Chimbu's seat
 

Here's one for Chimbu Chuckles ...

Put your old seat back in P2-MFU the other day with the instrument panel.
Brought back vibes of your story of hauling on the flap and diving through a hole in the cloud and rain to get to Bensbach.

Look familiar ?

http://www.frednolan.com/images/stor...uly2012_10.jpg

Well...I recognize the seat:ok:

Planning the interior P2-MFU
 

Laid out the interior trim and seats to check out what actually I had. I'm going to run with the full bench rear seat and put the MAF fold-down centre seat in storage as well as the child seats from Row 3. Located a scrap hood liner for a template. Dash sub frame is only temporarily fitted, pilots panel will be modified to take a Garmin 500 PFD/MFD or such when ready.

Had to have sit in Chimbu's seat, which was actually quite comfy. Should leave it as is ! Wings are advanced in repair status, RH unit will be back in jig this week and LH side requires only minor rectification, skinning and leading edges etc. I'm ahead of budget in this area.

One of my first flights in MFU will be to take it back to PNG and visit where it operated, some where after 2014 money permitting !

http://www.frednolan.com/images/stor...uly2012_06.jpg

http://www.frednolan.com/images/stor...uly2012_13.jpg

http://www.frednolan.com/images/stor...uly2012_01.jpg

http://www.frednolan.com/images/stor...uly2012_03.jpg

http://www.frednolan.com/images/stor...uly2012_11.jpg

Interior panels
 

Good to see a 185 being brought back to life! I used selkirk fibreglass panels for the interior because the plastic ones just crack all over. But the selkirk ones are very hard to fit. If I did it again would use selkirk for the door panels and the front footwell, but not for the front top doorpost or rear side panels, very hard to fit so mine are still in the box! Used to be possible to get made up headlinings at a fair price, I got a woolen one still not sure if that was a good idea but a former sheep farmer cannot resist. Just spent two weeks at Moresby airport and saw just one piston aircraft flying, a MAF 206. No piston twins at all and just one sighting of the avgas trailer. Caravans for the longer strips and those wonderful NZ PAC 750 things for the shorter ones seem to do what little bush work is left.

I love following this thread. It is like a life story from birth to death and resurrection. :D
SF, no more TNA office down the far end any more. Hard to believe it is nearly 20 years ago now.

A noticed a couple of TAA Cessna's (and Grummans and Catalinas etc) in this clip from You Tube:

C of R
 

Received Certificate of Registration yesterday, so officially MFU now exists and back from the grave !

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...63380132_n.jpg

BVM and SMW
 

Saw this photo of VH-BVM and VH SMW (?) working with the Natmap people in PNG during the 1960's, just to add to the topic. I don't recall anyone talking about VH-SMW, what happened to this one ?

http://www.xnatmap.org/cpng/photos/p...20&%20help.jpg

http://www.xnatmap.org/cpng/photos/p...g%20beacon.jpg

http://www.xnatmap.org/cpng/photos/p...%20loading.JPG

VH-SMW
 

You sure that rego isnt CMW which was Ansett G.A. and later Territory Airlines?

VH-SMW was only issued once, to a Beech 58. I go for VH-CMW, which is now in NZ as ZK-SMW!

1850524
BVM -2 ATR 15 02 1963 Missionary Aviation Fellowship 8 Market St Box HillVIC Ex N2524Z


BVM -2 SOR 10 12 1966 Crashed 10.12.1966 near Karubaga, West Irian
1850678 CMW -1 ATR 27 02 1964 Ansett-MAL Box 278 LaePNG Ex N2678Z




Looks like CMW in the photo.

CMW -1 CO 05 05 1968 Territory Airlines Pty Ltd LaePNG
CMW -1 COA 29 04 1971 Territory Airlines Pty Ltd PO Box 65 GorokaPNG

CMW -1 COA 24 12 1971 Territory Airlines Pty Ltd PO Box 108 GorokaPNG
CMW -1 SOR 29 04 1974 Transferred to Papua New Guinea civil register as P2-CMW
CMW -1 RTR 17 06 1982 M.E.D. Currington C/- KTX Aviation, PO Box 526 Alice SpringsNT Ex P2-SEN, P2-CMW, VH-CMW

Keglsugl airstrip in the 60's
 

Wonder which this C185 is, anyone recognise her at Keglsugl airstrip (trust that is the correct spelling) ?

http://www.xnatmap.org/cpng/photos/p...gl%20strip.jpg

Keglsugl spelling is correct, but strip is now closed. When I last operated there in 1980, there was no grass, but strip was hard packed gravel.

Keglsugl it is.

Was apparently still being used up to a few years ago by trek/ climbers

No many mercury thingamies available for take off, some scary solid slabs of vertical real estate when approaching from Ramu

Keglsugl
 

Probably a Divine Word C180 going by the blue colour scheme. The Popies had a few missions from Keglsugl down the valley to Chimbu then a large one at Mingende. Two misshos were murdered in the valley prewar and Fthr John Glover killed in crash at the Mingende strip postwar. If the photo was taken late 70s early 80s it could be Brother Ben, a pilot/engineer based Madang. Prior to that Nyron Martin.

Nope it is definitely a C185; see larger fin. Do agree that it could be a mission machine, as they did not seem to favour fitting pods to their aircraft.

MFU wing rebuild well advanced
 

P2-MFU wing rebuild is progressing well, bit behind schedule but ahead of budget thank heavens. RH wing was a big job and this wing is almost finished, complete with new flap track brackets and gap seals (still to be added at this point). Good news is that LH wing will involve mostly some re-skinning only.

Lot's of history in these wings, patches and repairs every where, they sure worked hard !

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...88572671_n.jpg

Neville hard at it, gap seal is inserted beneath the fasteners when ready.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...19992073_n.jpg

LH wing only requires new skins and good clean up. Repairs will be minimal to some rib's mostly, thanks ...

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...34324503_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...68908041_n.jpg

You have the right bloke on the job there, Fred.

Do you think gap seals are worth it?

Gap seals
 

I assume they are and in principal they should be + Neville says they are great on DGL. I'm not doing the aileron gap's though. Nows the time to do them though and in our fuel conscious state, a knot or two extra would be good ?

Some where in PNG
 

MAF people sent me this picture from their archives, but no info on the aircraft or times were available. But would be in the 60's I expect.


http://www.frednolan.com/images/stor...20in%20PNG.jpg

Early sixties if that's an HF trailing antenna cone on the tail.

HF..spare a moment to reflect on all those who suffered under that bloody system.."Madang...Madang ...Madang....er..Goroka?..er...anyone?"
Spent a morning working Honolulu once, clear as a bell....he telexed Moresby for me.

Nothing has changed then Tinpis. . .

HF in PNG
 

The said HF as installed in VH-BVY.

Love old photo's, makes me appreciate the modern cockpit layout today and how much the latest avionics and engine equipment has improved.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...87410918_n.jpg

Hi Skywagon - some major swarfe under that wing jig! Seriously though, nice work; love to see the passion being put into rebirthing our classic aeroplanes. Well done.

P2-MFU Vertical Fin complete
 

MFU's fin is now complete with rear spar and lower rib installed again. The rudder is hung again also for trial fitting. My baby is slowly taking shape. RH wing is now finished rebuild at Scone, with LH assy well advanced. Wings should be back with airplane by Christmas !

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...94484706_n.jpg

Retractable work lights
 

One of the changes that will be added to MFU is two 450w retractable landing lights in the outboard wing sections. This RH outer skin panel has not been added as yet, with the ribs yet to be modified to allow the light housing to fit, together with the stiffener and reinforcement plate etc.

http://www.frednolan.com/images/stor...s/wings_23.jpg

Wings completed P2-MFU
 

Just an update if interested. MFU's wings were completed March 2013 and ready for shipping back to the airframe at Lismore NSW. Both wings were a full disassembly whilst the RH unit was the worst affected. Added a couple of mod's like Flap Gap Seals and 450w retractable Landing Lights. With a small job to do to complete the horizontal stabiliser, the airframe is now complete.

Hope to post a pictures soon of her all together again !

Have a spare set of damaged 185 wings for sale if anyone is chasing some. My man says they are rebuildable OK.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...15046269_n.jpg


https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...64029501_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...70509460_n.jpg

Looking very nice...great job.

If you are going to use it in and out of tight places evidently the flap gap seals do ruin the Fowler flap effect for just a small increase in rate of climb and cruise speed.

I haven't noticed a change in stall or approach speed with flap gap seals from flaps 20 to 40. The big change is climb rate and cruise speed (3-5 MPH increase). This, with Sportsman cuff, WingX extensions and VG's on my 185E.

Received this photo of MFU flying over the PNG Lowlands. The Australian prefix suggests that it was taken between 1972 and May 1974 when it changed to the local P2 rego. Lot's of detail available in this old black & white for its ongoing resto.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...95540749_n.jpg

Fantastic thread
 

And a great source for my thesis.

Thanks all!

And a great source for my thesis.

What are you studying, sounds interesting ?

180's and 185s from the Ben Dannecker collection
 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8541/8...6c53a9e8_b.jpg
2013-04-30_19 by wallycacsabre, on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8265/8...f5de1fb3_b.jpg
2013-04-30_27 by wallycacsabre, on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8259/8...a9d4ded2_b.jpg
2013-04-30_28 by wallycacsabre, on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8403/8...00370e8e_b.jpg
2013-04-30_29 by wallycacsabre, on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8396/8...048a58dc_b.jpg
2013-04-30_32 by wallycacsabre, on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8114/8...313acd1e_b.jpg
2013-04-30_47 by wallycacsabre, on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8533/8...70e1a6de_b.jpg
2013-04-30_48 by wallycacsabre, on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8114/8...dfeb4775_b.jpg
2013-04-30_53 by wallycacsabre, on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8114/8...f154f3b3_b.jpg
2013-04-30_54 by wallycacsabre, on Flickr

Studying
 

Writing on a doctoral thesis in history.

Proposing doing a study of civil aviation in PNG. I loved the place when I went in the mid-90s.

cacsabre, great 180/185 pictures, I did not realise that there was a few of them on floats, in particular the MAF aircraft. Anymore available from up there ?

Em Tasol
 

Em Tasol on the PNG C180/C185 pics..you get my PM?

cheers
Wally

July 1983
 

Nice clear photo of P2-MFU taken by MAF pilot Terry Burn in July 1983 at Wewak. She is 12 years old at this stage !
Thanks

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...03678234_o.jpg

P2-MFU being refuelled at Tekin PNG
 

MAF pilot Terry Burns has found some more photo's of MFU and illustrates the life these workhorses had in PNG. Photography is excellent !

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...64814816_o.jpg

Tekin airstrip PNG
 

I imagine that trying to get 3 aircraft onto the parking area at Tekin (5000') is a tight fit. Nice profile shot of C185 MFU. All MAF 185's had full safety harness on seats 1/2 plus emergency alternate fuel selector. Tekin is approx. 135 nm bearing 215 from Wewak, MFU's base at that time.


http://www.frednolan.com/images/stor...at%20Tekin.jpg