This is my first posting. I have enjoyed reading aboutflying in Papua.
In 1963 STOL had the contract with the USAF AST7 B50’s to survey and supply drop to the tops of mountains, for ground stations for their photosurvey. When doing the drops at 11,306 feet on Mount Kinevi , [8,487 feet on my chart and I was told that at about 10,000 feet therewere about 5 war wrecks!] in c182 KLM, with the door off, I couldn’t decide whether I was warmer getting down more quickly at speed with more draught or slower and more time. When I arrived back at the terminal for black coffee,wearing all my clothing and shivering, the new people up from south on the dc6 wouldmove away from me.
At Baibara the strip was beside the sea and was the only place I saw surf in Papua. So I would get ahead on my run and let the boi load the plane so I could have a 20 minute surf. They gave me a hind of beef to take back to Yvonne McMahon, the secretary at STOL { I was bunking at her place}. I put it in her freezer, this was wrong as it was supposed to be cut up first and we had to use a hacksaw to dismember it.
There are many stories. After doing a croc survey of the Purari River at very low level I foundthe promised fuel at Kikori didn’t exist . So I dipped the tanks and flew to Bereina on the low one. I found by crossing the controls after the first cough I got 20 more minutes so proceeded to Moresby. My mistake was having both tanks filled, as when he put 42 gallons in he reported it to DCA.