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PNG Ples Bilong Tok Tok
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Spelt Heli Tschuchnigg. Never went to work without a comb in his back pocket. Passed away some years ago in Brisbane from the side effects of diabetes.
Tenk yu tru wantok. Ah! the good old days when long taim bipo 'PC' was ever heard of. We all survived, had a great time in the process but unfortunately we witnessed the country deteriorate before our eyes. No one will ever take the memories and experiences away and at least we can say........
We were there!
We were there!
Join Date: Mar 2014
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Many many thanks for that. I was there in 1969 1970 wit P&T and it reminded me of what real life was. I remember the Saturday dances at the 4 mile and the loverly singer who unfortunately had had polio really brightened the place. I was a memberr of the Aeroclub at Jacksons though I could not afford to fly a lot. Thanks for the memories.
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Thanks Mendi. That brought back some funny memories.
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My first night was spent wandering round getting rather happy with the officers of the Braeside a we anchored out and did not dock till the next day...topped off by beiong thrown fully clothed into the sea waiting for the tender. Which worried a couple of the guys as they thought they may get into trouble.
Second night I went for a walk and ended up eating at a cheap rice and tinned meat place at Badilli Corner where I was made really welcome. Sometimes I wonder how i survived some of the things I did.
Second night I went for a walk and ended up eating at a cheap rice and tinned meat place at Badilli Corner where I was made really welcome. Sometimes I wonder how i survived some of the things I did.
On my first day/night in PNG I arrived in Lae on the F27 to be met by some of my new work mates and taken to the Aero Club for a few beers and then that night to a company party where I met the Managing Director and his wife. I must have made a good impression despite having lots of beers on board as they are still great friends after all these years.
Join Date: Jun 2008
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then he didn't stay long.... Remember him more as ferrying in and exchanging Queenairs.
Blackjack also passed through with ferrys to and from Tonga and Vanuatu
Jasper stayed a bit longer, Dennis put him on the Metro and demoted Bruce from CP for a while to make room for him to "sort us out".
I did a ferry from Honiara in an Aztec to Goroka, picked up Junior's son and his friend who were going back to school in Australia, loaded some seats for a 206 for Daru into the noselocker and headed off.
In a rush at Daru, refuelled, had the Gen Dec stamped and off to Cairns. Landed there, opened the nose locker, and ...oops!! ..there still were the seats.Think the agent later put them on an Air Nuigini flight back to Moresby.
Headed south inland in the VFR only Aztec as there was a cyclone on the coast about Bowen, ran out of daylight and stopped overnight in Roma. Didn't mind the extra night as I had my girlfriend along on the trip too.
Taxying out next morning for Archerfield, decided on a long taxy back to take off into the east. Did the checks on the way, selected fullest tanks by feel, and lined up. Went to open up power and the engines cut. ...ooops..
Had selected the nearly empty tanks as it turned out, (hadn't wanted to arrive in Brisbane in an aircraft with too much fuel in the auxs for maintenance) , and also been confused by the positioning of the similarly feeling cowl flaps for the ground warmup. Wasn't too familiar with Aztecs then as we operated Barons. Learnt a bit in a hurry though.
Lucky I hadn't decided on a short taxy.
Last edited by frigatebird; 19th Nov 2020 at 16:21. Reason: recollections
Join Date: Jun 2008
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Thank you Sir..
Yes its been a while.
Sold my 50 year old private 172 over 3 years ago, had had it for the previous 14 years. Bought by a Chinese man who had it loaded in a container as backcargo to China. Went to renew my licence 6 months later, and was told my heart needed special maintenance at the Prince Charles Hospital.
Had been managing it OK for the dozen or so years previous, but had it performed,
As I had had 50 years in aviation, from age 21 to 71, been an Instructor, Chief Pilot of home Charter operations and a National airline, decided that would do, as I didn't care to jump thru all the Medical Hoops again to continue. May still be tempted though, to licence to fly my brothers homebuilt ultralight, just to keep the juices circulating. At least I can look out the window at home now, and know I don't have to fly on the ****ty days.
Will start browsing these pages again too.
Cheers fb.
Yes its been a while.
Sold my 50 year old private 172 over 3 years ago, had had it for the previous 14 years. Bought by a Chinese man who had it loaded in a container as backcargo to China. Went to renew my licence 6 months later, and was told my heart needed special maintenance at the Prince Charles Hospital.
Had been managing it OK for the dozen or so years previous, but had it performed,
As I had had 50 years in aviation, from age 21 to 71, been an Instructor, Chief Pilot of home Charter operations and a National airline, decided that would do, as I didn't care to jump thru all the Medical Hoops again to continue. May still be tempted though, to licence to fly my brothers homebuilt ultralight, just to keep the juices circulating. At least I can look out the window at home now, and know I don't have to fly on the ****ty days.
Will start browsing these pages again too.
Cheers fb.
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Scrolling back a couple of years, came across this.
After leaving New Guinea, due to his friendship with Junior he came to Honiara, was sent to Kendalls to do a Metro 2 endorsement and was in the Solomons for at least 18 months about '82 - 83. Remember checking him on the Kieta route and Port Vila route in it. As we went past the Maskelyn islands on the leg between Santo and Vila he commented on them. Can't say I had noticed them before then.
He had brought his Cessna 182(Angabunga Airways?,or similar!) down from PNG, and I managed to hire it off him (reluctantly on his part) a couple of times so I could take a weekend away on different island resorts, Marau Sound one time I particularly remember with my girlfriend.
He was made Chief Pilot for a while before pulling the pin and going to Brisbane, where he flew the Kingairs when Flightwest started.
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Jasper (cont)
The Maskelyn Islands are off the south-east coast of Malekula, not far from Lamap.
When he was doing his last flights through Honiara in the Air Niugini F28, he made himself known to our aircrew (in his own inimitable style, and booming voice), that he would be joining us.
From my logbook, I see that I route checked him into Auki, Kira Kira, and Fera in Islander H4-AAI on the 21st August '81. At the time I was a sprogg deputy CP and route checkkie who knew my way around because I had been there since before Independence, guideing the PNG Legend, ex-Air Traffic Controller, ex-DCA PNG Examiner of Airmen, ex-Air Niugini Senior Jet Captain who had come up through DC-3's etc...
I see I also hired his Cessna P2-PQP in mid July '82 to fly out to Barakoma (Vella Lavella, Pappy Boyingtons old strip), to take my world-traveller sister to Liapari for a weekend.
Although I didn't get my PNG Commercial till much later, some of our pilots had letters of authorization to fly PNG registered aircraft, as the owner frequently moved his lease aircraft between his companies. The Aztec P2-GKZ ferried to Brisbane in mid-January '81 had been one of these.
We also operated Queenair P2-GkY on its PNG registration for a long while before converting it to H4 registration.
He didn't stay on Islander and Baron long, and after his Metro endorsement it wasn't long before he was flying International turbines again and appointed Chief Pilot.
The Maskelyn Islands are off the south-east coast of Malekula, not far from Lamap.
When he was doing his last flights through Honiara in the Air Niugini F28, he made himself known to our aircrew (in his own inimitable style, and booming voice), that he would be joining us.
From my logbook, I see that I route checked him into Auki, Kira Kira, and Fera in Islander H4-AAI on the 21st August '81. At the time I was a sprogg deputy CP and route checkkie who knew my way around because I had been there since before Independence, guideing the PNG Legend, ex-Air Traffic Controller, ex-DCA PNG Examiner of Airmen, ex-Air Niugini Senior Jet Captain who had come up through DC-3's etc...
I see I also hired his Cessna P2-PQP in mid July '82 to fly out to Barakoma (Vella Lavella, Pappy Boyingtons old strip), to take my world-traveller sister to Liapari for a weekend.
Although I didn't get my PNG Commercial till much later, some of our pilots had letters of authorization to fly PNG registered aircraft, as the owner frequently moved his lease aircraft between his companies. The Aztec P2-GKZ ferried to Brisbane in mid-January '81 had been one of these.
We also operated Queenair P2-GkY on its PNG registration for a long while before converting it to H4 registration.
He didn't stay on Islander and Baron long, and after his Metro endorsement it wasn't long before he was flying International turbines again and appointed Chief Pilot.
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Jasper (cont)
I still have my copy of the memo he gave us in September '82 on how to prepare for, and fly a Baron, and execute NDB Approaches, and DME Homeing, in preparation for the November '82 visit of John Wood, Australian Central Region Examiner, who came up under an Aid Program for a week to renew all our Australian Licence Holders Instrument Ratings. I didn't need it that time as I did a SCPL Test in the Metro with him instead.
Solomons only validated other countries licences and ratings in those days.
Jasper's notes on DC-3 flying were interesting to browse by this sprogg then too.
The only time I got to use a VOR was when going to Pt. Vila.
We had OMEGA in the Metro for en-route navigation, and operated it single pilot.
Fun times trying to make a living and build hours.
I still have my copy of the memo he gave us in September '82 on how to prepare for, and fly a Baron, and execute NDB Approaches, and DME Homeing, in preparation for the November '82 visit of John Wood, Australian Central Region Examiner, who came up under an Aid Program for a week to renew all our Australian Licence Holders Instrument Ratings. I didn't need it that time as I did a SCPL Test in the Metro with him instead.
Solomons only validated other countries licences and ratings in those days.
Jasper's notes on DC-3 flying were interesting to browse by this sprogg then too.
The only time I got to use a VOR was when going to Pt. Vila.
We had OMEGA in the Metro for en-route navigation, and operated it single pilot.
Fun times trying to make a living and build hours.
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P2-CTM Previously VH-ALU now VH-EFZ
Can anyone provide any stories, names of characters in photos and locations of this Tiger Month while it was in PNG? It arrived in 1977 but do not know when it returned to Australia. The aircraft has just completed a 20+ year restoration by Nelson Aeroplane Company in south west Victoria and is MINT! You can see the latest pics on Cobden aero club's facebook page.
That first three photos look like they were taken on Daugo Island (now closed, but just west of POM) and the aircraft in the background in the first picture was Jasper's F33 Bonanza P2-FWW.
If I recall correctly John Close ferried the aircraft to PNG (maybe from Perth) and wrote an article about the trip that was published in a magazine; can't recall which one.
If I recall correctly John Close ferried the aircraft to PNG (maybe from Perth) and wrote an article about the trip that was published in a magazine; can't recall which one.
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That first three photos look like they were taken on Daugo Island (now closed, but just west of POM) and the aircraft in the background in the first picture was Jasper's F33 Bonanza P2-FWW.
If I recall correctly John Close ferried the aircraft to PNG (maybe from Perth) and wrote an article about the trip that was published in a magazine; can't recall which one.
If I recall correctly John Close ferried the aircraft to PNG (maybe from Perth) and wrote an article about the trip that was published in a magazine; can't recall which one.
The restorers had a little bit of history on it and mentioned it was flown from WA but nothing from PNG.
The Bonanza in the background was P2-FWW and previous to that it was VH-FWW.
The last time I saw the aircraft prior to working in PNG, had the aircraft looking rather sad sitting on its belly at Mt. House Station in W.A. At the time Mt. House was owned by King Ranch (Australia) the off-shoot of King Ranch of Corpus Christie in Texas, USA. I was employed at the time as the pilot on Brunette Downs Station N.T, and was at the dinner table the night the Mt. House manager was trying to explain his 'forgetfulness' to the King Ranch owners, the Baileu family from Melbourne.
The last time I saw the aircraft prior to working in PNG, had the aircraft looking rather sad sitting on its belly at Mt. House Station in W.A. At the time Mt. House was owned by King Ranch (Australia) the off-shoot of King Ranch of Corpus Christie in Texas, USA. I was employed at the time as the pilot on Brunette Downs Station N.T, and was at the dinner table the night the Mt. House manager was trying to explain his 'forgetfulness' to the King Ranch owners, the Baileu family from Melbourne.
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I think John Close and Ray Thurecht (PNG Printing) ferried the aircraft to PNG? Ray may also have had an interest in the aircraft? Ray had a Ted Smith 601P Aerostar at the time.
Jim Sinclair wrote a book called "Cape York to Coolangatta" (published 1981) which contained photos I think Jim took from John Close's Tiger Moth, although I may be mistaken?
The day Billy John retired he was pushed (by Sharpie, Lysencko and Alky) in a wheel chair from his last F28 flight, to the Tiger Moth where upon Billy gave a great demo of aerobatics over Jacksons.
Jim Sinclair wrote a book called "Cape York to Coolangatta" (published 1981) which contained photos I think Jim took from John Close's Tiger Moth, although I may be mistaken?
The day Billy John retired he was pushed (by Sharpie, Lysencko and Alky) in a wheel chair from his last F28 flight, to the Tiger Moth where upon Billy gave a great demo of aerobatics over Jacksons.