Hit the nail on the head.

Rules won’t save anyone from death or anything less serious. Things that will is raw hardcore single pilot experience in the worst environment in the world to fly, let alone live for any long period of time.

PNG provided that for me and I can attest that I’ve got more than 9 lives! If anyone has had a windscreen full of rain forest whilst on approach very close to the ground in marginal weather conditions and survived, they will know what I mean.

Sorry. I don’t quite follow. Are you saying that’s the reason people went to PNG? For quick hours and money?

A few went to do god bothering work with the missions. But I think most saw PNG as a good stepping stone to airlines, while saving money. Fortunately, back in the day when airline pilots selected new recruits, there was some respect for the experience gained by PNG flying.
Induction to PNG flying was generally quite rigorous, with route endorsements and in-country experience required before being turned loose on the really challenging airstrips. Considering the hostile environment and hours flown in its heyday, PNG had quite a remarkable safety record.
On an hours flown basis it would be interesting to compare it with today’s GA in Australia.
Nowadays, airline HR selection people with no hands-on flying time value wombats and similarly concocted aptitude tests. Times change.

Yup!

+1.

Would the modern airline HR numpty, know anything about PNG?

Just what they hear on the news when drugs keep getting flown from there to Australia probably.

Other that that which Squawk7700 mentioned;

Two Fifths of Three Eighths of SFA would be my guess!:hmm:

And if the Chuckling Chimbu was still gracing these pages, I suspect he would tell me that I was being somewhat generous in my estimation.

Excellent question. I can't speak for this operator but many operators are yet to catch up. The involved pilot's flying school had multiple very close calls with weather yet did little about it. Risk management was minimal and many of the instructors were happy to push the limits themselves. This culture in the formative period of his training did him no favours.

The section of the report re the prop states: "The damage signatures indicated that the engine was likely to have been driving the propeller with significant power when the aircraft collided with terrain."
I disagree, that prop does not have forward bending of the tips and instead looks like it hit at idle power.

Which column of my logbook do I log this so called “wet season time” in?

That would be the date column - September to March would be a fair indication, in addition the route flown would be a pretty good indication of where the flying took place.

Something like 24 Dec with GV-MTM-RURU-LEV-ELD-RNG-ELD-DHAL-RURU-GV-ELD-RNG-MGD-GBI-GV ?
Yeah that would do it !

Just out of interest what indoctrination would a typical new person to PNG get, hours/sectors/days or what ever?

News ?
 

Has bloke been heard from/about recently ? Has he got a wife and a haus by now ?