By INS Contributors

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia-One of Malaysia Airlines' pioneer flight engineers Mohamad Lokman Tun Sardon Jubir died early today.

Lokman, 75, retired from MAS as a senior flight engineer and examiner, and had spent 44 years in the aviation industry until 2008.

His late father was one of Malaya's founding members of Independence who served as the country's first Transport Minister and later as the United Nations ambassador and the fourth Penang governor.

According to Lokman's elder brother Mohamad Rizal Al-Amin, the former died at 1am at University Malaya Medical Centre owing to lung disease.

Fondly known as Loke among his close friends and family, his remains were buried at the Bukit Kiara muslim cemetery today.

Lokman, who was born on April 29  1947 is survived by wife Robin, son Adam and daughter Amanda.

Lokman's other siblings are Mohamad Sukarno and sisters Mariam and Norita.

Former MAS engineering component support executive A.S. Peter remembered Lokman as "a nice, humble gentleman who was very generous with friends and society".

"Lokman was actively involved with the Rotary Club and the Tun Sardon Jubir Foundation," said Peter, who had served MAS for 25 years.

Lokman is credited to have obtained his Private Pilot's Licence from the Royal Selangor Flying Club at age 17, prior to joining MAS.

He worked alongside MAS' first two directors of flight operations, who were also the first two Malay pilots with the national carrier - the late Capt Hassan Ahmad and the late Capt Datuk Khairi Mohamad.

In a recent interview, Lokman had related how he first got to know Hassan and Khairi in 1970 during the days of Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA).

"I joined MSA after my training and stint on Qantas Airways VJet's Boeing 707 in Sydney, Australia.

"I moved to join MAS in 1972 after the split with Singapore Airlines, and later had training when MAS bought a Boeing 707," said Lokman, who had also served as MAS Flight Engineers Association president.

Lokman was part of the team when the then MAS chief flight engineer K. Ragunathan, Khairi and Capt Roland Thomas flew home MAS' first McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 from Long Beach, California via Honolulu, Hawaii to Kuala Lumpur.