Taildragger 12

[Sharpie]

Information just to hand confirms that Taildragger 12 does in fact have a heart, stopping speculation once and for all.

Leading Harley Street specialists conducted exploratory surgery on this Pom's chest and have confirmed that a pulsating lump of meat was in fact a heart and not a jabsco unit. As a result, our hero has been stapled together and packed off to Devon for RR and to plan his next attack on the antipodes.

We in the southern clines look forward to his visit later in the year, sharing an ice cold beer and a barbie.

[redsnail]

Gees mate,
Don't call a Scotsman a Pom, you'll give him another heart attack!! :eek:

[Torres]

Sharpie, totally unrelated but ... talking of taildraggers and retired Tiger pilots - what happed to the Tiger Moth that Vince Sanders and The Prime Minister of Albania (RT) had in POM? I think that is the one Billy Johns flew on his retirement day?

Still there, or gone?

And is RT now weaned off his expensive toys or does he still have the Aerostars?

Bob

[Travelling Toolbox]

Torres

Was that CTM?

I think it went to Caboolture with its owner when he went pinis.

Could be wrong though. Ozexpat may know more. Ozzie??

TT :cool:

[OzExpat]

Not much to add TT, but pretty sure that CTM (Closey's Tiger Moth :p ) is the only one that was here for many years. Closey sold it and is no longer actively involved in aviation. I visited said Closey and found both husband and wife fit, well and happy.

Speaking of "fit, well and happy", I've been kept up to date on developments with said Taildragger (the bloke) and am delighted that all went well with the big triple. He's been going thru a fair bit of hell, by way of pain, but assures me that being drugged up to the eyeballs has helped immensely!

He's looking forward to having a wine or two in a few months time.

Sharpie... how are you gunna keep up with things after the end of this month?

[Sharpie]

Hello me old China!

Have you ever heard of electronic mail and PPRUNE! methinks if you can keep up with wot gos on in png aviation without ever fronting the temple of aeros, then there is a wee chance for a young fella like me.

Who knows, maybe doug may find a place for me at six mile!

[Torres]

Sharpie. Is the end of this month the time you retire to the overseas temple of pi$$ and erotic pleasures? I presume you will be giving an ID discount to fellow PPRuNers?

TT. I don't recall the rego - too many years ago. It must be over 20 years or more since Vince filed his last flight plan. I vaguely recall Vince and Ray flying the aircraft to POM from Perth or some other far flung outpost of the Empire. I take it, reading between the lines in this thread, that JC ended up with the aircraft but has since sold it in Australia?

[Travelling Toolbox]

Torres

Yeah it appears that way, if is is one and the same moth. Only one I ever remeber being there too Oz. Closey had it parked in Bisket's little hanger for many a moon - even did a leading edge and some rib replacements in left lower wing once. Some lovely stitching work I do recall. Apparently some friend of JC's swung it with only one chock under a wheel and it pirouetted, slamming said wing into the fuel bowser.

She was a thing of beauty and a much loved (by JC) old girl.

Remember watching her early one morning out over the turf club doing aeros - Ahh! The scream of air through flying wires! You just don't hear that anymore with modern aerobatic beasties.

Can't remember the pilot's name - Kev? I think he owned a Twink and flew for the GFU. Ring a bell Oz?

[chimbu warrior]

TT his full name was inDodd (+ your contribution). He ended up on the Dash 8 with Flight West but then had a medical problem, and as far as I am aware only flies models now. I can also confirm that CTM was at Caboolture a few years ago, but have no idea where it is now.

[Travelling Toolbox]

Thanks CW - mind is getting a bit foggy these days :O

[OzExpat]

Yes Doddy owned a Twink.
Sold it and it ended up in the drink.
Shags Shandley ended up with P2-CTM, I think.
A certain well-known old Jasper got Closey's V-tail.

I hadn't heard that Kev is out of flying - I'm very sad for him.

While we're walking down Memory Lane, who remembers Woody's Pitts? I'm not exactly sure what happened to it, but understand it never flew again after Rob went pinis from PX.

[Chimbu chuckles]

Rob's little S1 sat in Yorke's 'atrium' for years...Yorke asked me to test fly it about the time I was doing same for his Helio Courier, P2-BOX, as well as demoing it to & subsequently checking out it's new owner...who then blasted off to Tasmania.

Unfortunately...or fortunately I was unable to fly the baby Pitts before it was packed into a box and sent south to YBAF...where it subsequently was flown and bingled. Don't know what happened to her after that.

I test flew P2-ASI & PHC ex Cairns for Ray before they went off to the States...lovely aircraft when all was working well but they, collectively, gave me more frights than all other aircraft I have flown added together. PHC's parting 'love bite' was a massive fuel leak in the engine bay...forwad of those dual turbochargers...which was sufficiently bad to effect fuel flow indications and leave residual fuel in the engine nacelle even after I had landed and taxied in :( I can only assume the mixture was so rich within the cowl it wouldn't ignite :D I think I used up a life that day.

I recently asked after CTM and believe it resides in a dark hangar at Caboolture still in bits.

Good to hear Closey is still in fine fettle...is Ray still in PNG? I worked for him for best part of a year, when ASI first came out of Wewak ex '6 pack major overhaul' and immediately ex Talair after the end of that great company. Despite one or two nose to nose 'discusions' over just what a Aerostar is good for I believe we parted friends with a level of mutual respect. I think Ray gave up on using them for SAR work after we'd spent all day searching (where PNG SAR 'Authorites' said they weren't) for an employee + assorted Yachty members shipwrecked near 1 Tree Island. They got sick of us flying past them all day and swam ashore:D We got a bit of a serve from said, very sunburnt/tired employee in the Yachty that evening:D

Chuckles:}

PS: I see old P2-KIK for sale on SE QLD...logged a few hours in her, in fact used to have my own set of keys...I hope her old owner is OK?

[Travelling Toolbox]

P2-KIK

Well I haven’t seen that balus for some time. Like you CC, I hope JS is okay and your sighting in Oz is just retirement for the old girl. She was one fine taildragger! Did you have keys to JS’s oil flap and fuel cap padlocks as well? Sootie was a prankster! didn't his son Bill run for office in the Gulf Province or something? He'd flown me a couple of places to fix busted stuff too.

Gees, I haven’t been to Kikori for years, Last time I was there, I stole some Jet A1 (sorry fisheries) from a 44 on the strip.

Long story, but suffice it to say we woz on our way to Victory Junction and got lost. The 20-minute fuel warning had been on for, well let’s just say “a while” and were we ever glad to pop out of the murk and spot that lovely little airstrip!

Flew from there up to camp and spent the first night listening to rain on the roof of the cabin trying to drown out the noise of the circling mozzies.

Was hilarious the next morning coz the Caterpillar blokes had offloaded a D6 off the barge we woz sleeping on and overnight the river rose about 15 feet from the rain. I got up and helped check the moorings and was silly enough to ask, “where’s the dozer guys?” One pointed to a swirling eddy about 30 feet away and said, “there she is”. Was I glad the helipad was up the hill a good 200 yards.

Was a good add for Cat though, coz when the water subsided, the guys drained and flushed all Cat cavities, filled her up with nice golden oil and fuel and away she went! After they broke her up into job lots we then lifted her up on a hill and she was reassembled to work flat out non-stop for a couple of weeks prepping a drill platform. Amazing!

Oh the memories.:cool: :cool:

[Sharpie]

Ahhh Redsnail. I'll have to present the wee laddie a Jw or two or three when I next meet with him in great apology for even daring to think that he came from south of Hadrian's! or for that matter, Cluny Castle.

Torres mi ol' china, thanks for Gibbsy's book, duly signed out and whatever. We are still talking 'bout strings, bells,gongs and things.

April 28 appears to be the big day? and if after that you ever make it to Club Morocco ( 20ks west of Olongapo) I'll give you better than mate's rates at the clubhouse and maybe beat you at snooker or at 10 pin bowling.

[Torres]

Sharpie. Bobby turns 87 on May 6. I'm meeting up with Bobby's daughter, Julie and family at Tom Leahy's place over Easter.

[Sharpie]

:D Torres. Please give Bobby my honest best wishes to a great bloke. I will toast his birthday on the 6th at the Moresby Crown Plaza before I go north on the 7th. We are still working on the project and hope something comes of it this year.

Thank Julie and Bobby for his book and I am about 1/4 way through it at present. I thought scarpering around the hills at zot feet was exciting but his time getting shot at certainly got the adrenaline coursing quicker.

Cheers.

[Scion]

Just a request!

Does anyone know of Stan Johnstone of the Madang A Transport Co.
I have a logbook where he features a lot and I would like to contact either himself or family if he is deceased.
Any help appreciated.

[Torres]

Scion: This caught my eye in your post - Klemm l25.

Are you talking about a Klemm Swallow (I think it was) that operated in PNG either pre or post WWII? May have been owned by the Catholic Mission? Think I saw pictures somewhere - little low wing two seat monoplane, exposed cylinders? Didn't Don Kendal have one at one stage?

[chimbu warrior]

Torres.........the Klemm Swallow was lots of things, but by no stretch of the imagination was it a "little" aeroplane! Despite the fact that it was a tandem two-seater, it had a wing on it like a DC-3, thus allowing it incredible STOL performance. Of course the Germans never considered that anyone might actually want to carry anything more than a single passenger and a handkerchief, so the payload was woeful. It was powered by an 80 hp Hirth in-line engine or a Salmson radial, but due to the huge wing it was no racehorse. In fact you could probably beat it on foot.
I am certain that DK did not have one, but there is one in SE Qld owned by a jeweller and another in Sydney which is the original ex-Catholic Mission machine from Alexishafen. The latter has now been re-engined with a Continental 85 hp engine.
Incidentally, has your email changed? Can't seem to get in touch these days............

[Scion]

The B.A. Swallow is a British built copy of the Klemm L25 . There are 3 of these aeroplanes in Australia. 2 B.A. Swallows and a Klemm L25 d2 . The Klemm is in Sydney currently having woodrot repaired on the tail by John Gallagher, the restorer of Dick Smith's Widgeon, and should be flying again within a month or so. You are correct about the size , the wingspan is 40 odd feet , almost identical to a DH Rapide. Perhaps not quite a DC3,
I Fly the Klemm and if you want to know more about it please let me know! I am very enthusiastic about it and could bore you all to tears about it.

[Torres]

Chimbu, check your PM.

[LikLik Draggerbalus]

Well Chasps (and Chaspesses Reddo) Due to a Bigpela ******up with my proon registration, Taildragger has been tamed, but returns with thesynonyminimin simonenima, nom de plume here stated in Pidgin for you non English speakers.
I do, indeed, object feckin strongly to being called a POM, but I have been called worse, but not too many times. I am, however, easily bought. Sharpie has hit it right on the head with the offers of liquor. It has been five weeks since grog has passed my lips though. I know it's hard to believe, but finding a Heart in my chest is even more unlikely.
The said object is beating strongly, and I can even walk to the village green and back - and more even. The pain from where they split the old Sternum is giving me a bit of gip, but Codeine Phosphate keeps it in check and makes me feel bluddy good as well.!
Bestuds in the CAA have pulled my Medical though (No sense of humour, but to be frank, I DID after all turn myself in.!!) Latest is that four months is the norm followed by exotic (Not to mention expensive) tests, and then they may let me loose again....meanwhile I have a safety Pilot with strict instructions not to touch.! Best news is that as there was no damage to the said Organ, all is well and will return to total normal within 6 months. In the meantime Pilotus anus horribilis Hungarianus keeps me bucked up with encouraging advice.
Thank you for your expressions of support during my slight illness via Emails and cards...much appreciated.
Now....where's that Chilean Merlot.?

Chuckles.... I remember that search for RT's man. It ended with the unfortunate death of one of the guy's fairly quickly after the boat went down....from a heart attack rumour goes. The others floated around all night and the following day getting pi***d off at all the aircraft passing overhead. I was in the right seat of Biccie's Partenavia working out tracks for a boax search whilst the Commanche Kiwi and an other was in the back looking too. As you say, they swam ashore, and much grog was sunk....unfortunately at the Yottie and not where we were hanging on to the bar at the Temple. :ugh:

[redsnail]

hey Taily, I reckon you're as pissed as Checkers 'n me. :D

[Damsel]

Hi there Droops I am glad you have managed to crawl to the keyboard and reply (mind you this thread did stray off the topic a bit!!) Take care xxxx
ps hmm but the name of our dog is Lik Lik!!

[LikLik Draggerbalus]

Hello Possums. Reddo....at my stage of recovery, allegations of being pissed are, in fact, a compliment.

Damsel my deario. And how, if I may be so bold, did your dog get the nickname of Lik Lik. I do hope it wasn't what I think. xxxx

[OzExpat]

Hey there Liklik balus bilong pulim as! :D I look forward to yer revised invasion itinerary mate! Meantime, welcome back to the land of the nearly living! :p

[LikLik Draggerbalus]

Ozex.... Given I shall be in Greece July and also have committments in the Yook October and November...it is likely to be January. Gives me a chance to get totally fit again.
Am of the urine right now as well....hopefully will also give me a chance to get back on it.!!

[OzExpat]

:ok: Just don't forget about the wee "training sessions" that we got organised! :D

[Taildragger]

Haven't forgotten....in my diary they are.!! Just make sure I don't forget at any time.!!

[OzExpat]

I couldn't help noticing that ya resurrected yer propa monika too! Bewdy :ok:

[Pinky the pilot]

Why is it becoming increasingly more and more obvious to me that I got to PNG far too late (1990 to 1992) and missed out on all the mayhem/fun/whatever????


You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

[Chimbu chuckles]

Pinky,

While the mayhem and good times probably peaked at Talair about 92 we were still having our fare share of fun at Airlink in 1994, pre volcano, and regular great sport in PX when I left there in 99. Although Pixie these days is a morale black hole:(

Picture, if you will, 2 F28s wingtip to wingtip on finals to 14L & R at 330kts/2500'/10DME...each waiting for t'other to pull speed brake first...it ended in a foot race to the crew room:D

Or the glory days of Room 216/217...as good as any RAF/RAAF barroom stories you've ever heard.

Taildragger...speaking of urine...you'd remember an incident at the Aeroclub annual Ball one year I'm sure :} :E

I'm sure the lads still there are having their own 'glory days'...it was just a little easier to have a good time when the numbers of adventurous lads/wives were a lot higher, the aeroplanes weren't quite so old/worn out and we were paid bloody good money by any standards. Those things all contributing to the reasons why we went there and stayed so long as opposed to a quick 12 month tour of duty to get enough multi hours to race home to an airline job.

Chuckles:E

[OzExpat]

Picture, if you will, 2 F28s wingtip to wingtip on finals to 14L & R at 330kts/2500'/10DME...each waiting for t'other to pull speed brake first...it ended in a foot race to the crew room
I'm certain that this happened more than once but I only saw it the once and I p!ssed meself laughing. I was a tad too far away to identify the crews involved but clearly recall one of the crews as being a particularly long, lean streak of weasel p!ss... :p

Chuck is right, the really stupendous times here are a fact of ancient history now. It is still possible to have a good time, even a great time, on occasions. But the fact is that we're all doing it a lot tougher these days.

Today, the Pos Gurua reported that, on their way from Lae to Nadzab early yesterday morning, the Airlink bus was held up. Among the "loot" was the headsets used by each of the two pilots aboard the bus, plus their nav bags! Those who have been in PNG and know the rules of the PPRuNe establishment will understand why I must refrain from giving my own commentary on that. :mad:

But, hey, right now I'm up to the gills in saki and feelin nooooo pain at all. Life goes on...

[LikLik Draggerbalus]

Urine.??? Who said Urine.?? The gentleman who took the p.iss out of me quite literally, had the first known P.iss transfusion in history. Like all good stings, he never found out, whilst the rest of us were helpless with laughter. Happy days.
Remember Trevor Douglas and the cattle prods.??

[Torres]

"I was in the right seat of Biccie's Partenavia...". Now, if you knew what I know about corrosion in that aircraft..........

I can't comment on the '90's in PNG, but during my 20 odd years there (1963 to 1985), the truly great years were from the mid to late 60's though to around 1980. No or minimal tax, high wages (up to double Aussie wages), cheap p!ss (SP Brownies, also locally made Swan and San Miguel), good Haus Bois and the locals were great.

There were some truly monumental social events. Who remembers the Goroka Sports Club, The Kar Kar Ball, the Mendi Ball, the Hagen and Goroka Shows, an Elephant in PNG ....? I could go on and on. (Now, I wonder what happed to the guy who returned from Mendi to Goroka after the Ball in the C185 pod?)

They were also the greatest years for aviation - so long as one worked for Talair! At the peak Talair had 69 aircraft (from single piston to twin jet) and annual revenue over $100 mill. There was 144 airports on the scheduled airline network. Talair held the Ok Tedi contract, Bougainville Copper contract (as Windy can attest....) and just about every other mining and exploration contract. Talair also made an offer to acquire Air Niugini which almost came off ..... but that's another story.

At one stage for a brief period, Talair aircraft operated in Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomons, PNG, Australia and the Philippines.

After 1980 it started to go downhill and I think I left at the right time in 1985. Went back for a few weeks around 1994 but it was a different place. The good days were gone forever. No desire to return.

[Taildragger]

Torres..... Corrosion in Biccie's Partenavia.????? Why was I not told.?? It was good wasn't it.? I went back too for a few days in 97 and I was due to go back in April this year but the small matter of a replumbing job stopped that.!! i was going to see old friends and renew my acquiantance with the place.
I suspect that I would have been disappointed, but the trip will be resked to a later date. The lure of old mates transcends all the excrement. It was the best time in my life by far, and the worst time in Mrs. taildragger's life. Sigh........

[Pinky the pilot]

Re Biccie's Partenavia; In the last days of DZ's existance I remember two Partenavias.... one was still being flown but the other was sitting in a hangar next to the office block along with a Cessna 206 on floats. As I remember, no one seemed (or wanted) to know anything about either of them.
Anyone got any info?


You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

[OzExpat]

All roads still lead back to Port Morbid... :eek: The place where every route is risky... :p

[Torres]

Pinky. Bikkies originally had two Partbananas, bought about the time he made the public announcement he was going to build Nomads in PNG!!!

That Partbanana that was in Bikkies hangar at the end eventually got to Australia under it's own steam, where a very, very significant percentage of the aircraft was removed ....... as white powder. It would have been better to put the poor thing out of it's misery, rather than undertake the very radical surgery required to get it into condition to go onto the Australian register.

Bikkies of course, argued profusely about the extent of work and the cost and refused to pay or accept the aircraft for well over a year. At one stage it was chained to the rear wall of a hangar in Cairns.....

It is now on the Australian register - don't recall the rego, but I think it is the only "A" Model in Australia and should be easy to identify at the CASA rego web site.

My heart goes out to whoever now owns it............

[itsa_me]

Pinky.....
Woz one of the Partnavias Yorkies?...maybe purple or something like that? I recall a P-28....P2-TIT and of course .P2-BOX. York woz a great guy ...my best mate!!!! Ask GH about PN68. ....woz a fountain of enthusiasm.
If anyone suffers sea sickness don't sit in one on the ground on the usual POM windy arvo.
Tort JS to fly ...what wondeful lunches in KIK that Margaret prepared when I arrived to fly him to Mosby...in AMR. I recall landing one day with my feet on the instrumement panel while a dozen or more mud crabs hi-jacked the floor ...nasty b*ggers.
The other CVS was a Twin Comanche...flew it often
:)

[OzExpat]

itsa_me... ya fergot about a certain turbo-charged Aztruck dincha mate? :D I'd mention the callsign but, in such a public forum, modesty forbids... :E

[Pinky the pilot]

Itsa_me; Re the Partenavias..... can't remember the colour of the other (flying) one. It was on the DZ flight line right up until the last day but only AY ( the CP) flew it as I remember.
Later when I flew for Simbu out of Port Morbid I remember GH cruising around in it occasionally. And whilst I think of it, anyone know where GH is? Paging Ozexpat......:D

You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

[itsa_me]

OzExpat...
Not familiar with wot yor sayi'n.....only sore one that I recall....on the tarmac in POM......never seemed to be used. :confused: :hmm:

[Taildragger]

P2-COC wasn't it.?? P2-BOX, P2-TIT and P2-COC, collectively known as Obscene Airways.!! I flew P2-TIT after it had been sitting in the sun for several years on it's first flight. Yorkie asked me to test fly it after he had done the engineering to get it back in the sky. I must have been pished, mad, needed the hours, or all three at once. The dero club dero's were all on the terrace, beer in their hands toasting the occasion and waiting to see if it really could commit aviation as advertised. Belonged to Ron Slaughter and couldnt pull the skin off a rice pudding, just what is needed in PNG and the perils of density altitude.!! I lived anyway. TIT is in Noo Zulland now and in an environment more suited to its performance. Happy days. :hmm:

[lurch]

that part purple coloured partenavia that sits at jacksons P2-GTZ
belongs to the German Development Board or some similar German Aid outfit or at least it did 5 years ago!

[OzExpat]

Yeah Pinky, GH is still around and I'm half expecting to see him at some stage in the next week. Maybe I'll have an update for ya after that.