So where can I have seen the wing? It was definitely in a garden of some kind somewhere between Mendi and Tari. (I also drove down to Baiyer River around the same time but I don't think that's where it was).Memory told me it was the Mendi Hotel but we all know what tricks memory can play!!
Thanks for all suggestions made. It had to have been part of VH-MAE I think.
Jim

P2-PNG is currently the guvman Kingair.

Anyone care to take bets on what the new toy (the Falcon) will be registered. I'll bet it won't be in Pixies bracket of P2-AN?:eek:

P2-MTS? :hmm:

Mendi. I'll meet you half way - it was before Talair took over Macair around 1976 to 1978, so my guess would be around 1972 - and that is over 35 years ago.

Jim. I'm going to come up with a long shot guess here - I think you may be referring to a wing off Junkers Ju53/3M VH-BUU, which was pranged at Baiyer River around 1958, on the day Bobby Gibbes sold out to Ansett MAL. Ansett decided not to recover the aircraft, the fuselage, minus the wings, rotted away for years. I suspect you may have found a wing somewhere in the Highlands. I can't think of any other similar size aircraft prang in the Highlands that the wing may have come from? (Unless parts of Peter Arnold's Skyvan were recovered from Mt Gilluwe.)

The big difference was of course, that the Ju52 had corrugated skin, versus the DC3 smooth skin.

That is my best guess......

I'm sure the short lived Cessna 421B was the first Government aircraft with the P2-PNG registration. Don't recall the Moresby Gliding Club's King Air registration but think P2-PNG next went on Big Julie's Grumman Gulfstream II?

Cheers Torres but it was definitely a DC3 outer wing. As I said earlier it was being used as a kid's slide and there was some sort of plaque with it. As we were going pinis we had driven up to Hagen from Goroka and stayed there for a few days, making forays up to Tari and Baiyer River. Wherever it was it was a fairly civilized place for the Highlands, not off in the bush somewhere.
Thanks again,
Jim

Another query:
What happened to Ebia Olewale (Deputy P.M.in 1970s)??? Was he in the Nomad that crashed ex- Daru?
Jim

As I recall the priest was the same one previously in a Patair Porter accident at Terapo.The pilot apparantly took off for an air drop in the Kanabea area with the priest facing backwards to handle the drop.However,it was believed the elevator trim was in full back position, resulting in the Porters nose rearing up when airborne, then diving almost vertically into the ground.The priest got out OK but the pilot was hospitalised for a long time with broken legs.He later came back to fly for Biscuit Ears then went A over T in a Pushpull at Karamui after which he gave it away.Sadly,he had previously had a distinguished career with Qantas.The photos of the Porter crash were around for a long time-it was remarkable that anyone survived it.

Sir Ebia Olewale died quite suddenly, very recently. He was 69 and a good guy - I knew him well in my days in the Highlands.

Ebia Olewale was not in the Nomad prang in the Fly River - that was Rabbie Namaliu, Prime Minister 1988 to 1992, who got a broken leg. The Defense Force Nomad pilot was David Inai, the first PNG pilot to check out in a jet aircraft whilst training with the RAAF.

You're taxing my memory.......

Torres
Last entry in my log for P2-PNH was the 8th of March 1974 Kisengan-Nadzab coffee shuttles
How about something like a day after that? :rolleyes:

ASN Aircraft accident 09-MAR-1974 Pilatus PC-6/B Turbo Porter VH-PNH

What is a year or two amongst this august group of dribbling lapuns, living in another century? :}

The accident is still 35 years ago. How time flies.........

I also read somewhere that the Citation II Talair had almost 30 years ago, pranged in South America soon after it was sold.

Torres please send my fondest regards to Bernie and let me know when he has an email.
The G-II didn't do much flying I dont think.
I stayed with the pilot in POM in '83.
McClure/McCook and the 421 ring any bells?
Kumul II was P2-PNH ably guided by Loopy Len Cleaver

Mendi
Sorry, I thought that man looked like Ross (I've forgotten his surname, but he lived on the Gold Coast) who was a pretty senior pilot with Talair and MBA. The colour of his hair was true!!!!

Fieldus...known throughout Talair as . :}

I don't think he flew the Porter.

New rego? How about P2-ANA(RCHY)?

Ebia was indeed a good guy. I met him a few times when I lived on Daru,
RIP,
Jim

Daves trout farm Goroka 1976

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y15...kafishfarm.jpg

I went back to the trout farm in 1979 to find it all deserted. I was told that a couple of locals had bought it and then received a big order for fish from the Bird of Paradise..............
Jim

What's with the trout? Didn't you blokes have barra from the gulf back then or was it just a substitute to the tinned mackeral? I grew up catching trout in north otago and I wouldn't feed it to my dog.

Didn't Ian Holder have something to do with the GKA Trout Farm?

Whilst based in Tabubil I took a couple of aircraft loads of miners and staff down to Lake Murray one Xmas time to a feed of Barra. The diddiman and his family down there was a great host. Most enjoyable.

Lake Murray (Pangoa) was always good for a backload of prawns /barra if in the area
I seem to recall B****head the Larger being a purveyor of fine seaford from there?
Ian as I recall did have something to do with the troots, did anyone ever find out where Dave is nowdays?

Got to agree with you about Barramundi Troppo but the Kotuni trout were out of this world when eaten within minutes of being caught.
Do Bush Pilots still pick up Barramundi from Daru I wonder? They used to come in with their DC3 (VH-MAL)every month or so in 1978.
I think VH-MAL is the DC3 now preserved in Hong Kong,
Jim