Annual custom cars and motorcycles festival Kustomfest 2108 will return on Saturday at the Jogja Expo Center (JEC).
nnual custom cars and motorcycles festival Kustomfest 2108 is set to kick off Saturday at the Jogja Expo Center (JEC), with the first-ever custom aircraft RI-X WEL belonging to the Air Force as its featured display.
Kustomfest director Lulut Wahyudi said the organizing committee had to carry out restoration works on the aircraft, which was among 2,000 collection items at the Air Force’s Dirgantara Mandala Museum in Yogyakarta.
“This is the first and only custom aircraft ever built in Indonesia, or maybe in the world,” Lulut said Tuesday, underlining why Kustomfest 2018 decided to display the airplane as part of efforts to educate and inspire the community of kustom kulture (its stylized phrase), especially youths.
He said that since the inaugural event in 2012, Kustomfest had been consistent in educating and inspiring kustom kulture lovers and builders. A number of renowned foreign custom figures have been invited to the festival for the same reasons.
Read also: 15 festivals to check out in October
Held under the theme of “Colors of Differences”, the festival is also presenting special highlights, including Indonesian Attack 2018, Australian Holden Car Show, Meet and Greet with Steve Caballero and Airplane Graffiti.
Dirgantara Mandala Museum head Col. Sus. Dede Nashrudin said the RI-X WEL was designed and built in five months by Col Wiweko Supono of the Air Force’s design and construction bureau in 1948 at Maospati (now Iswahjudi) Air Base in Madiun, East Java. It was built using a two-cylinder 1928 Harley Davidson 750 cc engine.
After a series of flight tests, the aircraft was finally flown from Maospati to Maguwo (now Adisutjipto) Air Base in Yogyakarta for an exhibition officially opened by first president Sukarno.
“It was such a proud moment, that an Air Force personnel could build an aircraft,” said Dede, expressing appreciation that the aircraft is to be displayed at Kustomfest 2018 this weekend. (wng)
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.