Apache heli detachment called Wolfpack based here. 

Children injured by callasping walls. This child above had a fractured skull and this girl had a fractured pelvis & femur & bowel injury & is very miserable.

Dr Matthew operating on a young Afghan Policeman shot in the R iliac fossa, shattering R pelvis, acetabulum, femoral neck fracture. Massive blood transfusion & immediate salvage op that night.

Accomodation for Dr Matthew Cheng - stay in reinforced metal containers with 2 double decker beds, pretend being in a cabin on a cruise

You can also read a newspaper report of his mission HERE!

The WOA team salutes Dr Matthew Cheng - a passionate aviator, fun flying companion, a honourable solider (even as a reserve) and doctor and most important of all, a friend with a true heart of gold!

Below: Dr Matthew in his personal Robinson R22 outside his holiday home in Pattaya, Thailand.