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Indonesia Tour 4

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Hammy Come Back


Cloudy Papua Freeway - manoeuvring at 11,500 ft



Highland landing roll (plus dog)

Papua - working our way through a cloudy Freeway

Bilorai - breaking off the approach from right base as cloud moves across finals

Quid enim dices ?


Cloudy Freeway

Passing opposite traffic 1000 ft 300 m above us over a cloud-filled Freeway

Due entirely to the corrupt practices of those near and far, Asian One Air was grounded for a month waiting on spare parts and DGCA (Civil Aviation Authority) paperwork.
This was very stressful and frustrating for our team in Nabire and we decided to escape for a day with a trip to the waterfalls along the Kali Legari and its tributary Kali Negari.
Although we often felt like we were on a road to nowhere, this one took us inland to the rivers


Fish farm along Makini Road GoogleMaps

Parking downstream beside the deteriorating bridge and weir over the Legari.
In 2025 it looks like a wider road and new bridge have been built GoogleMaps



The last two kilometers to the pool on the Kali Negari.
....starting with a walk through the Legari
( some shaky stills from the camcorder )


Up a hill beside the rockface over which, had it not been the dry season,
the Kali Negari would have poured

....and along a jungle path

Cocytia durvillii moth in the jungle above the Kali Legari, Papua

....reaching the lower [shallow] pool with a small waterfall
in the middle of the jungle on the Kali Negari
....and lunch with the insect chorus !

The upper [ deeper ] pool where the air temperature is a comfortable 27°C
but the Negari comes straight off a 10000 ft 3000 m mountain so the water feels ice cold

....in the throes of jungle fever

Starting back towards Nabire along the jungle path by the Kali Negari

Walking back out thru the Kali Legari

The jungle wall along the Kali Legari





At the end of a very pleasant day where the Legari joins Cenderwasi Bay







Offset short finals for runway 09 at Bilorai (elev 6960')

Strange light effect - the sun is rising BEHIND us


Still from rearward facing GoPro - departing Nabire runway 34


Still from GoPro - Nabire


Plateau between coast and West Papua highlands

Turning finals at 7400 ft over the KP key point (Blue-Red-Blue buildings)

Departing empty from Bilorai - so climbing well !



Asian One Air C208B Caravan PK - LTF landing Nabire

The jungle wall east of Nabire

West Papua, Indonesia

Dog on the runway at Nabire - she needed a blast of reverse thrust just to get her moving


 Full movie on YouTube
Normality at Papua's airports at the end of the school day

Camcorder stills with some PhotoShop - our Caravan descending into the heat mirage 


Another normal day for Papua's airports

Trigana Air ATR taking off from Nabire



School's out !

AMA Pilatus Porter departing Nabire


Our favourite trees on short final at Nabire


Sunrise captured by our Engineer Melli


Camcorder Still - our Caravan on Runway 34 at WABI Nabire in 38 degree heat


Camcorder Still - our Caravan lifting through the mirage of the 38 degree morning temperature

We often carry fighting cocks to/from matches.   Some of these birds are worth more than the rest of the cargo combined.   Our Ground Crew, not knowing the English words, called it a 'Battle Chicken'.   This one flew with us so regularly I dubbed it BattleChicken Galactica

GoPro Movie Still - working our way around Bilorai in bad weather

GoPro Movie Still - landing at Bilorai in the rain

Crew day out to the Pantai Pasir Putih ( White Sands Beach )
GoogleMaps - sorry, can't find it.  A search for Pasir Putih ends up on an island

Pantai Pasir Putih - white sands in a mangrove




Pantai Pasir Putih - tree in a tree

Herding tiny pufferfish on to the sand


Our Engineer Marsel trapping pufferfish in the surf

We are not amused....


Our Avionics Engineer Jefri at his best

GoPro Movie Still - smoking into Ilaga

GoPro Movie Still - departing Ilaga

AscoNusa C208A without Cargo Pod in the Freeway

AscoNusa C208A westbound in the Freeway at 10500 ft 3200 m
C208A PK-FLM
with Lake Paniai and a dissipating thunderstorm in the distance

....and us seen from PK-FLM

We stayed together all the way to Nabire where, with Air Traffic Control's kind permission, we followed PK-FLM into the circuit

Fun with AscoNusa C208A PK-FLM


GoPro Movie Still - our Ground Crew trying to fit 1000 kg of slippers into the aircraft

GoPro Movie Still - checking the cargo door secure after unloading at Bilorai

How to see the top of your wings without a ladder....
Counting fuel filler caps - ours were all still there
See post Wed29Apr15


GoPro Movie Still - departing Bilorai RWY27.
We are heavy so still accelerating low over the runway and banking left to follow the slope ahead



That departure filmed by Ramli, our man in Bilogai

GoPro Movie Still - on another day departing Bilorai RWY09 into a headwind with a very light load so we can climb steeply

PTMQ Amano traditional gold mine along the Kali Derewo

Thru neglect, most of the river mining airstrips have become unusable for fixed wing aircraft.
Instead they are serviced by the rotaries
( which also does not always end well - in this case 1 fatality and 6 injured )

Insect removal - harking back to my first job in aviation ...cleaning aircraft in Canberra, Australia in 1985.
Not easy in Papua in 2015 when the water evaporates out of the soapsuds before you get the chance to wipe


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END OF TOUR 4






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