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Sheer luxury I hear them cry...

Only watched about half of it and had to make an effort to restrain myself from throwing stuff at the monitor! So just hurled invective instead.

Dunno if Alison has seen it but I suspect her reaction would be similar to mine, but probably more restrained.

Someone should take that pilot aside and quietly inform him that he's a ...............(insert epithet(s) of your choice)

Pinky +++++++

Remember:
He is a missionary pilot and thinks Dog is watching him.

PP

Remember:
He is a missionary pilot and thinks Dog is watching him.

Yers. Although one thing I remember quite well of my taim bilong PNG, was always being somewhat envious whenever I saw a MAF aircraft.

They all appreared to be well maintained, with any Navaids fitted always operational. And IIRC, they all had at least the ADF, VOR and Van X DME. The C402's they operated were all C models and everything in them worked!

Compared to high time beat up Bongo Vans, or A model C402's which the rest of us mere mortals pushed around the Owen Stanleys....

At least he didn't say a prayer before he took off!

He seems like a serious enough bloke who will finally realise that that sort of flying will only bring him "Nearer my God to Thee" and will end up poling a 737 between Mothercluck Michigan and Rancho Cucamonga in California, and will remember the good old days in Papua with a wistful, if not mist full, look in his eye!

Pinky the pilot wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 11, 2021 7:08 am

Yers. Although one thing I remember quite well of my taim bilong PNG, was always being somewhat envious whenever I saw a MAF aircraft.
They all appreared to be well maintained,

In my time MAF predominantly did their flying the other side of the mountains - Madang, Lae, Vanimo, and up to Goroka and Mount Hagen. Our side of the mountains the bulk of missionary work was via wet leases through SPAC. It had got a bit messy when the pilots "union" negotiated a maximum number of flying hours per week via DCA. Whereupon all private employers decreed that their employees flying hours were their property, and forbid any extra-curricula flying. I was, for a time, one of SPAC's on-call jockeys. I was very busy for quite a while.

MAF predominantly did there flying the other side of the mountains - Madang, Lae, Vanimo, and up to Goroka and Mount Hagen.

Have a vague idea that it was much the same in my time. Cannot remember seeing 'Mafia' aircraft going into any strips on the Port Morbid side but remember stories of those who dared infringe upon MAF strips elsewhere, and the flak they caught!

Our side of the mountains the bulk of missionary work was via wet leases through SPAC.

Have NFI who did Missionary work on the Moresby side. The Kerema Catholic Mission had its own BN2 ( either P2-ISF or ISM. Ex Talair) which was briefly crewed by MBA Pilots. MBA didn't wish to continue doing so, so RR at Simbu took it over. Guess who wound up at Kerema base then?

That came to a sudden halt when the A/C lost an engine in the circuit area at (without checking my logbook) I think Hauwabanga, north of Kerema. Just about to turn base and I heard the R/H engine go into fine pitch when it should not have done so. Looked out at it and all I saw was oil streaming down the undercart leg. An assymetric return to Kerema via the Saw Mountains ensued.

The A/C never flew again AFAIK. A failed oil seal had let all the oil overboard and the filter was full of metal shavings. A new engine was beyond the Diocese's finances so I was sent back to Moresby. What eventually happened to the A/C I have no idea.

Meanwhile back in PN.

And Adieu!

Have any of our members with PNG experience seen this

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64639712