Mountain Home Air Force Base is home to 250 RSAF aircrew and their families
By Jeremy Koh, 938LIVE | Posted: 21 November 2009 1625 hrs

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SINGAPORE: The state of Idaho in the US may be more than half a world away but it's home to 250 aircrew from the Republic of Singapore Air Force, their spouses and children, all housed at the Mountain Home Air Force Base.

Anyone who has watched the movie "Top Gun" probably harbours dreams of being a fighter pilot.

But is it as glamorous as the movies make it seem?

Well, for starters, RSAF pilots at the Mountain Home Air Force Base spend on average of just three to six hours a week streaking across the sky.

The rest of the time is spent reading-up and preparing for their flight, among other things.

And with just a 12,000 population at Mountain Home, the world of glamour would seem faraway.

Besides, there's a more serious business at hand - delivering more air power for the 3rd Generation SAF.

Major Benjamin Kim, F-15 Fighter Pilot, said: "Training here is a lot better in the sense that we've a lot more airspace to fly. We have a lot of overland airspace which Singapore does not have, and the multiple range complex that we have here really gives us the opportunity to practice large force employment, as well as overland operations."

The aircrew and their families live within the base and life is very different from Singapore.

The state capital, Boise, an hour's drive away can also hardly be termed a bustling metropolis.

Captain Edmund Teo, Weapons System Officer, said: "It is still good but your biggest shopping centre nearby would be your Walmart. But in Singapore, we can just visit the coffee-shop or get our groceries just downstairs. Over here we have to travel a bit just to get our groceries."

But with wife Jessica and their two young kids around, Captain Teo is hardly homesick.

Jessica quit her job as a bank trader to join her husband in Idaho.

She said: “Initially, it was very difficult. There was a lot of adjustment but there's nothing that you can't do over time and I think it's becoming more enjoyable being a stay-at-home mum.”

And from not knowing how to cook, Jessica has now turned her focus on cooking Singapore food for her children.

She said: "I make it a point to cook Singapore food for my children because I don't want them to grow up on french fries and nuggets and have that as a staple, and I feel food is such an important thing for my culture."

And it won't be long before the Teos get to savour local favourites like char kway teow and laksa as they are headed back to Singapore next March. - 938LIVE/vm