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Completed Project:  Papua New Guinea

Here are a few pictures of "Raw Grit: PNG Bushpilot." There are 23 airstrips in total with 1 bonus.


Zenag (ZEN), Morobe Province

Zen airstrip scene. There's a chicken coup at the rear.

The home of Zenag Chicken.


Spot the 206 on final 33? Rwy is 3200 ft msl with a 9 degree gradient. Ldg 33, T/O 15.

Overview.

PNG flag against the wall; kinda patriotic of the chickens, don't you think?


On approach to 33.


Upon landing, head straight for the "pilot lounge." PNG style 24hr beer store at Zenag.

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Keglsugl (KEG), Simbu Province


Airstrip surrounded by smoke-filled  hamlets at over 8,000 ft. One of the lower base camps for climbers of Mt Whilhelm. Mt Whilhelm is about 15,000 ft, the hightest mountain in PNG. 


Customized 650m usuable dirt rwy,  sloped 7 degrees.


Just land beyond these gables/markers and you should do just fine. Although, the rough ride uphill means holding the nose wheel off the ground as long as you can.

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Tol (TOL), East New Britain Province


Bringing in tourists? 850m grass rwy at background.


Hovering over the local village outhouse. Pretty sure tourists don't want to see who's in there.


Buzzing or scaring the dolphins?

And no, its nowhere near Saigon.


If you don't have large leafy vines growing up the side of the house, then you're not in paradise.

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Fane (FANE), Central Province


See video of real Fane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oB73Z767S8&feature=related

Landmark Fane residence. Rwy is 451m in lgt with 12 degree slope. Tailwind with gusts averaging 15knots.




Islander crash on left of rwy.

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Talasea (TLS), West New Britain Province


The weathered and defunct Airlink terminal. Company went belly-up on July 27, 2007. Guess what the bench is used for nowadays. See answer below.


Yep, that's right, to watch local Rugby league footy. The rwy is also delicensed by the PNG Civil Aviation Authority, so the apron is now a rugby field. BUT, you can still land there in FSX, although watch out for the locals.

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Wasu (WASU), Morobe Province


Terminal area.


DHC5 departing the dirt rwy.


Lotsa jungle on both sides of the strip.

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Sule (SULE), West New Britain Province


TNT - Aust, bringing in the mail to this lonely part of the country.


Ready to depart. Watch the sheep in the coconut grove on your way out, TNT!


208 gathering enough strenght to depart the 914m rwy. Ldg 10, T/O 28 over the water. Definitely no mountain approach into 28.

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Kerema, AYKM), Gulf Province


Delta Seafood warehouse and terminal.

Typical southcoast stilt homes.

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Jacquinot Bay (JCB), East New Britain Province


RH Logging is logging almost everywhere in PNG.


Logs beside the JCB airstrip.The island of New Guinea has the second largest remaining rainforest in the world after Brazil. I despise large scale deforestation by RH and others. I am not promoting them here, but only illustrating the company's association with the strip. OK, enough politics.


Lookout at the JCB village. Follow directional sign at the airstrip to the village. Or fly chopper there to the village-pad.

Harvested logs defining what the strip is all about - logging.



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Gasmata (GMA), West New Britain Province


Airlink, Gasmata. Tractor tyres ready to be shipped out by plane. Perhaps, wrong consignment.


The 820m rwy is dissected by an old road. The road is now cordoned off by fences both sides of the rwy. Rwy gets slippery when wet this part of the strip, so plan ahead.




Magrove village on an island due east of GMA strip.

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Finschaffen (FIN), Morobe Province

Dirt apron with 100LL Avgas station. Fuel up and fly due east to the island of New Britain; a 60nm trip. The Germans preoccupied these parts long before any other colonials in mid 1880s, hence the name, Finschaffen, Dregahaffen, etc.


Spot the tree hut by the terminal area? No, it's not ATC equiped, it does not send or recieve smoke or drum signals; just plain watch tower.


Tree hut 65ft up in its rainforest habitat.


Dirt apron and "karanas" (or gravel) rwy.



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Cape Gloucester (CPG), West New Britain Province


The mountain backdrop is a dormant volcano and is over 5000ft msl.

Nicely thatched homes at the strip.


Just so you bushpilots  know, the local policemen (blue 4x4 landcruiser) share the terminal with other strip users. So no monkey business here.

Airstrip Manager's residence near the strip.


Oh, and the only ride to the local village in Gloucester, has been sitting here for the last 20 years. So catch a ride with the local police to the village - no questions asked.

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Rabaul Int. Airport -Tokua (AYTK), East New Britain  

Real pix of terminal, tower and firestation. Air Niugini has regular weekly flights to Solomon Islands from Tokua.


FSX Perspective


Terminal at night.


FSX firestation and tower


AYTK at night.



Tavurvur volcano eruption.

Airlink ATR42-300 taking off.

AYTK wideview of rear.

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GONAILI (GON), West New Britain Province


Gonaili (GON). Bush strip at sea level with its own challenges. One way in and out with mtns within immediate vicinity of both ends.


Customized dirt rwy. T/O rwy 12, ldg 30. You have a sharp curvy left turn approach at below 600 ft to 30. Watch the coconut groves at both sides of the steep turn.  


Airlines PNG terminal. Seems lonely with the sign falling off.


Pomio beachside village scene.


Caution, low-level seagulls.

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Salamo (SAO), Fergusson Island, Milne Bay Province


Salamo airstrip. About a mile from the wharf.


Typical tropics.


SAO wharf with logging operation by RH Logging.


And yes, you can land your chopper on the bridge to pick up logging executives.

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Bialla (BIA), West New Britain


Sea-level airstrip. There's an outhouse at the back for you bushpilots; although you have the best view to the runway.


View from the rwy with moving traffic in background


Tractor trailer owned by Hargy Oil Palm Ltd. Hargy maintains the airstrip and the largest stockholding in oilpalm business in PNG.


Customized gravel strip.

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Bulolo (BUO), Morobe Province


Bulolo is a small Gold mining town with a fascinating colonial history dating back to the 1940s. Airport is situated at 2,240 MSL with the rwy extending 1,333m in lgt.


Animated PNG flag in the background.



On approach over a local farm.

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Other products at Conception and Development stages.


The map below depicts PNG's relative location to its immediate neighbors - Australia, Solomon Islands, and Indonesia.

Map courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica


Port Moresby International Airport

AYPY basic data: S9* 26.51',E147* 13.13',115 Rwy 32R/14L 2759 (9053), 32L/14R 2072 (6799) Elv 115


AYPY airport design layout in AFCAD. Copyright© Islandsim.com


AYPY bird's eye-view

Photo courtesy of http://www.jetphotos.net


AYPY Int. terminal

Photo courtesy of http://www.jetphotos.net