27th Jan 2019, 13:21 - Wikipost
|
|||
|
|||
|
A thread where ex PNG geriatrics lapuns and long longs can live in the dim distant past.
Where tall stories are accepted as fact. War stories are applauded. Grab a Brownie, pull up a story and join in a trip down memory lane!!! 
|
PNG Ples Bilong Tok Tok
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: densly inhabited part of Europe
Age: 62
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Airstrips PNG
Itīs been very quiet here lately, so Iīll have to do something to change that.
Chimbu Warrior, you wanted pictures of coastal airstrips, well here goes. Letīs see if you know it. Been closed for at least 22 years, probably even longer.
SP
Chimbu Warrior, you wanted pictures of coastal airstrips, well here goes. Letīs see if you know it. Been closed for at least 22 years, probably even longer.
SP
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: densly inhabited part of Europe
Age: 62
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Airstrips PNG
And here is the other extreme, probably one of the highest strips in PNG. But if I tell you at what altitude it is, itīll be too easy to recognize.
SP
SP
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: densly inhabited part of Europe
Age: 62
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Airstrips PNG
Chimbu Chuckles: Keglsugl is right.
Altitude should be somewhere around 8000ft, but you will surely know better than me. Let me know the exact altidude please, as I couldnīt find it on the maps I have.
Samarai is not correct, sorry
. Iīll wait for some more responses, before I give another tip. 
Altitude should be somewhere around 8000ft, but you will surely know better than me. Let me know the exact altidude please, as I couldnīt find it on the maps I have.Samarai is not correct, sorry
. Iīll wait for some more responses, before I give another tip.
Keglsugl elevation is 9250 feet from memory (not bad considering it is 30 years since I last went there).
That is definitely not Rakanda, unless the Duke of York's islands have drifted a fair distance!
That is definitely not Rakanda, unless the Duke of York's islands have drifted a fair distance!
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: densly inhabited part of Europe
Age: 62
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think (Iīm quite sure) it was quite a big US airbase during WWII. The last time I was there it was nearly completely grown over, but you could still find the bitumen under the grass and trees, which had grown all over the place.
Here is a picure of VH-EFO from pre 1974, loading goats at this airstrip. You can see the bitumen (which dates back to WWII) under the aircraft. But I still wonīt tell you where it is.
Here is a picure of VH-EFO from pre 1974, loading goats at this airstrip. You can see the bitumen (which dates back to WWII) under the aircraft. But I still wonīt tell you where it is.
Billy Vincent, the Taswegian operator from Smithton had many young pilots working for him over the years. They used to carry many goats. He'd say to any enquirer that the plane could carry ten goats, including the pilot.
Finschhafen?
There was a big American WWII strip at a place (now) called Nugidu (I think) near Maneba wharf. It had some bitumen still on it but was completely overgrown when I last saw it in 2000.
Storchpilot,
Vivagani or how about one of the islands North of Kavieng, there is one island up there with a long ex WWII strip. The people don't look like highlanders.
Vivagani or how about one of the islands North of Kavieng, there is one island up there with a long ex WWII strip. The people don't look like highlanders.
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: QLD
Age: 82
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The first strip looks a bit like Buka - but I don't think it is.
That photo of Kegl Sugl must have been taken well after I used to fly in there, as the strip surface looks far better than it was in my day. My recollection is that it had a series of drains filled with crushed rock arranged like chevrons across the strip. (I have a photo of it somewhere). You needed most of the strip to get airborne, although the gorge at the end of the strip plunged thousands of feet down, so we could always take a good load out of there, despite the high density altitude. You could just drop off the end of the strip and turn right to go downhill to Chimbu (Kundiawa).
The strip surface was quite rough and it was always a relief to get the wheels off the ground on take-off to stop the aircraft shakes and rattles.....
That photo of Kegl Sugl must have been taken well after I used to fly in there, as the strip surface looks far better than it was in my day. My recollection is that it had a series of drains filled with crushed rock arranged like chevrons across the strip. (I have a photo of it somewhere). You needed most of the strip to get airborne, although the gorge at the end of the strip plunged thousands of feet down, so we could always take a good load out of there, despite the high density altitude. You could just drop off the end of the strip and turn right to go downhill to Chimbu (Kundiawa).
The strip surface was quite rough and it was always a relief to get the wheels off the ground on take-off to stop the aircraft shakes and rattles.....
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: densly inhabited part of Europe
Age: 62
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Finschhafen?
There was a big American WWII strip at a place (now) called Nugidu (I think) near Maneba wharf. It had some bitumen still on it but was completely overgrown when I last saw it in 2000.
There was a big American WWII strip at a place (now) called Nugidu (I think) near Maneba wharf. It had some bitumen still on it but was completely overgrown when I last saw it in 2000.