The commitment of our pioneers to build up a strong defence force to protect the peace and sovereignty of Singapore was not merely through words or aspirations. For ME2 Ng Qiong Hui, she takes pride in her work in the RSAF, where she works with the latest aviation technologies and maintains aircraft and weapon systems. She cites purpose, team excellence and people development as some of the reasons that inspired her to stay on in the RSAF.

ME2 Ng Qiong Hui
Air Force Engineer (Aircraft Maintenance)
Diploma in Aerospace Avionics
Republic Polytechnic

What motivated you to join the RSAF?

As a Singaporean, I know that we can only depend on ourselves to maintain the peace and security of our land. I attended a Polytechnic career fair and was intrigued to learn about the RSAF’s role in our nation’s defence system. The opportunities to go on overseas detachments to interact and work with foreign counterparts also interest me. I knew that I had found my calling and therefore applied for a position on the spot.

You have been serving in the Air Force for seven years. How was the progression journey like for you?

The RSAF takes a comprehensive and progressive approach towards developing us. I had numerous opportunities to attend personal and leadership development courses to constantly upgrade myself throughout my seven-year career. The courses have equipped me with the necessary skills to be a team leader, where I was tasked to teach junior Air Force Engineers (AFE) to perform aircraft maintenance with precision. I also had the honour of taking on the role of a Training In-Charge for my flight team which required me to monitor their qualifications, technical currency, training progression, and help my teammates to plan for their upgrading courses.

The two-year overseas stint that I took on in the US in 2013 gave me the exposure of working and exchanging views of my subject matter with foreign counterparts. The insights and knowledge that I gained from that experience and other overseas deployments have shaped me to become a better engineer and leader.

What do you still enjoy and find purposeful about your role?

Although my primary role in the RSAF is to ensure that the aircraft are always operationally ready to support the training and operational demands, I appreciate that there are many other opportunities for us to develop our skillsets. For example, I had the privilege of being part of the Media Control Team at the Paya Lebar Airbase for the recent historic Trump-Kim Summit, where I had to manage members of the media. Even though we were mobilised at short notice and had to work long hours, we were filled with a sense of accomplishment at the end of the event.

The people in the Air Force also play a huge part in making my everyday job enjoyable. The satisfaction gained from working together as a team to achieve mission success, be it in daily maintenance or large-scale exercises, is indescribable and exceptionally fulfilling to me.