You are correct, but.......

VH-SBO was originally a DHC3 Sea Otter until ditched April 14, 1961.

The DC3 you flew on was originally VH-AEU with TAA from June 11, 1944 until January 10, 1962, when it became VH-SBO "Goroka" - nine months after the Sea Otter ditched.

DC3 VH-SBO went on to become P2-SBO with TAA Sunbird Services and P2-ANT with PX. It was converted to a tour liner configuration by PX in June 1975. On January 18, 1979 it again became VH-SBO. Cancelled from the Australian Register in 1981 and badly damaged in a suicidal pilot crash at Bankstown September 15, 1982.

C170 VH-KEN
 

That Cessna 170
 

I have a distant memory of "talking" to an old Cessna from Nadzab Tower around 1980.. did this aeroplane stay in PNG with a P2 reg? any pics anyone?

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y15...is/PNG/gku.jpghttp://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y15...is/PNG/gkt.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y15...is/PNG/gkn.jpg

(1979)Older hands would remember these regos as 206
Purdy lil plane was Baron looked like it were going somwhere even sitting still

We all realised what a **** sammich we had been getting after upgrading to Baron GKA was the ONLY Baron TAL had for ages it was so old it had a caged cockpit like a Stuka :rolleyes:

GKA
 

Yeah, flew GKA, think it was a B55, Hagen to Green River late 60s above cloud all the way with Lowell Thomas the American, descended thru a hole after 1.5 hrs and it was in front of us!!! No GPS or landmarks. Lucked in !!! Denis or Torres sold it to M & T Logging (Merv Holmes) and Tim ... flew it ex Hoskins. A Canadian asked about a missing Talair Baron, was that one of the Fox boys hit the water down near the Trobes somewhere?

GKA was an early 260 HP B55. When it was quite new McCook lost a main wheel at Mendi and it did it's first wheels up at Goroka. It was sold to M&T Holmes Logging, don't recall whether that was Junior or myself that sold it? I have a vague recollection it sold for around $35,000??

Yes, it was John Fox with Health Department staff. I think John's Australian father lived in Mt Hagen?? His widow lives on Horn Island.

John Fox
 

His Dad or Grandad was one of the befores with Fthr Ross and the Leahy bros in the 30's. (Tom Fox). Fthr Ross officiated at my first wedding.

SBO thought it was familiar. End of its days owned by mate and larrikan Top Neddy P. ..Rae. It was Norman Gunstons private jet and there were several good in cockpit shots of Paul shoving up ZZzzzzs. Funny everyone thought he was acting :hmm:

Management didnt mind getting the hands dirty:rolleyes:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/tinpis/SBO.jpg

P2 SEA
 

Great Aircraft, originally had an early -6 engine and was changed to a -27 engine to make it more compatible with the otters. I flew it with both engines. The engineers found it difficult to set up properly for the Betta configuration the Porter was supposed to have. Clampett (Jed) endorsed me and I had it in Kabwum.:ok:

C170 VH-KEN
 

C170 VH-KEN. Belonged to Ken Nizette when I first knew the aircraft in the 1960s. Think it was damaged and Richard Rowe rescued it out near the West Irian border and rebuilt it.

Lost Souls
 

Anybody know what happened to:
John Kirkman after Ansett NZ,
John Simons,
Bruce Duncan (who shot at the dog on the Wau Airstrip for not getting out of the way)
Geoff Kolmorgen after he went South
Zadow brothers from Chee Air

Zadows were COAIR
 

Not Chee Air go back few hundred pages and their whereabouts as of about 5 years ago was there

John Kirkman tried to scare him out on these pages a few year ago. 'Last contact was at the Smugglers Madang 1976.
John Simon. Believe he was last CNS a few years back

Re Twater F/Os on about page 123: Hey hang on! That was a privileged seat for the LCT (Low Cost Traveler). The young lady concerned would be picked out from the TALAIR Terminal in Moresby for return to Lae on the RPT to sit in the right seat (for trim purposes only!! :O) and it was the obligation of the pilot to offer a bed in the single pilot’s accommodation in Lae. She would then join the system and have a "low cost holiday" visiting many single pilot houses in the country, say no more. It was a morale requirement.

Air Niugini 40th Anniversary reunion
 

Just a heads-up.

A function is being arranged for Saturday 2nd November at the Riverside function centre in New Farm Brisbane.
Full details will be advised shortly and a website is being constructed and will soon be available.

Hey Tail Wheel , can this be made a "sticky" ?.



Hanoi

Maski wori wantok! :ok:

Open a new, separate thread with full details etc and I will sticky your new thread!

Is it forty years? How time flies........

Tail Wheel

tinhorse
 

sundaun - I assume that GKA rego was changed to MTH - Merve & Treasure Holmes. I flew this aircraft from May 29 1977 to March 2 1979 based out of Bialla WNBP - great people to work for and really enjoyed the flying and the almost two years in PNG.

GKA
 

Thats the one T..... Don't know where it went after M & T Logging?

tinhorse
 

sundaun - when I went finish I flew MTH from Bialla via Daru - Cairns to Archerfield. I assume it was put on the Australian register and sold. M and T in 1981 were living at the Gold Coast and Merve had purchased a B58 Baron - VH-EZE. He still had a log skidder broken down in the jungle close to Linga Linga - so on November 28 - 1981 we loaded a complete new engine in the Baron and off to Rabaul via the usual stops. We off loaded the skidder engine at Linga Linga December 2. Return to Coolangatta December 7 - 1981

BARON MTH
 

By my records, MTH was changed to MHE on 13.04.1981, with M&H Earthmoving. I have it listed as being withdrawn from use about 1992 no further details.

MAL phased them out about 1969, Neil Long was the Ansett engineer with the magic to keep them operating in the harsh environment of the Highlands