Indonesia Tour 1 2014

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I first went to Indonesia to meet prospective employers in December 2013 but

it took until March 2014 before the pre-arrival paperwork was completed.

The majority of pilots based in Papua worked on rotation,

in my case agreed to be 60 days ON - 30 days OFF.

Although 60-30 was never achieved, we got close around my

5th Tour of Duty.

START OF TOUR 1

March - June 2014 ....124 days

The dry season : 🌞34°C / 🌒29°C with good visibility and light winds in Papua.
The days start with few clouds while the thunderstorm and wind build-up starts around 1300L

Impressions of Jakarta

GoogleMaps

Company hotel - the Avissa Suites in Kuningan Area

Avissa Suites - this place was made for the Flying Fish !

Avissa Suites - rooftop cafe
See Lesson of the Day

Jakarta skyline

Jakarta Skyline

Jakarta - Jalan Karet Pedurenan

View from the Avissa rooftop cafe

Jakarta sunset - tower flats and mosque

Jakarta skyline

Rushhour.....even the crossing guards stand back

Note the whistle-blowing guard valiantly trying to stem the river of death (flowing at 30 MPH)

Quality of pavements varies...but they often end abruptly into an open sewer

Pavement surfaces vary from even and smooth to.....

Monument Nasional ( Monas )

Mini-bikes for hire at the Monas

The only safe way to cross a main road in Jakarta...

Jalan Prof. Dr Satrio with expressway above....public holiday today so little traffic.
Note the slippers in foreground belonging to Council employee working down the manhole in the grass

Day trip to the mountains in Puncak, Java

Puncak - Sate Kambing (goat satay) is served at 4400 ft 1300 m above sea level

Puncak - Cianjur village with part of 30 km traffic jam, prior to one-way system starting GoogleMaps

Puncak - tea plantation in the mist 4800 ft 1500 m elevation

Puncak - tea plantation in the mist

Puncak denizen

Puncak Cianjur village...yams and satellites

Puncak

With Silvi and Paulina, owners of Asian One Air

Melrimba Gardens on the Puncak - tropical highland flora GoogleMaps

Confused flower - Puncak

Rude flower - Puncak

Puncak - highland tropical flora

Melrimba Gardens on the Puncak tropical highland south of Jakarta

Celebrations for our new office in the CityLoft Sudirman

View from our new office 21 floors up

View from Asian One Air's new office

Monster Cumulonimbus 50 NM 90 km away

Courses with Gemilang Training at Jakarta's second airport Halim Perdanakusuma

Halim Airport

Halim Airport terminal and restaurants

Lunchtime at Gemilang Aviation Professional Training

Gemilang - student and instructors

A final picture in the Asian One Air office with our owners Silvi and Paulina before Chief Pilot Mark and I go to Nabire in Papua

Jakarta to Nabire (1800 NM / 3300 km) with a 6 hour stop in Ambon - 36 hours without sleep GoogleMaps

The size of Indonesia is staggering
West to East 2900 NM 5300 km

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

Hotel room in Nabire with complimentary anthill

First training flight to Sinak - cargo IN passengers OUT GoogleMaps

Sinak - a sobering introduction to Papua operations.
Rough, boulder strewn 650 m airstrip, of which only 450 m is safely useable.
With a 10% slope you land uphill on RWY 26 and take off downhill from RWY 08
...whatever the wind.
Elevation 6840 - 7340 ft 2085 - 2240 m ...depending on who you ask and where you measure it. Officially it is 6840 ft but the GPS says 7310 ft.
Morning temperature 22°C so Density Altitude 9600 ft 2930 m
Occasionally the locals shoot at you.

Our 'Ticketing Agents' organising the 'BackLoad' passengers.
At trouble spot airstrips where there is a military presence the troops run a side business as handling agents

The only way to travel .....in Papua
( 18 months later this became illegal - much to the relief of most pilots )

The island of Biak where our aircraft was weighed and a new Weight&Balance sheet was issued. A few nights in the West Irian Hotel was a nice way to end the first week's work
Google Maps

Biak flora

Biak

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

Biak battlefield relics from 1944 in the jungle above the airport
(see post entry Sun20Apr14 for historical detail)

Biak battlefield munitions.
Unclear whether they were disarmed

Biak battlefield - Japanese helmet

Biak battlefield - Japanese mess tin

Biak battlefield

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

Biak's Binsari cave - where 3000 Japanese made their last stand

Biak - entering the Binsari cave system

Biak - main cave where the final bomb struck

Biak - bomb crater in the main cave

Biak - bomb crater seen from above

Biak 1944 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)

Engineer Marsel preparing the paperwork for our next flight

After our first flight of the day, breakfast break at 8 AM as the aircraft is loaded for another run to Sinak (hiding in the shadow in 29 degrees heat)

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

Birthdays are a big event within our small team in Nabire - Engineer Marcellinus' birthday soaking

Nabire office - Company Parrot

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

"Shy Princess" Mimosa Pudica

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

Delayed departure this morning for removal of overnight's birds nests from inside both wings.
The culprits, a pair of scrawny sparrows, sat on the aircraft berating the engineers
...and even tried to sneak into the wing to start rebuilding.
From then on the openings were blocked, initially with plastic bags and later with purpose made plugs.

Our Crew hotel in Nabire - The Mahavira 2

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 near Nabire

Nabire beach - body temperature 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

Meeting DimonimAir's Caravan PK-HVA

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

6:30 AM - Rushhour at Bilogai airstrip, one our main destinations.
Generally accepted elevation 6960 ft 2120 m.

Unloading at Bilogai / Sugapa airstrip

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

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

Nusi beach - an hour's drive North of Nabire GoogleMaps

Nusi beach

Nusi beach - mangroves and the jungle
( in 2013 this was still a remote, sparsely populated area ....not so anymore )

Pantai Nusi

Nusi beach - coral reef 50 m from the shore

Nusi beach coral reef
( waterproof camera now on the wishlist )

Pantai Nusi
Indonesian custom requires swimming fully clothed.

Nusi beach - sea cucumber

Nusi flora

Pantai Nusi

Some coconuts to take home from the beach....

Nabire - 69th Merdeka (Independence) Decorations

Nabire - 69th Merdeka Decorations

Nabire - 69th Merdeka Decorations when even the squares on the Control Tower get freshly painted in the national colours

Nabire WABI - airport fuel depot

Enroute to Timika - the Enaro Gap with cloud covered Paniai Lakes Google Maps.
The aircraft is scheduled for maintenance giving us a few days to explore the Mimika area