Tmbstory I am sure the SAT boys were in NZB in the late 80s too...perhaps they did two stints with a break in the middle..I was based in Lae in 88/89 and they were there then...I went for a ride up to Moro with them and got to pole the C130 (I think they were actually slightly stretched C130s.)...nice easy flying aircraft.
Certainly the old captains were REAL characters...mostly ex AA Laos/Vietnam (those I met anyway)..SAT was another CIA owned airline started when Air America got too well known and was closed down as the Vietnam war ended.
They used to love beating up the Lae yachty in the dark as they arrived back from the last Moro shuttle..until one of them hit a flying fox and punched a hole in a wing fairing or some such. I well remember one crew being rather upset that they were required to stay in PNG a few extra days/weeks because their replacement crew had taxied over a landmine in Africa and blown the front of the aircraft off and were all in hospital somewhere.
Aseanaero that Bandit crash was Jay Cabrera's...memory dims now...probably more like 1991 than 92 as Talair closed down in 1992...unless VERY early in 92...was drinking with him the night before.