When in PNG....
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CC...Ive come across many who talk of flying in PNG........my advice to them is to log onto pprune and talk to you....I feel its in their best interests,....and it may save their lives
Grandpa Aerotart
Billy Johns, Jasper and Frank Newell...true legends of PNG aviation...Billy Johns started flying up there in the mid 50s in Dehavilland Dragons
. Jasper a few years later as aforementioned...and yes that is the look he gave me...both retired from Air Niugini after full careers and then kept flying up there...Jasper was still flying Dash 8s for Talair when I was a Talair Twotter pilot several years after his advice to a frightened 350hr neophyte. I think by the time Billy Johns stopped flying Flight West's B200s he had 30000 hrs.
http://www.angreunion.co.nr/
Edit...can't link directly to the piccy...but follow the links to PX people photos and it's about the second or third one.
. Jasper a few years later as aforementioned...and yes that is the look he gave me...both retired from Air Niugini after full careers and then kept flying up there...Jasper was still flying Dash 8s for Talair when I was a Talair Twotter pilot several years after his advice to a frightened 350hr neophyte. I think by the time Billy Johns stopped flying Flight West's B200s he had 30000 hrs. http://www.angreunion.co.nr/
Edit...can't link directly to the piccy...but follow the links to PX people photos and it's about the second or third one.
Thread Starter
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re the 2 expats that were attacked, i have it on good account that they were hit by someone who DOES NOT have a tan (like most PNG nationals)...
So you never know...
So you never know...
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
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but it was at least two more years before I stopped getting butterflies before going to work each day.
Possibly the only thing that stopped me 'buying the farm' completely!
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There is some excellent advice regarding flying in PNG from guys that have been there, Torres, Sharpie etc
I joined Talair in '84, Wally Pendray (CP) gave me this advice on living and operatiing PNG. "This isn't our country, we are only visitors here, be curtious to the people, but be careful, don't get to close!"
I enjoyed the PNG ex-pat lifestyle and interaction with the locals particularly on the out-stations, though i always applied Wal's advice in my every day dealing with the locals etc.it seemed to work, never had a problem with the locals.
Wal's advice on operating in the country, "Try to complete the job, but be weary, minimise your risks, Keep the back door open and always have an escape plan!"
I took this advice on board and pretty much applied this to my day to day operations over several years operating in PNG.
With the terrain, geographical location and Weather etc, PNG operations will always be challenging so just be weary. I have heard PNG operations described as 99 percent boredom and 1 percent sheer terror, not to far off the mark!!!
Having spent too much time flying in several other operations in the not so pleasant areas of the world ( Somalia / Djibouti/ Ethiopia / Angola and others), i still rate PNG as one of the most impressive countries that i have ever seen and certainly the best place that i have ever operated.
I joined Talair in '84, Wally Pendray (CP) gave me this advice on living and operatiing PNG. "This isn't our country, we are only visitors here, be curtious to the people, but be careful, don't get to close!"
I enjoyed the PNG ex-pat lifestyle and interaction with the locals particularly on the out-stations, though i always applied Wal's advice in my every day dealing with the locals etc.it seemed to work, never had a problem with the locals.
Wal's advice on operating in the country, "Try to complete the job, but be weary, minimise your risks, Keep the back door open and always have an escape plan!"
I took this advice on board and pretty much applied this to my day to day operations over several years operating in PNG.
With the terrain, geographical location and Weather etc, PNG operations will always be challenging so just be weary. I have heard PNG operations described as 99 percent boredom and 1 percent sheer terror, not to far off the mark!!!
Having spent too much time flying in several other operations in the not so pleasant areas of the world ( Somalia / Djibouti/ Ethiopia / Angola and others), i still rate PNG as one of the most impressive countries that i have ever seen and certainly the best place that i have ever operated.
Last edited by zimex; 8th Nov 2007 at 00:22.
G'Day Zimex. Good to see another of the Talair mob on PPRuNe! How is Wally, I guess you see him occasionally?
2p!ssed2drive. How about this mission strip south west of Goroka?
How is Wally, I guess you see him occasionally?2p!ssed2drive. How about this mission strip south west of Goroka?
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Hi Torres, thank you.
I have mainly been watching the PPrune PNG treads with interest for some time. Thought that i would add my two toia's worth to this thread, it may be of some use to newby's who are thinking of heading to the great land of the "unexpected".
Regarding Wally, I haven't seen him for a couple of years, though occasionally hear him on the radio, he is flying for QANTAS Jet Connect, based in Wellington these days.
Thinking of ex Talair identities, i spoke to Don Sinclair this morning!
I have mainly been watching the PPrune PNG treads with interest for some time. Thought that i would add my two toia's worth to this thread, it may be of some use to newby's who are thinking of heading to the great land of the "unexpected".
Regarding Wally, I haven't seen him for a couple of years, though occasionally hear him on the radio, he is flying for QANTAS Jet Connect, based in Wellington these days.
Thinking of ex Talair identities, i spoke to Don Sinclair this morning!
Grandpa Aerotart
While I suspect you're right it is actually a real shame...those type of strips were where the action was...more fun than should be legal...but from what I hear, more and more, most of those strips are closed and that type of flying is a mere fraction of what it was even 5 years ago.
To go to PNG and never leave the bitumen main ports is just a bizarre concept for those of us who enjoyed the last of the 'good ol' days' of the 80s/ early 90s.
To go to PNG and never leave the bitumen main ports is just a bizarre concept for those of us who enjoyed the last of the 'good ol' days' of the 80s/ early 90s.
2p!ssed2drive. How about this mission strip south west of Goroka?
An MAF C206. Not my photo but looks like a mission strip I've seen from the air south west of Goroka. Maybe West Irian - not sure.
No interest in going there to find out!!
No interest in going there to find out!!
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I think I've been to just about every strip SW of Goroka and I'm still puzzling over where this pic fits in... Mind you, some of the ones SW of Goroka are just as good
PPRuNeaholic
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I have an idea that the photo posted by our good mate Torres was discussed at length in here a year or 2 back. If memory serves me correctly (a dubious prospect that the best of times! 
), the general consensus was that the strip was likely to be somewhere in the Papua province of Indonesia - the place that has been called West Papua, Irian Jaya... yada yada. Booze tends to interfere with memory, so I'm told, so I could be wrong.
), the general consensus was that the strip was likely to be somewhere in the Papua province of Indonesia - the place that has been called West Papua, Irian Jaya... yada yada. Booze tends to interfere with memory, so I'm told, so I could be wrong.