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Old 27th Jan 2019, 13:21   -   Wikipost
PPRuNe Forums Thread Wiki: PNG Ples Bilong Tok Tok
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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!!!

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PNG Ples Bilong Tok Tok

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Old 13th Apr 2010, 05:30
  #2681 (permalink)  
 
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Keglsugl

The picture was taken 1975 Lapun. we drove up there in a landrover and hiked up to the summit of Mt. Wilhelm from there. There are remains of an aircraft splattered all over the mountainside at about 13000 ft. As far as my information goes, it was a WWII plane transporting explosives that crashed into the mountain and exploded. But I´d be happy if someone had more precise information. Picture later.

SP
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Old 13th Apr 2010, 06:03
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Nugidu

How many times did I fly past Nugidu

I heard the wreck atop Wilhelm was a B24 but beyond that??
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Old 13th Apr 2010, 15:51
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Wreck atop Mt.Wilhelm

This seems to be the biggest part of the wreck on the slopes of Mt. Wilhelm with little Storchpilot standing beside it. On the second picture there are bright and blinking spots to be seen on the grey rock in the upper right corner of the image (please excuse the quality of the picture, I thought I had a better one of the wreckpieces). This is mainly what is still to be seen of the wreck (was in 1975-don´t know about today).




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Old 13th Apr 2010, 15:54
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Malaoba

This is the house on the mainland opposite Nugidu.

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Old 13th Apr 2010, 22:09
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The old haus on the hill don't look like that anymore.

Last I heard it was being used as a chicken coop and you could only see the spire...

Still, it's a miracle it's still standing at all after all these years.
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Old 13th Apr 2010, 22:20
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Keglsugl, a bit battered today. 8190' amsl 2200' feet long?

19" on take off?

Some lapun once took a Baron in (and out)... once..... Eeee..ha!

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Old 13th Apr 2010, 23:12
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Any consensus on how high Keglsugl is?
At 9250 it may well be the highest on all of new guinea, highest in Papua stands at 8900ft, though theres one in progress somewhat higher.
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Old 13th Apr 2010, 23:17
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Those boots have been through a lot!
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Old 14th Apr 2010, 05:37
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I don't believe it was the highest strip in New Guinea, as there were reported to be higher strips in Irian Jaya. I do seem to recall it was the highest in PNG though.

I can't exactly remember the elevation, but always thought it was 9,250 AMSL. I was last there 30 years ago, so the memory is not as sharp as it once was.
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Old 14th Apr 2010, 07:49
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Those boots look familiar? Was that photo before or after the morning dip in the Huon Gulf, as I seem to recall one pair remained in the Huon Gulf?

I have a feeling tinpis is on the money:

Keglsugl, a bit battered today. 8190' amsl 2200' feet long?
It was the highest elevation airstrip in PNG, but there was higher elevation strips in West Irian.
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Old 14th Apr 2010, 18:15
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The old haus on the hill don't look like that anymore.
As it was originally built by ze germans, this is probably the correct spelling Axel. It was a great place though. Spent some good holidays there. The view over the lagoon from the veranda under the spire was incredible. Unfortunately at the time I was too young for the daily fresh bottle of gin to get the real old plantation feeling.

Keglsugl, a bit battered today. 8190' amsl 2200' feet long?
8190´? Would that be at the upper or at the lower end?
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Old 14th Apr 2010, 23:34
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Im fairly sure there is only 1, possibly 2 strips higher than that in west papua.
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Old 15th Apr 2010, 02:45
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My memory of Keglsugl was it was 8400ish' amsl - DA most of the time more like 12000+. At 700 odd meters it sounds long - but only to someone who hasn't tried to haul a full Islander/C185 out of 700m at the DA

I once gave myself an 'EFATO' there in an empty C185 - made it to Kundiawa - just - that is about 12nm - it was a hot mid afternoon and I strongly suspect there was a little 'ridge soaring' happening as it glided down the Chimbu Gorge never more than 200' AGL (hard over on the right), with the prop in full coarse, at 65kts

Is it open still? When I first was in Chimbu it was closed - later it opened again to operations but for how long I am not knowing.
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Old 15th Apr 2010, 02:46
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Old taim Keglsugl yarn
Don't get to low on final you may lack the power to get back up.
Our man gets behind the power curve on approach in a C185 and settles nicely up in the trees below the threshold
After the dust settles pilot and orli climb down out of tree, where he sits for a breather and lights up a smoke
C185 dislodges itself from tree and falls on the poor silly bugger breaking several things.
He apparently went finish and was seen in Kings X working as a pavement artist
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Old 15th Apr 2010, 02:51
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So smoking IS a health hazard?
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Old 15th Apr 2010, 04:23
  #2696 (permalink)  
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falls on the poor silly bugger breaking several things.

this thread is becoming one of those wonderful books full of yarns which could never have happened in the real world back home in Oz.
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Old 15th Apr 2010, 04:57
  #2697 (permalink)  
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Moderator's Oath, John: The majority of the yarns in here are true and the rest are the stuff legends are made of!



This thread began on 18 November 2004 and I suspect is the longest continuous running thread on PPRuNe. To this post there have been 2,699 posts and 241,388 views - an average 1.367 posts and 122 views per day!

Tinny's yarn reminds me of Crowley and Stockton when they operated a Tiger Moth and a Curtis Robin ex Lae around the very early 1960s. Stockton flew the DH84 up the Markham to collect a load of potatoes from (I think) Kaiapit, for Lae. Overloaded, he ended up in the top of a coconut palm, climbed down and hitched back to Lae where he drowned his sorrows in Ma Stewart's Huon Gulf Hotel. The search party found the aircraft and searched for Stockton for three days before he was discovered blotto at the Huon Gulf Hotel!

I wonder if old Laurie Crowley is still alive? Last heard from he was at Camden still operating Crowley Airways but that was a few years ago.
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Old 15th Apr 2010, 05:28
  #2698 (permalink)  
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before he was discovered blotto at the Huon Gulf Hotel!

the prosecution rests ...
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Old 15th Apr 2010, 05:47
  #2699 (permalink)  
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Stockton flew the DH84 up the Markham to collect a load of potatoes
Is that the souped up PNG version of the DH82a?




OK "Sharp Eyes" Wiz, OK. Despite being Godly, even Mods occasionally make errors!

DH84 = de Havilland Dragon - twin engine.
DH82 = Tiger Moth.
"A" suffix = Made in Australia.

It was a DH82 operated by Crowley and Stockton.

Tail Wheel
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Old 15th Apr 2010, 21:55
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where he drowned his sorrows in Ma Stewart's Huon Gulf Hotel
I believe Ma Stewart owned the Hotel Cecil. (Not a savoury place to drink at in the early 70's)



Ooops. I was having a blond day or perhaps OldTimers Disease?

Yes, you are correct, the Hotel Cecil. And it was not a very savoury drinking hole.

Tail Wheel
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