3 generations of Airmen

As a young boy, he would see his father don the blue colours of the RSAF uniform and head to work in the early hours of the morning while he was preparing for school.

“He always took our family to visit Air Shows and RSAF Open Houses, and I remember sitting on his shoulders and watching the flybys of all the different military aircraft!" 2nd Lieutenant (2LT) Wesley Chow recalled.

Many years on, it could be fate that he was also posted to the RSAF during his full-time National Service (NS).

The 20-year-old continues a legacy that spans back to the late 1960s when both his grandfathers signed on with the Air Force!

Pioneers of the RSAF

For 2LT Chow’s paternal grandfather, Colonel (COL) (Ret) Willie Chow, 76, his interest in aviation was ignited by the comic character “Biggles”, an adventuring pilot.

The aero-modelling enthusiast joined the RSAF as a pilot in 1969, straight after his A-levels.

2LT Chow’s maternal grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) (Ret) Stephen Grant Yong, 75, also joined the RSAF right after his A-levels – but as an air traffic controller – in 1971.

Talking about how the RSAF has changed since the early days, LTC (Ret) Yong reminisced that most of the equipment they had back then were “hand-me-down stuff” from the British.

“Equipment, radars, sensors and even aircraft were all sourced second-hand from the British. Compared to now, there’s a really big difference in terms of infrastructure and equipment.”

COL (Ret) Chow chimed in, elaborating that it was more than equipment that needed to be developed from scratch.

“As somebody from the first fixed-wing pilot course, everything was new at that time. There was no experience, no tradition, no culture; we were just learning and walking the first steps as an Air Force.”

That’s why they are both heartened that the RSAF has grown to become such a modern powerhouse.

“I’m very happy and proud to see that we have reached such a high standard, to have a world-class air force now,” said COL (Ret) Chow.

On the same frequency

2LT Chow’s father, Senior Lieutenant Colonel (SLTC) (NS) Chow Tze Meng, was inspired by his own dad to become a pilot. Unfortunately, he did not make the cut.

But he did not give up on his dreams of serving in the RSAF – in 1999, he signed on as an Air Warfare Officer (AWO) (Air Battle Management).

As a father, SLTC (NS) Chow says that a key memory was watching his son commission as an officer in December 2025. “I felt extremely proud to see my son grow from a young boy to a leader, an officer in the RSAF.”

He noted that serving in the RSAF has made them even closer. For example, 2LT Chow now immediately knows what his father means if the latter says, “What’s your ETA, any Rolex?”*

“Little things like this help to build memories and create a common language between father and son,” said SLTC (NS) Chow.

“Being able to understand each other at this level is a very precious thing that I really enjoy – it’s like being on the same frequency.”

*In RSAF lingo, "Rolex" means "a time adjustment in minutes with reference to the original execution time”. For example, Rolex+30 minutes means 30 minutes later.

Determined to serve in blue

It comes as no surprise that 2LT Chow had hoped to serve his NS in the RSAF.

In the vocation preference selection during his first few weeks in Officer Cadet School, he immediately indicated his interest to be an AWO: “I was like, ‘Yeap, no questions, yes please!’”

His wish came true and he was selected to learn the ropes to become an AWO (Air Defence Weapon) (ADW).

After his commissioning, he was posted to a Ground-Based Air Defence (GBAD) squadron and is currently serving as the assistant S3, helping to manage the training and operations of the squadron. He is also responsible for handling squadron operations when they head out for exercises outfield.

Carry on the family legacy

Reflecting on his NS journey so far, 2LT Chow is grateful that he is able to continue his family’s legacy in the RSAF, and feels that the Air Force is like a “second family”.

“It’s also kind of nice that we are all from different parts of the RSAF – from the air controller side to the pilot and ground defence side – so we are able to share all of these different experiences in the RSAF with one another.”

At the end of the interview, 2LT Chow shared some heartfelt words of appreciation to his family: “I wouldn’t be the young man I am today without the upbringing from the three great men here with me today.

“I am thankful for all the support and advice they’ve given to me over the years, while not being overbearing and letting me choose what I want to do.”