Call Sign ‘Tiny’, Vibes Massive – This C-130 Pilot Is Flying For More Than Just The Mission

At 1.89m tall, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Teeneshwaran aka Teenesh is hard to miss – except when he’s soaring high above Singapore in a C-130 Hercules. That’s when his call sign makes the most sense.

“My nickname in school was ‘Tiny’. Really random,” he says of “Tiny”, the moniker that’s followed him into the skies. “My CO [Commanding Officer] back then found out about my nickname – and that was it. It just stuck! Initially, it was a bit weird and awkward. People were like, ‘Eh! Why are you ‘Tiny’?!’ But it’s contradictory and very catchy, so I went along with it!”

As the CO of 122 Squadron in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), LTC Teenesh has logged 16 years in the cockpit of the C-130. This year, he returns to the National Day Parade (NDP) not only as a pilot but as the C-130 Lead for SG60 – a milestone year for Singapore and a full-circle moment for LTC Teenesh, who first flew in the parade 10 years ago during SG50.

“Even though I’ve done this before, it feels like I'm doing this for the first time,” says the 37-year-old. “Every opportunity being part of NDP, no matter how many times you do it, it's profoundly meaningful.”

LTC Teenesh (fourth from right) with some of the RSAF personnel and two of the 26 RSAF aircraft that will be involved in this year's NDP. | IMAGE: NDP 2025 EXCO

A childhood dream that took flight

LTC Teenesh’s aviation journey didn’t begin in uniform. It began when he was just a toddler, sitting in a commercial plane.

“There’s this funny story that my dad told me: Apparently, when I was in an airplane at the age of three, the pilot came out, saw me, and gave me his commercial wings,” he says, attributing that moment as possibly the first spark that ignited a dream to fly.

Years later, a childhood fascination with aerial displays matured into action when he joined the Singapore Youth Flying Club.

“During my Youth Flying Club days, I knew I was going to the Air Force,” he says. “Even before I enlisted for national service, I knew.”

Two C-130s (the ones with four propellers) and two Fokker-50s fly in the Transport Formation Flypast – a powerful nod to the RSAF’s role in humanitarian aid and peace missions. | IMAGE: NDP 2025 EXCO

Flying in formation, anchored by purpose

2025’s NDP is breaking new ground in the skies. In a historic first, a flypast of 22 aircraft will accompany the Mobile Column at the Padang, with air and land assets moving as one in a synchronised display of strength and unity.

The aerial action is split into four epic formations. First, the Multi Axis Flypast sees six F-15SG fighters charging in from opposite directions before powering into vertical afterburner climbs (basically, peak fighter jet drama). Then comes the Jet Formation Flypast, led by an A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport flanked by F-16s and a G550-Airborne Early Warning aircraft. After that, things get a little rotor-heavy with the Helicopter Formation Flypast; expect Apaches, Chinooks, and a Seahawk sweeping in from the south.

LTC Teenesh will be leading the final act: the Transport Formation Flypast featuring two C-130 Hercules aircraft and two Fokker-50s. It’s a nod to the aircraft the RSAF uses for humanitarian aid and peace support missions. Fitting, since that’s exactly the kind of meaningful work that’s kept Teenesh in the skies all these years.

On 2 Apr this year, LTC Teenesh (left) led the RSAF’s Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission to Myanmar, after a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the country. | IMAGE: MINDEF

18 years and still flying high

LTC Teenesh joined the RSAF in 2007. His passion for flight took off in school and has since grown into a calling that combines purpose, leadership, and people.

The years have brought more than just flying experience, they’ve also brought responsibility. Today, as a leader, LTC Teenesh is dedicated to mentoring younger pilots.

“What I tell the guys is to appreciate and really take the training seriously,” he says. “The amount of effort they put in, the seriousness they put in, is something I always emphasise when the guys do their training.”

There’s also the matter of legacy. “My predecessors have put a lot of energy and resource to help groom my colleagues and me,” he says. “I think now is my time, and it’s my responsibility to make sure that I do my best to impart the knowledge, the skills, the expertise to the junior guys, so that they can then carry out the subsequent missions.”

An RSAF C-130 Hercules carrying humanitarian aid supplies takes off at Paya Lebar Air Base. | IMAGE: MINDEF

More than just a big plane

Big, brawny, and unmistakable in the skies, the C-130 Hercules is one of the most versatile aircraft in Singapore’s fleet. This four-engine turboprop isn’t just built for parades, it’s a workhorse used by the RSAF for a wide range of missions, including Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and Search and Locate operations across the region.

Every time LTC Teenesh climbs into the cockpit, he’s reminded of why he chose this path.

“It's two things: the kind of missions that we do, and the people. The missions carried out by the C-130 are extremely meaningful. It resonates with me, because I have this desire to serve something more than myself.”

And it’s not a solo job.

“Particularly for the C-130 and the transport platforms, we have a lot of crew members on board,” he explains. “I have five different stations including the co-pilot, the navigator, the flight engineer, the load master. Every flight is different, but what surprises me is the teamwork. The teamwork has to happen like clockwork. It's collective success built upon individual professionalism and a common purpose.”

Jooyoung Park, LTC Teenesh's wife, supports him in her own quiet but crucial way. | IMAGE: NDP 2025 EXCO

Love on the ground, trust in the skies

Before the C-130s swoop in over the Padang, they hold their position over Changi in the East, long enough for one particular civilian to catch more than a glimpse.

“From where we hold, my wife is able to have a good view of us,” says LTC Teenesh of his better half, Jooyoung, who is no stranger to the sacrifices that come with her husband’s job.

“I actually met her in the lead up to SG50 10 years ago. So, good memories!”

Though she prefers to keep a low profile – “She's not really the kind of person to go ‘waaaaah! Click click click, social media, post. No, no, no. She's a very reserved, quiet person.” – her support is quiet but unwavering.

“For sure, she knows the significance of my commitment,” says LTC Teenesh. “And, in her own way, she supports it by taking care of the home front, even taking care of my parents when I don't have the time to do so. And that really creates a lot of capacity for me to really focus on the job.”

Downtime on weekends is spent “being a good husband and being a good son”.

“It's not necessarily doing anything. It's about spending quality time talking, going out for dinner, going to watch a movie or going for hikes,” says LTC Teenesh about how he decompresses.

Jooyoung’s favourite place to hike? MacRitchie Reservoir. “I don't know why,” he says, chuckling. “I find it damn long and damn far ’cause I stay in the East!”

IMAGE: NDP 2025 EXCO

Looking ahead

In light of Singapore’s 60th birthday, we ask LTC Teenesh how he envisions himself at 60. Without hesitation, he says, laughing, “Probably on a beach somewhere spending my retirement money.”

But something tells us he won’t remain idle. “I'm a person who can't sit still for long,” he admits. “I’d like to go out into the commercial world after I retire from the force, and just have a different kind of experience, to see how the other side of the world really operates.”

Until then, you’ll find him high above Singapore’s skyline, “tiny” only in name, but larger than life in the skies.

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