Steepest, shortest, highest, most bent, overgrown airstrip you’ve ever seen.
If you want to talk about loading, we need to go back a long time - Bobby Gibbes claimed nine labour line bois in an Auster.
To load a 206 - Put pilot in, add load until tail bumper hits the ground.
Remove last package.
A nasty trap could catch you out when the practice of making up multiple loads to be loaded by the cargo bois without supervision. C185 was lost out of Hagen when one load was a box of lead-head roofing nails. Quite small box, pilot thought no load had been put on, told bois to load next in line. He got airborne but didn’t make it down to the river before stalling. Descent to river height might have given him enough speed to stay airborne. A similar situation with a DC3 and roofing iron showed the capability of the Dak, he made it all the way to Hagen ( old strip i think) from Madang with a double load.
Yes, missionary bush pilot is a good effort, but look at his advantages. GPS, proper strip info, turbine power, glass cockpit, computer everything.
I still have the shirt-pocket size notebook I made up for strip info, for strips I didn’t know well. Very abbreviated. I gather ANO28 is just a memory now.
To load a 206 - Put pilot in, add load until tail bumper hits the ground.
Remove last package.
A nasty trap could catch you out when the practice of making up multiple loads to be loaded by the cargo bois without supervision. C185 was lost out of Hagen when one load was a box of lead-head roofing nails. Quite small box, pilot thought no load had been put on, told bois to load next in line. He got airborne but didn’t make it down to the river before stalling. Descent to river height might have given him enough speed to stay airborne. A similar situation with a DC3 and roofing iron showed the capability of the Dak, he made it all the way to Hagen ( old strip i think) from Madang with a double load.
Yes, missionary bush pilot is a good effort, but look at his advantages. GPS, proper strip info, turbine power, glass cockpit, computer everything.
I still have the shirt-pocket size notebook I made up for strip info, for strips I didn’t know well. Very abbreviated. I gather ANO28 is just a memory now.
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Looking forward to returning to Japan soon but in the meantime continuing the never ending search for a bad bottle of Red!
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As for biggest Pax load; Langtaim back nau, but think I once got over 20 on a BN2. Schoolkids out of Tapini going home for Holidays. Had five on one bench seat from memory, all belted in properly. With a somewhat attractive 16 yr old Meri sitting next to me.
Dropped all of them off at various places in the Goilalas.
Most odd cargo was around 260 live crocodiles in a C402 from ???? (memory fails me) to Nadzab...I think.
All the Crocs were in heavy duty carboard cartons with a very stout rubber band around their snouts! At Nadzab the receivers took one out of its container and gave it to me to hold. Most interesting experience!
Dropped all of them off at various places in the Goilalas.Most odd cargo was around 260 live crocodiles in a C402 from ???? (memory fails me) to Nadzab...I think.
All the Crocs were in heavy duty carboard cartons with a very stout rubber band around their snouts! At Nadzab the receivers took one out of its container and gave it to me to hold. Most interesting experience!
I never carried crocodiles but the late Raphael Koipa was carrying a load of young crocs from Lake Murray to POM when one escaped from the cardboard boxes they were packed in and made itself comfortable around the rudder pedals. Raph was pretty keen to complete the flight with the same number of toes that he started with, so hurriedly diverted to Kerema. After managing to taxi the Islander without touching the pedals (quite a feat in itself) he abandoned ship and instructed the cargo bois to capture and secure the errant reptiles!
I believe a similar story involved a Skyvan and the incident appeared in the Air Safety Digest.
On arrival, a local was ‘locked’ in the Skyvan with instructions not to appear without the offending pukpuk under his arm!
On arrival, a local was ‘locked’ in the Skyvan with instructions not to appear without the offending pukpuk under his arm!
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I did a flight into Edward River (Pormpuraaw) with (roads closed) wet season foodstuffs in, and live 12" baby crocs out. Passing 8000ft on departure Edward River, a loud popping sound was heard. Had a quick think about 'buoyancy bladders' and whether crocs had them, and considered a rapid descent before 800 baby crocs exploded. Turned out to be an errant packet of potato chips that had escaped and was still on board under the second control seat.
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With a somewhat attractive 16 yr old Meri sitting next to me. Dropped all of them off at various places in the Goilalas.
Dropped all of them off at various places in the Goilalas.
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Looking forward to returning to Japan soon but in the meantime continuing the never ending search for a bad bottle of Red!
Age: 69
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Awww Taily; You know the old saying.... 'The longer you are there, the better they look!'
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I just read a story about an engine failure, successful forced landing, and recovery by river of VH-BVK at/near Yuat Gap. I have the list of airstrips, and Google can point me to the Yuat River, but I was curious where the Yuat Gap was specifically. Does anyone have coordinates?
Marienburg in the East Sepik was interesting as it was about 400 metres but had a small hillock about a third of the way along it which also had a 45 degree or so change of direction at the same point. The Wirui Air Service Do 27 main gear struts had long oleos and invariably the outside one would collapse going round the corner and the 'list' while on the ground was pronounced.
