PNG Ples Bilong Tok Tok

[Torres]

Is Jim still in PNG or back in Australia?

Bon voyage Hanoi!

[Animalclub]

Where's Hanoi going??!!

[Torres]

Rumour has it that Hanoi's catching a ferry to Straddie, or retracing the voyages of Capt Cook, or something.........

Just got an email from Sharpie telling me Jim has been in Brisbane for some years. Didn't know that......

[HANOI]

Just a bit of R and R....fly QF to New York then cruise ship to Barcelona via some "Med" ports . Will then try BMIbaby Barcelona-Cardiff , the fare is cheap enough but then costs 15 euro for each checked bag ( anything over 18kg is another 20 euro per kg ) plus 12 euro just to check in at airport plus another 12 euro for seat selection x 2 to avoid the mad boarding scramble plus another 12 euro to pay by credit card. Can see this coming to OZ in the future.
Will drive around Wales and Southern England , catching up with "Taildragger" then home , perhaps on the QF A380.

[sundaun]

Hanoi

Princess Line Bazza?

[barryhoc]

Apinun HANOI. Have a good trip, and say G'Day to Taildragger for me.

Thanks to you and others who contributed to the TAL/TAA thing. It ended up like this, but still with questions on some:

PILOTS: John Bayles, Gary Honour, John Rutter , Bill Sherwood, Mike "Fearless" Feeney, Peter 'Sparse' Griffiths, (TAA Mainland), Mal Short, (TAA Mainland ?).

OTHERS: Gerry Hudson, Paul Reid. Glen Haligan (?), Ian Holder (?).

I had lunch with Richard and Ken Broomhead on Mon., together with Graham "Fatty" Hawkins, and we couldn't improve further on the above.

Also just had a call from Bob Braithwaite who confirmed that Bill Moore, along with himself and 13 (?) others, were employed by TAA-NG late in the piece, but were not ex. TAL. THis group apparently had no transfer/seniorority rights to the mainland, and thus many ended up at PX, some thinking they were hard done by at the time, but of course it ended up quite well in most cases.

Cheers.

[Sharpie]

Taa Ng

Yes Barry,

I think that the dreaded 13 employed by TAA in mid to late 1973 were in fact employed on the understanding that they would remain in PNG with the start-up Air Niugini and NO transfer rights to Australian mainline. I'd have to re-read Sinclair to confirm that.
Good to see that your are still at it.
Cheers,

Peter.

[tinpis]

There were also Qantas cadets employed in the original ANG /TAA/AN task force

[Sharpie]

And who may they have been and who with. Quite a few with TAL but can not recall any with the majors even to assist while TAA left the scene.!

but I have been wrong planti taim bipo!

[barryhoc]

TAA-NG

G'day Sharpie. This last group of 13/15 got well under my radar as I was by then in MEB. Obviously Bob B. and Bill M. were two, but I wonder if we can name the rest between us ? I'll ask Bob B. but some others might be interested in having a go, and the names suggested might bring some interesting comments/queries/etc. Thanks all. Cheers.

[HANOI]

Sundaun

Norwegian Gem

[sundaun]

Hanoi

Went "Emerald Princess" this year ex Barcelona, 8 stops to Venice, can't wait to try another Med crz.

[tinpis]

sundaun, obviously yer wern't on this cruise mate
No "Dance of the Flaming Arseholes" to cheer up the old boilers?

A Few Waves on the Brand New Emerald Princess - Emerald Princess - Epinions.com

[Jim Jobe]

Mendi Hotel Dc3

Does anyone have any info on the DC3 wing used as a kids' slide in the garden of the Mendi Hotel in the 1970s? It was VH-***
Jim

[Torres]

That would be during Ron Neville's era at the Mendi Hotel but I don't remember a DC3 wing there?

[Jim Jobe]

It was just the outboard of the engine wing section and was in the garden, bottom side up, showing the reg. That would have been in 1979, just before I left PNG.
Jim

[Sharpie]

Mendi DC3 Wing

Knowing old Ron, he'd tealeaf anything and it could have come from afar. I certainly do not recall any DC3 prangs in Mendi.

My best recall is that 3 Civilian DC3's (C47's) were written off in TPNG/PNG, (a) Patair at Bereina burnt out after inflight cargo fire and force landed.(b) Ansett-MAL at Wapenamunda, gear strut failure on landing, and (c) an Ansett-APNG (ex Patair) on loan to TAA at Madang over ran into the briny after in flight hydraulic loss and no brakes landing on 07. There were a couple of outer wings in the Madang hangar for years afterwards (Vh-PNB I think)

[tinpis]

Nope, cant recall a DC3 up at Rons Palais de Piss
Do remember his kiwi cowshed washer he imported to move along recalcitrant punters at closing time.

[chimbu warrior]

I was Mendi-based in 1979, and have no recollection of this.

Sharpie's brother would have known better than anyone else.

[sixtiesrelic]

Correct Sharpie.
AND poor old PNA was grounded at Madang with too much corrosion in the tail.