Flying Fish World - welcome to our story: Indo Tour 1

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PHOTOS BY TOUR : Tour 8 Tour 7-5 Tour 4 Tour 3 Tour 2-1

2014 Dubai-Glasgow via Iran and Russia to avoid Ukraine during the initial invasion of the Crimea ...mountains north-east of Tehran

2014 Dubai-Glasgow via Iran and Russia to avoid Ukraine...mountains north-east of Tehran

Koteka - now I know I am in Papua

Rhino Beetle assisting with loadsheet

Trip to Nusi beach - roadside snackbar offering fruit bat and lemur

Nusi beach - an hour's drive North of Nabire

Nusi beach

Nusi beach - mangroves and the jungle

Nusi beach - coral reef 50 m from the shore

Nusi beach - coral reef 50 m from the shore... waterproof camera now on the wishlist

Nusi Beach

Nusi beach - sea cucumber

Nusi beach flora

Nusi beach

Young love is a beautiful thing but we had serious words with the airport security guards on duty last night

Papua highlands - raging river, jungle and landslides

Gold mining on the Siriwo River

Bilogai WABV - Ramli, who keeps us safe at this challenging 600 m long (6960 ft elevation) airstrip

Nabire - 69th Merdeka (Independence) Decorations

Nabire - 69th Merdeka Decorations

Nabire WABI - airport fuel depot

Dragonfly

Onwards logistics - Papua style

Engineer Jefri vrs GloStix

Engineer Marsel vrs GloStix

Nabire WABI - apron light losing its battle with the jungle

Loading 46 pigs, 100 chickens, 20 ducks and 12 rabbits

Spreading coffee granules to reduce the amonia and smell

Loading 46 pigs, 100 chickens, 20 ducks and 12 rabbits

Livestock in flight - 46 pigs, 100 chickens, 20 ducks and 12 rabbits - the noise and smell was unbelievable

Sugapa - native dancers welcoming a visiting dignitary at the airstrip

Sugapa native dancers lining up to lead the VIP procession into town

Sugapa native dancers welcome a VIP to Bilogai airstrip ( YouTube 18+ )

Gifts from Scotland for Clan MacNabire - the Asian One Air ground crew with bagpipes and Jimmy hats

Nabire - Engineer Marsel striking a Highland Pose as he marshalls us on to the stand

Nabire ground crew

Gifts from Scotland - our Engineers Marsel, Jefri and Meli

Sling load under Ukraine crewed, Moldova registered Mil8

The Beast of Bilogai

Dubai Mall - The Aquarium

Dubai Mall - The Waterfall

Enroute to Timika WABP - the Enaro Gap with cloud covered Paniai Lakes (water elevation 5800 ft)

Starting descent into the lowlands...passing Gunung Deiyai mountain (elev 11,000 ft)

Enroute to Timika WABP - lowland jungle

Crowded Timika WABP maintenance base

Mimika district flora

Mimika district resident

Mimika district flora

Mimika district flora - Pandan Tree

Mimika Flora

Timika Hotel 66

Timika - town loco who followed us around for two hours

Mimika flora

Mimika flora with residents

Mimika Flora

Nabire WABI - abandoned aircraft being reclaimed by the jungle

Westbound in a cloudy Freeway at 10,500 ft - Lake Paniai (elev 5800 ft) and Gunung Deiyei (11,000 ft) in the distance

Our Avionics Engineer Jefri's birthday - post-soaking/spraying

Birthday-boy Jefri contemplating life as a helicopter flies into his ear

Jefri (soaked, sprayed and flour-ed) beckoning me closer before unleashing shaving foam

Cruising the Freeway enroute to Mulia at 9,500 ft

Descending into Mulia - giving the Gunning Mondu mountain a wide berth to avoid getting shot at from the Independence movement stronghold

Poor pic...but it gives an idea of scale : MAF Quest Kodiak manoeuvring below

Unloading 1200 kg of frozen chickens in Mulia

Cloudy day in the Freeway

Our Laundry Service shack.....

Our favourite Laundress.....

Nabire's Supermarket and Department Store....the Lucky

Rushhour at the fuel pumps....

Nabire - van for hire

Refuelling in the rain

Papua - the jungle wall

This time it is my turn....

The traditional Birthday Soaking

Any excuse to head off to the beach after work....

Nabire Beach - see Lesson of the Day

Nabire Beach

Returning to Nabire

Car wash - Papua style

WABV Bilogai - stuck in the soft ground beside the airstip after blowing a tyre during the landing. Happily no injuries nor damage.

Papua airstips are rough on tyres but this was aggrevated by a bad inner tube (sold, packaged, certified, fully documented and fitted as NEW but was in reality well worn and patched)

Unloading the cargo

Although we blocked the airstrip for most of the day, our friends from AMA were able to bring in spares, tools and engineers using their STOL PC6 Porter

AMA to the rescue

WABV Bilogai - replacing the wheel, tube and tyre following a blow out during landing. After inspection, the wheel was returned to service.

WABI Nabire - the fire engine was chasing people and dogs off the runway ....30 seconds before we land

WABV Bilogai Airstrip 6960 ft above sea level

Papua Highlands - Spiders

Papua highlands - 4 m wide spider's web

Papua highlands

Papua Highlands with the afternoon cloud buildup

Nabire - shop on left where I buy my mobile phone vouchers

Nabire - one of many Christian churches

Nabire - my favourite Kambing (goat) restaurant . . . with tomorrow's dinner keeping fresh

Nabire - main Mosque . . . still under construction

Nabire's tribute to the Vostok rocket - harking back to the days when the regime was close to the USSR

Nabire - our favourite seafood restaurant beside polluted river

Nabire - shops and health warning billboard

Nabire - when you just can't get enough palm trees . . . put in a fake one !

Nabire - the bank

Nabire - the CFC Crispy Fried Chicken

Nabire Airport - Old and New Control Towers

The airstrip in the Sinak Valley - very short and and very rough. A new runway is being built (left to right) but will take years. There is frequent independence militant and bandit activity in the valley and the hill on the right is a stronghold. During times of high tension aircraft passing close to the hill while landing/taking off are shot at.

A curved approach and a steep descent avoiding the hill controlled by militants who will shoot at you eventhough you are bringing in food, supplies and medicine for their families. The steep descent needs to be turned into a climb to touch down with a rate-of-climb on the 10% slope of the airstrip of which only 450 m is actually useable

Scenic Sinak - not a nice neighbourhood so a walk down the runway requires an escort

Scenic Sinak - with boulder on the runway

Poor pic - but gives an idea of the cloud buildup at midday in the Freeway

Hotel staff at their best changing a lightbulb

...if not one way, then another

Outside the perimeter of Sinak airstrip ...not the safest neighbourhood, so an escort is mandatory

Sinak airstrip perimeter...flag that establishes a political presence and also works as a windsock

Nabire - Engineer Marcellinus' birthday soaking

Nabire office - Company Parrot

"Shy Princess" Mimosa Pudica - the leaves close up instantly when touched

Heaven - pasta and sauce without sugar and spices. Indonesian food is delicious but a change is welcome.

Delayed departure : overnight's bird nest inside the wing

The Mahavira 2 crew hotel, Nabire

Sinak - tonight's dinner keeping fresh

Chief Pilot Mark's birthday - our local ground crew thought the self-relighting candles were hilarious

Mark's birthday surprise - trip to the beach

Nabire beach - bloodwarm water

Engineer Marsel

Pantai Nabire - Asian One Air Engineers and Ground Crew

Pantai Nabire - selfie with our Engineer Marcellinus

Nabire beach - recently dead turtle's head

Nabire Beach

Pantai Nabire

Map of local area and recent destinations

In formation with DimonimAir's Caravan PK-HVA

When pilots get bored returning from Bilogai with a light load (yes...I did make vroom-vroom noises)

Map of Indonesia

6:30 AM - Rushhour at WABV Bilogai airstrip (elevation 6950 ft)

Unloading at WABV Bilogai / Sugapa airstrip

WABS Sinak airstrip - my new BFFs who are trying to look fierce but can't stop laughing (food parcel by wheel)

Breakfast break at 8 AM as the aircraft is loaded in Nabire for another run to Sinak (hiding in the shadow in 29 degrees heat)

Engineer Marsel preparing the paperwork for our next flight

Our 'Ticketing Agents' organising the 'BackLoad' PAX

The only way to travel .....in Papua (a year later this became illegal)

First training flight to Sinak WABS - cargo IN passengers OUT

Sinak - everything becomes very real. Rough runway 650 m, elevation 6700-6980 ft with an average 10% slope, temperature 22 degrees...with obstacles

Overnight stay in Biak while the aircraft is weighed

Biak - West Irian Hotel

Biak flora

Biak

Biak - the Indonesian hotel room : aircon, Mecca arrow, Low Energy Light....and lizards (not visible)

Biak battlefield relics in the jungle above the airport (see post entry Sun20Apr14 for historical detail)

Biak battlefield munitions

Biak battlefield - Japanese helmet

Biak battlefield - Japanese mess tin

Biak battlefield - fallen Japanese soldier

Japanese monument and cremation area where every few years veterans return to take care of newly discovered remains

Biak caves - where 3000 Japanese made their last stand

Biak - entering the cave system

Biak - main cave where the final bomb struck

Biak - bomb crater in the main cave system

Biak - bomb crater seen from above

Biak battlefield - Japanese artillery overlooking the invasion beach where the airport is today

Biak airport - Space Shuttle alternate landing zone with Japen island in the background (Papua lies beyond)

Jakarta to Nabire via 6 hour stop in Ambon - 36 hours wthout sleep

Arrival in Nabire - you want your bag...get it yourself

Hotel room in Nabire with complimentary anthill

Jakarta Office

View from the office - monster CB at least 50 NM distant

Asian One Air with our owners Silvi and Paulina

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Indo Tour 1 - 2

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PHOTOS BY TOUR : Tour 8 Tour 7-5 Tour 4 Tour 3 Tour 2-1