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Tour 5 2015 Tour 6 2015 Tour 7 2016 Tour 8 2016
START OF TOUR 7
October - December 2015 ....79 days
Wet season Part 1 (Oct-Nov) : 🌞38°C / 🌒32°C.
Although days can start with clear skies and good visibility, heavy rain is
always nearby with huge thunderstorms and high winds appearing by 1100L.
Wet season break (Dec) : 🌞44°C / 🌒37°C, temps hitting 🌞50°C in high humidity.
Mostly rain starts in the afternoon and lasts until early the next day. Sunrise with low cloud
in the highlands clearing by 0900L but the dangerous build-up still starts by 1100L.
PC12 at Nabire 2016
gopro checking cargo pod
R's cancelled birthday
Pantai soa
Crack go the mangoes
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Start of Tour 7 ....souvenirs from Scotland
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| Airport WC ....signage required to prevent enterprising capitalists (totally unconnected with the airport) from trying to extort a service fee |
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| Mbugulo Church and Bell |
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| When pilots get bored .... |
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| A poor pic on a rainy day ....with the airport security patrol chasing kids off the runway |
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| Camcorder still - lifting off from Bilorai (elev 6960) on a dark and wet day |
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| "Cleared to Taxi" after dumping 1200 kg of rice on the apron |
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| Engineer Meli completing our documentation while 1200 kg of building supplies are loaded |
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| Typical highland airport scene - deteriorating asphalt and a pig |
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| Bell 212 PK-USS departing for the gold mine at Amano |
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| Passing Yajasi PC6 in the Freeway |
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| Situation normal |
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| Unloading boy with broken arm (see Post dated 16Feb16) |
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| Loading PAX in the highlands |
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| Touchdown on RWY27 at WAYB Bilorai |
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| Turning in the Freeway over Bilai |
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| Amano gold mine and airstrip on the Derewo River |
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| WAYB Bilorai ...same pig, different day |
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| New spot for the GoPro under the wing : passing over the Nabire VOR (unservicable) |
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| Rain ...rain ...rain |
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Me and my shadow ....
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| Me and my shadow .... |
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| Me and my shadow .... |
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| Working our way through the weather during the final approach to the airstrip |
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| Early morning GoPro snapshot - heading East into the Freeway |
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| Our Engineer Marsel at his best during scheduled maintenance |
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| Localized intense rain shower over Topo |
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| Our Ground Crew enjoying leftovers from the pilot's coffee and cakes See post |
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| Ground Cameraman Bilorai Airport Officer Ramli |
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| Ground Cameraman Bilorai Airport Officer Ramli |
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| Bilorai Compilation |
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| Bilorai Compilation |
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| Bilorai Compilation video |
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| Bilorai Compilation video |
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| GoPro and Camcorder stills from our Bilorai Compilation video |
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| Highland waterfall seen from a distance thru the side window - at least a 1000 ft drop |
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| Departing runway 07 at Ilaga |
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| Unloading digger parts at Ilaga. The entire digger will be flown in piecemeal over the next weeks. |
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| Unloading digger parts at Ilaga |
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| On the new apron at Ilaga WAYL |
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| Ilaga WAYL runway 25 |
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| GoPro still ...Ilaga WAYL elev 7500 ft - new asphalt and paint on runway 25 |
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| 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. |
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| Everybody happy to complete loading of two halves of a digger scoop (365 kg each) destined for Ilaga |
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| GoPro from under the cargo pod - approaching a cloudy Nabire at 2000 ft altitude (with a 1500 ft ridge between us and the runway) |
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New GoPro spot under the cargo pod - early left turn after take off
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AsianOneAir Nabire Engineers and Ground Crew during the Solar Eclipse of 09 March 2016
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09 March 2016 ...Solar Eclipse (83% of totality) as seen in Nabire, Papua, Indonesia at 1005 local time (0105 UTC)
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Loading a bulky ornamental fence on the apron at Nabire. The mound in the background hides a WW2 Japanese bunker.
 | Cruising along the North ridge of the Freeway at 10,500 ft altitude
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 | Taking advantage of a calm clear morning to fly at 10,500 ft along the North ridge of the Freeway
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 | Papua Highlands logistics
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 | Papua Highlands welcome
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 | Reflections on take off ...
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 | | Visit to the newly-opened Kelapa Beach in the Rawawudo District |
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 | Pantai Kelapa - novel use of a satellite dish
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 | Pantai Kelapa
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 | Rawawudo District denizen
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 | Pantai Kelapa - with Pulau Babi and Ahe on the horizon (the small islands where we snorkled to the WW2 aircraft wreck)
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Pantai Kelapa - hermit crab left high-and-dry at low tide
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Pantai Kelapa - sand bubbler crabs at work
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Pantai Kelapa - sand bubbler crab putting on a ferocious display
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Pantai Kelapa - a mini-jet of seawater driven by wave power squirting out of rocks 2 ft above sea level
 | Zero Tolerance for trespassers at the Nusi Beach
Kelapa ?
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| Clearing a runway - Indo Style |
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Climbers cum Tourists !! ...returning to Nabire after reaching the summit of the Puncak Jaya
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There were no security problems today ...see post Wed16Mar16
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A new requirement at Nabire is that 'official' airport staff marshal us to the stand
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GoPro WideAngle - AMA PC6 Pilatus Porter
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Fun with the GoPro WideAngle - MiL8 ST-MGB abandoned, impounded, neglected never-to-fly-again and taking up valuable apron space since 2013
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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
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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 OF COURSE NO WARNING FROM THE AIRSTRIP AUTHORITIES
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Happiness ...is being a chicken in a goat restaurant
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High lakes seen from 10,500 ft altitude along the North Ridge of the Freeway
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Flaps ...check Ignition ...check Man With Gun Running to Intercept Us ...cheMOTHERF%&()@r !!!! see post Mon21Mar16 and 3rd photo down from here
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Obliging ATC request for a tight right base
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Obliging ATC request for a tight right base
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Bad patch recently repaired with sub-standard asphalt which softens under the tropical sun ...note the tire tracks
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Taxying out for take off on a deteriorating runway
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We start the take off run left of centerline because .....
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Camcorder still - crowded apron in Nabire
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Still from GoPro WideAngle movie - boarding in Nabire
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Mea fuga incipit ...
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....wasn't even close !
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Papua highland agriculture
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Negotiation at Ilaga "Why did you say she had a broken leg ?" see post dated 25Mar16
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In the Ilaga Valley approaching the airstrip
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Cloudy day in the Freeway
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Pilot's on-board cake ration ...see post 27Mar16
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Nabire airport bug
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Calm seas and cloud reflections off Sulawesi
Heading home |
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Intriguing way to display a hotel room number
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I have not photoshopped the colours ....it is definitely time to go home !
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END OF TOUR 7 |
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