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-   -   PNG Ples Bilong Tok Tok (https://www.pprune.org/pacific-general-aviation-questions/152566-png-ples-bilong-tok-tok.html)

Law FS 2nd Oct 2020 10:39

3 Attachment(s)
Yep, the golf course was the better option, it was the turn back to attempt a landing on 14 that sealed the deal. Sadly a problem with low hour CPL’s building up time in difficult and unforgiving environment. The crash site was about 400m give or take a hundred or so shy of the Golf Course. The RFFS were considerate of damaging their emergency drive through gates and drove the long way around the airport to arrive at the scene sometime later.

Capt Fathom 2nd Oct 2020 10:51


difficult and unforgiving environment.
I don’t think you could consider Lae a ‘difficult and unforgiving environment’.

An attempted air turn back would be challenging anywhere!

Law FS 2nd Oct 2020 11:12


Originally Posted by Capt Fathom (Post 10896811)
I don’t think you could consider Lae a ‘difficult and unforgiving environment’.

An attempted air turn back would be challenging anywhere!

Just speaking of TPNG generally. I see your point though. Good call.

tail wheel 2nd Oct 2020 23:57

I recall another Mission (Lutheran??) C206 turning back after an EFATO off Goroka, rather than landing ahead at the rubbish dump. Sad ending to that accident also.

Hagen Airport, I knew all about the QF Dover prang into the gulf. A number of expeditions have tried to recover the elusive and perhaps mythical gold shipment without success.

Another very sad turn back and stall after engine failure at Lae was the 1948 crash of Lockheed Hudson VH-ALA (Guinea Air Traders) with the death of thirty three passengers and two crew.

Of course, lapun PNG aviators may also recall a rather famous cowboy boot lost in the Huon Gulf by a legendary aviator during another forced swimming escapade some years ago. :}


mendi63 3rd Oct 2020 00:43


Of course, lapun PNG aviators may also recall a rather famous cowboy boot lost in the Huon Gulf by a legendary aviator during another forced swimming escapade some years ago. https://www.pprune.org/images/smilies/badteeth.gif
The story was that he used it to kick out the windscreen to get out. No mean feat in a Baron if true.

tail wheel 3rd Oct 2020 04:29

So I've heard. And after the Bandit bon fire Junior exclaimed "Can't drown the B******. Can't burn the B******. Time to sack the B******"!

Think he then went to Solair. :}

tpng conehead 3rd Oct 2020 06:49


Originally Posted by Law FS (Post 10896803)
Yep, the golf course was the better option, it was the turn back to attempt a landing on 14 that sealed the deal. Sadly a problem with low hour CPL’s building up time in difficult and unforgiving environment. The crash site was about 400m give or take a hundred or so shy of the Golf Course. The RFFS were considerate of damaging their emergency drive through gates and drove the long way around the airport to arrive at the scene sometime later.

That photo brings back memories of many hangovers in Lae.

olderairhead 3rd Oct 2020 10:47

SPAC became the Lae Aero Club back in 78(?) after the original committee voted to close it down and an extra ordinary general meeting was called with a new committee was elected and resolved in continuing to operate as the Lae Aero Club. Never had an aircraft or an instructor but did have the bar, Oomi(?) (the barman) and an incredible clientele. Still have the membership badge No 1. :ok:

Capt Fathom 3rd Oct 2020 11:01


And after the Bandit bon fire Junior exclaimed "Can't drown the B******. Can't burn the B******. Time to sack the B******"!
He taught me a lot about flying in PNG (before he drowned, burnt and got sacked?) and I subsequently survived! Thanks MP.

troppo 3rd Oct 2020 11:36

Like many others I truly loved that part of the world. Missionary bush pilot channel on youtube brings back a lot of memories but latest avionics and no real loads or pax isn't how most of us cut our teeth

DeRated 3rd Oct 2020 18:46

Yes, I just found and downloaded the Missionary bush pilot videos - in particular the Hoskins area where I was Senior Base Pilot for two years in the mid 70's. The video quality is superb but as Troppo remarked - we couldn't afford slide film then or the distraction from surviving - physically and financially. Don't remember there being that much sunshine but delighted to stooge around and remember after 45 years.

Law FS 3rd Oct 2020 22:26


Originally Posted by olderairhead (Post 10897464)
SPAC became the Lae Aero Club back in 78(?) after the original committee voted to close it down and an extra ordinary general meeting was called with a new committee was elected and resolved in continuing to operate as the Lae Aero Club. Never had an aircraft or an instructor but did have the bar, Oomi(?) (the barman) and an incredible clientele. Still have the membership badge No 1. :ok:

was without doubt the best memories, members and club, anywhere, anytime. Won the end of week lottery there four times in a row. Got banned from buying tickets.

mendi63 4th Oct 2020 01:09

SPAC did some training in the early to mid 70's and the CFI was D.A. if I recall correctly. The bloke who ran the bar then was the expat DCA groundsman. We decded to buy a half dozen swit moa BBQ chickens from a kongkong store and raffle them off on Friday nights which funded free bar food. They sold very well and the number of visitors increased rapidly to the extent that the bar was very crowded on a Friday night. Eventually the committee decided that we could still run the raffles but they would pocket the takings so we stopped selling them and donated any money we had in kitty to the childrens ward at ANGAU. The number of drinkers dropped off rapidly after that.

cac_sabre 4th Oct 2020 09:26


Originally Posted by mendi63 (Post 10897244)
The story was that he used it to kick out the windscreen to get out. No mean feat in a Baron if true.

I believe the boot was used to kick out the Bandit windscreen at POM, I think the door was used on the Baron to get him and the harbourmaster / pilot (ship) out

mendi63 4th Oct 2020 20:09

You may well be right cac sabre as my memory is a little fuzzy after 40+ years. Having had the job of replacing windscreens in both these model aircraft it still was no mean feat as they are pretty tough.

tail wheel 5th Oct 2020 03:00

Looks like the co pilot window became the avenue to urgently egress the aircraft..... :}

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....521f3c52d7.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....401ebbae7f.jpg




High 6 16th Oct 2020 07:25

I remember this prang... I was living in POM and went to see the crash site. The cowboy boots did save the day!! had the pleasure of having a beer with the “legend“ at the Talair Reunion in the Sunshine Coast a few years ago. I recall MP giving me my C206 rating in Goroka in 1979 and then doing a quick hop over the Kawkaw gap to Nambaiyufa as my line check. All done, down to the Bird of Paradise for an SP.... Good memories!

FL235 17th Oct 2020 22:08

Anyone remember who was chief pilot for Crowleys in about 1970? My first day there consisted of a 10min cct in the old 205, then Lae - Telefolmin - Yellow R - Green R - Wewak - Lae. Quite an introduction.

Didn’t last long with Laurie, still got the wings somewhere. They were different days.

Centaurus 18th Oct 2020 04:54

From another perspective. I flew a RAAF VIP Convair 440 Metropolitan from Momote to Moresby in 1965. Our passenger was the Australian Minister for the Navy, Fred Chaney. Shortly after take off at Momote we heard via HF that a RAAF Caribou had crashed at Porgera and the two pilots were badly injured. It was being arranged they should be medevaced to Mt Hagen by Cessna 206 and then to hospital at Lae.

We were given approval to divert to Mt Hagen airport and pick up the injured pilots and take them to Brisbane where medical facilities were better than PNG. We landed at Mt Hagen which then was a brand new airport recently opened. I think the runway was about 5200 ft long.

While waiting on the tarmac for the medevac Cessna to arrive, we noticed a Baron take off only to return 15 minutes later after completing a weather recce. The pilot was taxying very fast on the way to the tarmac and narrowly missed our Convair, his wingtip just missing the tail of the Convair. It was extremely poor airmanshp by the pilot.
His name was Heli Schuchnigg - the senior base pilot of Talair at the time. He came across as a cocky character and was an Austrian pilot who migrated to Australia after the end of the war.

The Cessna turned up and we carefully loaded the two RAAF pilots on stretchers into the Convair. We were told to take them to Lae. The takeoff from Mt Hagen used the full length of the runway. It was the first time I had flown a Convair from a relatively high altitude airport. The performance charts we had for the Convair were US Air Force charts which did not have all the takeoff performance information apart from sea level figures and Mt Hagen had a density altitude of around 8000 ft. No wonder we used the full length before lift-off. We would have been in real trouble if we had lost an engine as there was no way the Convair could have climbed away on one engine.

sundaun 18th Oct 2020 05:17

Crowley Chief Pilot 1970 would be Mac Drew early in the year, or Gordon Tait maybe later in the year. All top guys. Helly Tschushnigg was Manager Territory Airlines in Mt Hagen about that time Centaurus.


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