Roland's rise from ‘newspaper runs' to pioneering MAS pilot

Free Malaysia Today

24-05-2025

Roland Abraham Thomas – airline pilot, trainer and manager – as a second officer with Malayan Airways in 1965. (Roland Thomas pic)
LANGKAWI : Before becoming one of the pioneer pilots for
Before becoming one of the pioneer pilots for
Malaysia Airlines , Capt Roland Abraham Thomas did the graveyard shift 'ferrying newspapers' around the peninsula.
In one of his last interviews, Roland shared that a typical round-trip flight from Singapore would begin at 3am as they flew propellor airplanes along the Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh-Penang route and return.
'The 'newspaper run' was a good foundation for young pilots, with a 10-minute turnaround time at each of the three stopover airports. We used to really work our butts off in those days!' he said.
Roland noted that, unlike the luxury enjoyed by pilots today, 'there was no cabin pressurisation, cockpit air-conditioning, weather radar or proper navigational aids.
'Navigation was done by map reading, landmarks and dead reckoning,' he added, referring to the process of calculating one's position by estimating the direction and distance travelled.
The highlight of the flight, he said, was the hot tomato soup the air hostess would serve after take-off. 'Of course, it would spill all over if we ran into bad weather!' quipped Roland, who died on May 20. He would have turned 82 in September.
Roland with TK Pow, Choo Kok Liang and Foo Chee Wah as young cadet pilots attending Airwork Services Training in Perth, Scotland. (Roland Thomas pic)
His 47 years in aviation – as an airline pilot, trainer and manager – began in April 1963 as a cadet pilot with Malayan Airways in Paya Lebar, Singapore.
Along with TK Pow, Choo Kok Liang and Foo Chee Wah, Roland was among the second batch of pilots sent for 15 months of training in Perth, Scotland, to obtain their commercial pilot's licence.
They returned to Singapore in 1964, during which time the majority of pilots were expatriates who would go on to lay the foundation for MAS and Singapore Airlines.
Roland began as a second officer flying the Douglas DC-3 Dakota to Jesselton (Kota Kinabalu) under the supervision of Capt Winkie Ho, a World War II pilot from China.
'Jesselton was the last of my bachelor days as I got married six months later upon my return to Singapore. I was just 22 years old!' said Roland, who later flew the F27-200 and the de Havilland Comet 4C as a first officer from 1965 to 1968.
He would go on to gain experience with the expatriate crew as Malayan Airways became Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) in 1966. 'We worked as a family with no racial prejudices or favour,' Roland recalled.
McDonnell Douglas president John Brezendine cutting Roland's tie – a time-honoured tradition – upon the delivery of MAS's first DC-10-30 on Aug 12, 1976 at Subang Airport. (Roland Thomas pic)
After obtaining his airline transport pilot's licence, he went for conversion training in Seattle, Washington, and was part of the first batch to fly the Boeing B707-312 as senior first officer.
In 1970, at age 26, Roland was given command of the Fokker F27 and became captain the following year. 'As a young captain and father of three boys, I decided to sport a beard to appear more authoritative,' said Roland.
When MSA split to become MAS and Singapore Airlines in 1972, Roland and other senior pilots like Hassan Ahmad, Khairi Mohamad, Mohd Ali and Tengku Shamsul Bahari remained patriotic.
'As the pilot's association secretary, I established the 'straight-line seniority system' based on the date of recruitment for MSA pilots joining MAS. However, some former air-force pilots, who were already commanders in MSA, protested as they lost seniority when joining MAS.
'Eventually I, along with Hassan and Khairi, laid the foundation for MAS pilots with the assistance of expatriates from Qantas,' said Roland, who later served as captain of the newly acquired Boeing 737 fleet.
Roland in Sydney, Australia, bidding farewell to MAS first engineering director Doug Scott upon the latter's retirement. (Roland Thomas pic)
In 1974, MAS purchased several secondhand B707-338s from Qantas after Roland and a team of pilots, engineers and cabin crew underwent conversion training with Qantas in Sydney and Avalon, Australia.
'We pilots suffered weary legs during training due to constant and exhaustive rudder engagements, as we had to fly with simulated engines out. One Aussie instructor told us that the only way to have strong legs was to eat more sausages!'
A year later, Roland underwent conversion training with Air New Zealand in Auckland before MAS took delivery of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30.
In later years, Roland was involved as a lead pilot in the acceptance of the Airbus A300-B4 in 1979 from Toulouse, France; Boeing B747-200 in 1982 from British Airways, London; and B747-400 in 1989 from Seattle.
He would go on to serve as flight operations chief with Jet Airways (1977-2003) and GoAir in India, as well as Firefly (2007).