Chuck... I've never been there and that incident ensures that I'll never miss it! I'm just happy to be able to see the funny side of it, having had the pleasure (?) of the using the "power back as you pass that rock outcrop, flaps down at that tree" routine in a few other places.

I'm having great difficulty typing this while trying not to die laughing!

:D I got my final revenge against all curly topped mowers of grass some time later.

I came into the circuit crosswind at Malelaua(a really long and very wide coastal strip) and saw a chap on a tractor mowing the strip. I went crosswind at about 500' right in front of him and when I turned final he was still mowing but now facing me.

He just ignored me, did a U turn and kept mowing. There was room to land behind him so I did. As I came up behind him, with reverse roaring, he gave me the finger and started swerving over to the right!

Rude ******!

Well he went right so I went right! :D he went left so I went left :D I chased him till he lept off the tractor and it went into a shallow drainage trench just off the flight strip!

When I taxied back to the parking bay the local white bloke(who owned said tractor and employed said non-reflective) was doubled over with hysterics.

I hate lawn mowers :D

Chuckles.

chucky, you ought to write a book mate, I just love those stories.
I was with Boris M in Rabaul back in 82 in a F27 on a day when the wind was really blowing.
Now Boris had the habit of shutting down both donks and rolling into the parking bay, landing on 12 the apron is at the other end of the strip and so he just had to make a left turn followed by a right one to park in front of the terminal.
Well this particular day our non reflective marshaller wanted him to park with his arse into wind, something airmanship and Boris didnt agree with, so we roll onto the apron, props spinning down and our little marshaller is determindly facing the other way waiting for us to appear on his right side and enter the apron from the other end,
Only trouble is we are now 10 yds behind him and he still hasnt twigged where we are until finally Boris taps him in the middle of his back with the radome ! Never seen a bloke take off so fast in all my life :D

Well, they sure got their own back, last time I went to Tari. For those not familiar with the place, there's a road that traverses around the airport, basically from the western side to the eastern side, with a big "U" around the south-east end of the strip. Naturally enuf, this adds considerable distance to a journey from one side of the airport to the other - and back again.

It's even more of a problem locally coz the great majority of the population use shanks ponies to get around. Being slightly more intelligent than most, these folks had figured that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line (to bastardise the expression!). So they don't follow the road all the way, they just cut across the strip and pick up the road again on the other side.

Now, Tari airport ain't one of the busiest places in the country, but it can be a right bahstard in sh!tty weather.

Anyway, I've been picking me way toward the place, on a basic northerly track and planning a straight-in on 32. Everything going well, strip in sight, wheels down and 3 greens, props now at full increase and flaps travelling from 40% to 100% with speed right where it ought to be.

This is pretty usual for me but I figured that everyone is entitled to at least one good day, right?

Then I see it ... part of the airstrip is shifting sideways! As vis improves I realise that it's the standard migratory pattern of the indiginous community. Just then, they spot the Kingair - probably my landing light caught there eye. Anyway, for whatever reason, they all decided to exercise their natural curiosity streak.

So they all stopped, right in the middle of the strip to watch the "liklik balus" land! I can only imagine their disappointment when said "liklik balus" went around, very reluctantly, from extremely low level! For my part, I was a bit busy flying the GA and looking for a clear space to turn for a close downwind ... a very close downwind, given the weather at the time!

By the time I was on final approach, my "audience" was on the sidelines. As I later learned, the local PX Port Manager had seen the problem and told the people to get off the strip. Incredibly, they had obeyed him! None of that made me feel much better but I was certainly grateful for the initiative and intervention of the PX Port Manager.

[ 07 December 2001: Message edited by: OzExpat ]

Pretty hard to compete here...
Can´t claim this one for myself, but rode the jumpseat on the ¨valley-visual¨ into Skardu in northern Pakistan in a 737. Still can´t wipe the grin off my face.

OzExpat: please get those pictures back on the page!!! -Or an other one. They are awesome, and I often return to this page to see them. And now they're gone... :(

One of the most challenging places that I have flown into is Kathmandu on a stormy night in a 767 our company sop was to have landing chk list complete at 12000ft then at decent point select v/s and depending on weight and wx conditions one would have to decent at 1800to 2300ft P/M, your eyes are lke saucers by the time you land, now i know what the pope feels like when he gets out and kisse the grnd.
And when you get to VDP no runway! This is interesting as all kinds off limits are app on the G.A.
Not one for the faint hearted:: :rolleyes:

What is the nature of the problem with Corfu? I've seen photos, maps etc and it doesn't look as bad as say Funchal.

I'm interested as I'm going there on Monday - and we're landing at night!!

Paro,Bhutan

Butte Montana in the winter, circling to land, not the worst but an eye opener

Some years ago I also had the dubious pleasure of flying into Lukla, Nepal in a MIL-17 with a Russian crew. We had to divert - to Syangboche (elev c. 12500ft) and stayed the night in the local Sherpa lodge. The yak steak is passable...

Nick Figaretto ... sorry about that but I had to do a bit of housekeeping. If you go into D+G, look for the latest thread relating to PNG - it's quite a few days old now, I suspect, so probably no longer on page 1. Anyway, my opening post in that thread contains all the new URLs.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

I can think of a number of places where we'd do approaches in the C130 that would definately come under the heading 'interesting'! Grass strips, desert stuff, all sorts!

However, in a 747, nothing really compares to a VOR (Canarsie) approach onto 13L at JFK on a !!!!!ty night, with a late change to 13R as you start the turn. Those who've been there will understand; those who just study the chart just won't get it!

Well, if you don't want to go too far, try Chambery, France (LFLB) where (from memory) the 18 ILS is fairly steep and the prevailing wind northerly. Procedure starts from the CBY at about 6500 ft, takes you down over a lake with up to 4500 ft hills either side and a natty little teardrop go-around for the MAP to avoid another 6500 ft hill south of the airfield and city.
This approach is more fun if you do the 18 NDB at night and with some weather!

My favourite, most gob-smacking all time approach must be the 'Shuttle profile' flown in a T-38 at Edwards AFB a few years back. 24000 ft to the flare in less time that it took to post this!

And then there's Saba
 

Saba, Netherlands Antilles, SAB. Gets multiple Twotter flights each day. Certainly not like the PNG strips, but...
http://www.gajets.net/Links/FWIW/saba/runway1.jpghttp://www.gajets.net/Links/FWIW/saba/runway2.jpg
Runway length 1300 ft [400m].
http://www.xs4all.nl/~pa3gio/PJ6/air...tain_small.jpghttp://www.sabatourism.com/saba_airport.jpg

Oooooooooo look! It's just like an airport... only smaller... :D

Gilgit, high in the Indus Valley in Northern Pakistan, about 5000' amsl, about 1200M long which, PIA serve with twin Otters and F27s - in a 146! Great fun!

Cheers,
mcdhu