Click the photo for slideshow (without captions)
 |
| End of Tour 7 (I have not photoshopped the colours ....it is definitely time to go home !) |
 |
| Intriguing way to display a hotel room number |
 |
| Calm seas and cloud reflections off Sulawesi |
 |
| Zero Tolerance for trespassers at the Nusi Beach |
 |
| Nabire airport bug |
 |
| Pilot's on-board cake ration ...see post 27Mar16 |
 |
| Cloudy day in the Freeway |
 |
| In the Ilaga Valley approaching the airstrip |
 |
| Negotiation at Ilaga "Why did you say she had a broken leg ?" see post dated 25Mar16 |
 |
| Papua highland agriculture |
 |
| ....wasn't even close ! |
 |
| Mea fuga incipit ... |
 |
| Still from GoPro WideAngle movie - boarding in Nabire |
 |
| Camcorder still - crowded apron in Nabire |
 |
| We start the take off run left of centerline because ..... |
 |
| Taxying out for take off on a deteriorating runway |
 |
| Bad patch recently repaired with sub-standard asphalt which softens under the tropical sun ...note the tire tracks |
 |
| Obliging ATC request for a tight right base |
 |
| Obliging ATC request for a tight right base |
 |
| Flaps ...check Ignition ...check Man With Gun Running to Intercept Us ...cheMOTHERF%&()@r !!!! see post Mon21Mar16 and 3rd photo down from here |
 |
| High lakes seen from 10,500 ft altitude along the North Ridge of the Freeway |
 |
| Happiness ...is being a chicken in a goat restaurant |
 |
| High tension in Sugapa due to recent Bopati (local Governor) elections - so they put rocks on the runway ...I hit the one on the centreline during landing |
 |
| One of two rocks deliberately placed on the runway at Sugapa - I hit this one with my nosewheel at 40 knots during the landing roll ...luckily no damage |
 |
| Fun with the GoPro WideAngle - MiL8 ST-MGB abandoned, impounded, neglected never-to-fly-again and taking up valuable apron space since 2013 |
 |
| GoPro WideAngle - AMA PC6 Pilatus Porter |
 |
| A new requirement at Nabire is that 'official' airport staff marshall us to the stand |
 |
| There were no security problems today ...see post Wed16Mar16 |
 |
| Climbers cum Tourists !! ...returning to Nabire after reaching the summit of the Puncak Jaya |
 |
| Clearing a runway - Indo Style |
 |
| Visit to the newly-opened Kelapa Beach in the Rawawudo District |
 |
| Pantai Kelapa - novel use of a satellite dish |
 |
| Pantai Kelapa |
 |
| Rawawudo District denizen |
 |
| Pantai Kelapa - with Pulau Babi and Ahe on the horizon (the small islands where we snorkled to the WW2 aircraft wreck) |
 |
| Pantai Kelapa - hermit crab left high-and-dry at low tide |
 |
| Pantai Kelapa - sand bubbler crabs at work |
 |
| Pantai Kelapa - sand bubbler crab putting on a ferocious display |
 |
| Pantai Kelapa - a mini-jet of seawater driven by wave power squirting out of rocks 2 ft above sea level |
 |
| Reflections on take off ... |
 |
| Papua Highlands welcome |
 |
| Papua Highlands logistics |
 |
| Taking advantage of a calm clear morning to fly at 10,500 ft along the North ridge of the Freeway |
 |
| Cruising along the North ridge of the Freeway at 10,500 ft altitude |
 |
| Loading a bulky ornamental fence on the apron at Nabire. The mound in the background hides a WW2 Japanese bunker. |
 |
| 09 March 2016 ...Solar Eclipse (83% of totality) as seen in Nabire, Papua, Indonesia at 1005 local time (0105 UTC) |
 |
| AsianOneAir Nabire Engineers and Ground Crew during the Solar Eclipse of 09 March 2016 |
 |
| New GoPro spot under the cargo pod - early left turn after take off |
 |
| GoPro from under the cargo pod - approaching a cloudy Nabire at 2000 ft altitude (with a 1500 ft ridge between us and the runway) |
 |
| Everybody happy to complete loading of two halves of a digger scoop (365 kg each) destined for Ilaga |
 |
| Enroute to Ilaga at 11,500 ft via the high plateau passing the 'High' or 'West' Lake (elev approx 10,800 ft). The saddle ahead marks the entrance to the Ilaga valley. This route is only usable in clear calm weather. |
 |
| GoPro still ...Ilaga WAYL elev 7500 ft - new asphalt and paint on runway 25 |
 |
| Ilaga WAYL runway 25 |
 |
| On the new apron at Ilaga WAYL |
 |
| Unloading digger parts at Ilaga |
 |
| Unloading digger parts at Ilaga. The entire digger will be flown in piecemeal over the next weeks. |
 |
| Departing runway 07 at Ilaga |
 |
| Highland waterfall seen from a distance thru the side window - at least a 1000 ft drop |
 |
| GoPro and Camcorder stills from our Bilorai Compilation video |
 |
| Bilorai Compilation video |
 |
| Bilorai Compilation video |
 |
| Bilorai Compilation |
 |
| Bilorai Compilation |
 |
| Ground Cameraman Bilorai Airport Officer Ramli |
 |
| Ground Cameraman Bilorai Airport Officer Ramli |
 |
| Our Ground Crew enjoying leftovers from the pilot's coffee and cakes |
 |
| Localized intense rain shower over Topo |
 |
| Our Engineer Marsel at his best during scheduled maintenance |
 |
| Early morning GoPro snapshot - heading East into the Freeway |
 |
| Working our way through the weather during the final approach to the airstrip |
 |
| Me and my shadow .... |
 |
| Me and my shadow .... |
 |
| Me and my shadow .... |
 |
| Rain ...rain ...rain |
 |
| New spot for the GoPro under the wing : passing over the Nabire VOR (unservicable) |
 |
| WAYB Bilorai ...same pig, different day |
 |
| Amano gold mine and airstrip on the Derewo River |
 |
| Turning in the Freeway over Bilai |
 |
| Touchdown on RWY27 at WAYB Bilorai |
 |
| Loading PAX in the highlands |
 |
| Unloading boy with broken arm (see Post dated 16Feb16) |
 |
| Situation normal |
 |
| Passing Yajasi PC6 in the Freeway |
 |
| Bell 212 PK-USS departing for the gold mine at Amano |
 |
| Typical highland airport scene - deteriorating asphalt and a pig |
 |
| Engineer Meli completing our documentation while 1200 kg of building supplies are loaded |
 |
| "Cleared to Taxi" after dumping 1200 kg of rice on the apron |
 |
| Camcorder still - lifting off from Bilorai (elev 6960) on a dark and wet day |
 |
| A poor pic on a rainy day ....with the airport security patrol chasing kids off the runway |
 |
| When pilots get bored .... |
 |
| Mbugulo Church and Bell |
 |
| Airport WC ....signage required to prevent enterprising little capitalists (totally unconnected with the airport) from trying to extort a service fee |
 |
| Start of Tour 7 ....souvenirs from Scotland |
 |
| End of Tour 6 ....Christmas photos on Pulau Ahe at the beginning of December |
 |
| Ilaga WAYL - reduced apron space means they park aircraft on the [600 m] runway |
 |
| Whale Shark feeding |
 |
| Once the Whale Shark is clear the Tuna come streaking in |
 |
| In the water of Cenderawasih Bay with 4 Whale Sharks and Tuna feeding on a baitball (No.4 is there but hidden behind the 6 m one in the centre) |
 |
| ...coming back for seconds |
 |
| Not an enlargement ...this 6 meter beauty whose tail is bigger than I am glided in for a closer look ...as some baitfish escaped from its mouth |
 |
| Lionfish on Pulau Ahe Reef |
 |
| Recovering my beloved GoPro from Pulau Ahe reef |
 |
| See post 19Oct15 |
 |
| Smoke haze from forest fires and charcoal burning |
 |
| Smoke haze in the Freeway |
 |
| Nabire - sunset rainstorm |
 |
| Loading building materials for highland prison |
 |
| Loading building materials for highland prison |
 |
| 1200 kg of steel frame neatly fitted together and well strapped to prevent shift in flight |
 |
| Onwards logistics - Papua style |
 |
| Pulau Ahe - WW2 wreck ... part of fuselage in 10m water just off the reef |
 |
| Pulau Ahe coral reef - part of WW2 aircraft wreck |
 |
| Pulau Ahe - part of WW2 aircraft wreck in shallow water |
 |
| Pulau Ahe - WW2 wreck ... left wing in shallow water |
 |
| Pulau Ahe - WW2 wreck ... right wing in 10m water just off the reef |
 |
| Pulau Ahe coral reef - still from GoPro |
 |
| Pulau Ahe coral reef - lionfish |
 |
| Typical highland early morning weather - blue skies and then a cloud moves in and closes the airstrip within minutes |
 |
| Curious whale shark in Cenderawasih Bay |
 |
| This 4.5 meter teenager and his entourage stayed after feeding and played with us for 20 minutes |
 |
| After the whale sharks a visit to Pulau Nuburi, last visited in January. Tragically 60% of the reef has been totally destroyed by a dragged net. Most of the fish are gone and the remaining corals are dying off |
 |
| Silk full-face masks are all the rage around here to keep the dust out - this soldier in Ilaga sports one of the more creepy ones |
 |
| This will never get old (1200 kg of cement). That day we also carried 1000 badminton shuttlecocks ....proudly manufactured and branded locally by IndoCock |
For photos from previous Indonesia Tours
