'Missing Man' formation by Air Force in honour of late Mr Lee cancelled due to poor weather

'Missing Man' formation by Air Force in honour of late Mr Lee cancelled due to poor weather

A segment of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's state funeral procession was not performed due to the inclement weather.

The aerial flypast, which many viewers had been looking forward to, was performed above cloud cover, but was not visible at street level due the high altitude and low visibility. AsiaOne understands that the poor weather impeded the execution of the 'missing man' formation. 

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Performed by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)'s aerial display team, the Black Knights, the plan was for the aerial flypast and the "Missing Man" formation to take place when the procession passed in front of City Hall on Sunday. Only the aerial flypast was performed.

The formation is an aerial salute to honour dignitaries who have died, or for fallen soldiers.

A video of the rehearsal has been circulating on Facebook. It was taken on a high-rise building at Marina Bay and shows four RSAF F-16 fighter jets soaring above the skies near the iconic Marina Bay Sands. Starting in a "V" formation, one jet left the formation and headed west during the rehearsal, signifying a final flight towards the setting sun. The gap it leaves symbolises the missing man.

 

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According to the Straits Times, this was supposed to be the second time such a tribute was scheduled to be performed. The first time was during the 2008 Singapore Airshow to honour a teammate who had died of cancer. 

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