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Young Reporters: Doodles on a Paper Airplane

At first, I never expected to get such an extraordinary opportunity. Out of 127 applicants, I was one of the lucky children who passed the selection process along with 49 other Junior Reporters (Reporter Cilik). We got a golden opportunity to visit the only aircraft manufacturing plant in the ASEAN region!

As it turns out, our pride-and-joy factory just celebrated its 50th anniversary. PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) was first established in 1976, with Mr. B.J. Habibie serving as its first President Director. I will share how exciting this Junior Reporter activity was—follow along on my journey!

Our main agenda today was a factory visit, during which we had the chance to interview several great resource persons among PT DI's employees. Before entering the hangar area, we enthusiastically chanted our group cheer and held an ice-breaking session with the committee members. In my opinion, this was one of the most exciting parts because we could let go of our nervousness and laugh together.

We entered the inner plant area of PT DI onboard a Bandros bus. Do you know what Bandros is? Bandros stands for Bandung Tour on The Bus, which is an iconic tour bus in Bandung City. Our first stop was the Mock-Up Building area. There, we were accompanied by Mr. Cepi Napisa, who works in Functional Marketing, Communication, and Promotion.

Inside this building, our eyes were immediately treated to various physical models of domestic aerospace and defense products. There were the CN235, NC212i, N219, MALE-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), UAV Wulung, as well as various advanced weaponry. There was also a model of the KF-X fighter jet, built in collaboration with South Korea. In addition, we had the golden opportunity to step inside a real CN235 aircraft. I could directly see the cockpit, which has two pilot seats, as well as the passenger cabin featuring overhead storage compartments above the seats. Wow, so cool!

After exploring the Mock-Up Building, we moved to the FAL (Final Assembly Line) Hangar. There, we were warmly welcomed by the proud employees of PT DI. In this hangar, another Junior Reporter and I were assigned to interview Mr. Intanto Oktavian, an Inspector from the Quality Control (QC) Division.

He explained in great detail that producing an aircraft requires PT DI to go through a very long production process that demands high precision. The process begins with the design and development phase, tailored to user requirements. It then continues with the fabrication of various aircraft structures and components.

These components are subsequently assembled in the final stage to form the fuselage and main body of the aircraft. After assembly, the aircraft must undergo a series of strict inspections and tests to ensure its safety and performance in the air. Only after meeting all the strict requirements set can the aircraft be handed over to the client for operation. Because of its complexity, this process requires collaboration among experts across various fields to ensure that every aircraft produced meets top-tier safety standards.

Besides interviewing hangar staff, we were also given special time for an exclusive Q&A session with top board members during a press conference. We met Ms. Dhias Widhiyati as Director of Finance & HR, and Mr. Dena Hendriana as Director of Production at PT DI.

This valuable visit to PT DI made me feel even prouder to be an Indonesian child. I learned that aircraft built in Indonesia are already widely used both domestically and internationally. These planes are not only used for civilian transport, but also for defense missions, logistics transport, medical evacuations, surveillance, and various humanitarian efforts. By continuing to innovate, enhance human resource quality, and expand international cooperation, PT DI has great potential to grow rapidly in the future.

The magic in the air created by PT DI is not just about the physical beauty of planes flying through the sky. Beyond that, every airborne aircraft is a tangible reflection of the capability, hard work, and pride of the entire Indonesian nation in mastering global aviation technology. Oh, by the way, I also received a really cool motivational message from Mr. Intanto for all of us. He advised, "Study hard, diligently, and earnestly so you can become successful people in the future."

Thank you very much to Media Indonesia and PT DI! Thanks to you, I gained a super fun and unforgettable experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Through this activity, I came to realize how challenging and grand the work of journalists and employees at PT DI is. See you in the next exciting Junior Reporter activity, friends!

Source: https://mediaindonesia.com/humaniora/926944/kecil-kecil-jadi-reporter-coretan-di-pesawat-kertas