Strip coulda been on the other side of the border in Irian Jaya.
Very similar terrain and of course, the God Botherers operated there big time.

I recieved a copy of that Pic in an email some months back...I very much doubt it is a PNG strip...Irian Jaya maybe, South America a possibility too....both places with a very high god botherer element and both places with legendary airstrips on par, at least, with anything PNG ever had. I'd go as far as suggesting Irian Jaya has strips that would make a PNG vet break into a cold sweat....if the 'rake brake' mod I saw on MAF Helio Couriers in Jayapura was anything to go by.:uhoh:

Anyway I flew in and out of > 300 bush strips in PNG and that was not one of them....I'm fairly sure I would have remembered it:uhoh:

RE That picture

My mate Disco Stu recalls in his dim and dark past landing at a strip very much like this one during the '69 flu epidemic in the highlands. He does stress though he was crewing a UH1B and believes they landed in the parking area at the top of the strip. Their area of op's was south and southwest of Goroka out about 30 or 40 miles. He further remembers standing at the top of the strip in question, looking down it and actually being relieved he was in a helo and not his usual 'Bou.

May not be the same strip though.

tipsy:ok:

I think ol lapuns die pinis :{

Tipsy,

Stu's strip may have Wonenara? Not the one in the shot, though.

G'day ;)

Or even Omkali.

Did Stu leave a 'bou parked at Porgera? :E

I got blank looks when I mentioned Wonenara & Omkali to DS. He reckon he doesn't remember any of the strips/towns!! he visited during the flu epidemic. He wandered off mumbling something about "hanging on for dear life" & rotary wing thingame-wotsits and the mad people that flew them.

tinpis, Porgera didn't exsist during DS's 'Bou time. But he does smile sheepishly at the name:ooh:

tipsy:ok:

Porgera was there in 1966 and still there a lot later after I left!

Yep. the Aluminium BoiHaus was firmly cemented to the hillside and Tinpis, did you ever go up there with spanner in hand and pull a few parts off for the Optic's toy?

Hey Sharpie..... Ta for the Nius Bilong Klaudland. It kept me happy during my two weeks in the haus Sick.... Hanoi delivered it personally. Cuppla errors, but no names were attributed to the stories, so I don't know who did it. The Twin which took paul Messervy to his grave, was not a PA28....honest.!!

Taildragger
 

Glad to hear that you had some humour whilst in the Haus sik and that the bearings are now greased, oil changed and new plugs fitted! Hanoi was to deliver at least four individual copies of historical facts!

Any amendments are gladly received and I'll have to go back to the CAA records for the correct info, but I will not hold my breath as I have been waiting for ages ( over 12 months) for Bernie and his mob to come up with the Rego and month of three prangs.

Cheers.

Sharpie

All copies of Skyland News and other items were delivered as requested.
I have seen Taildragger looking better and hope the recovery is soon.

Sharpie.

Wasnt me mate but the story is well covered in Balus III :p

How anyone would think a pair of double row wasps might not be missed by ronny raaf has got me buggered.
They dont make spivs like that anymore.

Methinks this was a PA44. Maybe now known as P2-SPE? Would've pranged sometime between 1992 and 1996, I think.

It was indeed a PA44 Semolina P2-SPE. It is in my logbook on 11 Dec 1994 (Before it crashed.!!) Vale Poor old paul Messervy. he used to fly up the valley at Woitape many many times on Bisniss de Biccy. then one day, flew up the valley that goes right instead of left to WTP in bad weather.
Could it have been something to do with a brand new IR gained a couple of days before.?
I have another one, but I will have to read it over in bed tonight....will advise.

Hope you are well Taily and dont need anymore haus sik :(

Thanks for the summary Taily. He wasn't the first one to do that and not the last either. I've come close to making the same mistake when the wx has obliterated most of the usual visual cues. I would hope that he knew enough about that area to resist any temptation to use the said "brand new IR" - it's a real bad place for that sorta thing!

I echo tin's comment in hoping that you have no further need of haus sik. Especially as August is rapidly approaching! :D

Hi OzE and Tinny...... Currenly all sixis cylindas not givin it sixty, and I am very tired. When I stop walking I fall asleep.!! I got up this morning and the nurse came in to attach the inflight refuelling line, to give me rat poison or summat, and I fell asleep whilst she was giving it to me.!! Stbd foot is bluddy sore, but it will take a while....the right one took 14 months.!!
The left leg Clot seems to be disappating with the other gunge.
My little Moggy de la Greque, name bilong Pratt looks after me.
She has a Gold Medal in Purring.
(The other one, Whitney got dedded on the Highway outside)
On that score.....

Bugga... emi nogut tru ia! Tell ya what though Taily, get a concerted effort going to fix that stbd foot and I'll be sure to keep ya walkin (to and from the bar, o' course! :D ), to keep you awake! :E Where there's a will, there's a way! :ok:

Seriously though mate, that all sounds bloody awful. Must be playing real havoc with yer social life. :( If you can't make it to a pishup in London while I'm there, I'll invade yer privacy and force you to stay awake for the whole time!

anyways...back to that photo...it will be a MAF strip
it appears on the rhs at the top of this document...
http://www.mafc.org/LifeLinks/March_2005.pdf
it's not like they would thieve a photo...
and before anyone asks..i was bored! i do not frequent these sites often...if at all!

Well spotted Troppo.
Eveyone who said it was a crazy god botherer strip pat themselves on the back!
Troppo I take it you have left the Y cat 0 for the joys of the kava kultcha? http://www.augk18.dsl.pipex.com/Smileys/cannibal.gif