Tomo

Hey Paul, welcome along!!

Spent a few nights in Launceston during the week... I was pleased you have the same money currency down there... made it much easier to buy things... :P

All the best, and I hope you enjoy it here like many of us do.

My solution would be to place a guard plate under the switches but keep the 'down for off' orientation.

The Pietenpol I flew in the other day had a brilliant mag switch. (dual ig Ford Model A engine) Not sure if the switch would 'suit' a modern looking aircraft though...

Sad to hear.

As a person that prop starts from time to time, certainly a reminder to what can happen.

Ouch! Not cool at all... :thumb_down:

Unfortunately fuel is just rather ignitable, so no matter where it is on the aircraft, a burst tank or line near heat or spark etc... is gonna go up.

Hope those effected will recover from it all, particularly the pilot, and his family.

Souds good DD!

I had my own bit of fun down here early this morning... A guy I got to know while down here in Tassie took me for a flight in his aircraft he built completely from scratch. And that was a Pietenpol! Powered by a Ford Model A engine.

I'll try to attach a photo, but I'm on my phone so I'm not sure if it will work yet! Nah not working, if someone wants to who is on my facebook, they can attach the photos I got on there here if they like. A beautiful aircraft.

Legalizing it will be nice...

I guess I've operated above 5000ft quite regularly at times, as I've done gliding, and we often climb to 9500ft on a good day. To cross the ranges you have to go above 5000ft as well.

Being sure you use the correct compass heading/height configuration, and monitor Area freq. Having a transponder would certainly be a good plan as well.

Just my 2 cents

Without seeming to be to stupid what is FLY Market???? Sue

No not really, I believe it's where you buy and sell stuff?

Hey Birddog, great to see you here, thanks for taking the interest in my adventure also.

Yes a Machine will be real handy, and I'm working on getting one there somehow, liaising with the mining companies, and hopefully we might see some results in the near future. Getting it there is the problem, as most of the crossings wouldn't be able to handle the weight.

Even a Bobcat would be better than nothing, and that is certainly an option to get there with.

There are certainly many things that need help with, like costings for water tanks, a vehicle for the CIEDA organization so they don't have to keep paying huge amounts to hire them...etc etc..

But anyway, it will be good to get back over there again, August looks to be the time when I will be back - myself and few others.

Thanks everyone.

Thanks Poteroo, that's what I'll do.Apparently I have to get an Aviation Reference Number first, just some form so the CASA Stasi know who what and where you are.

Question: I did notice that the locals do not have "beasts of burden" in their village, ie: water bufflo etc, read or heard over the Christmas period that there is an organization /group that can help out isolated peoples in remote or devastated regions with these types of livestock ,that we/us pay for buy a donation, to me a great may to help........Great piccy's to.......Always Fly and Keep Safe You Wonderful Young Man............Cheers Alley

Seemed perfectly ' armless' to me. Alan.

G'day all, sorry about the long time in coming... but hopefully you'll get an idea of my trip by what I'll try and tell you. And some pictures.

I know this may not be really relevant here, but instead of writing up a whole new report I just copied and pasted the one I did for Churches and supporters around the area.

Our team consisted of 16 members - 4 leaders, 10 teens, and 2 children. After 10 days at Bootcamp* on the Sunshine Coast, at the “Lords Bootcamp” (Tewantin) we flew to Port Moresby from Brisbane International airport. There we met the missionary who we were going to be working with - Ken Kenamu from CIEDA. We stayed that night in a missionary home called “Mapang”. Travel to and from the airport to there was by hired bus, putting all our stuff in the back seats, and us piling into the rest of the bus. Mapang Missionary Home was quite a nice place, and we had a great night there, getting up at 3 am the next morning to catch our domestic flight to Tari in a Dash-8 aircraft. Arriving at Tari, four Landcruisers were awaiting to take us on the three hour trip up to Pori Mission Station. There were three tray back Cruisers and one Trooper (which was the police escort for us). The trip to Pori was an exhilarating experience and very fun! With a few flat tires and a couple of break downs, one being quite bad - the center bolt that holds the front differential from sliding on the leaf spring broke. It slipped on the U bolts and jammed the front wheel against the mudguard. Those of us from that ute then hopped into the police trooper, which was another experience in itself! With four policeman, shot guns and machine guns, I think we were pretty safe! The trip ended on a huge high, as we were welcomed by singing parties, a flower ribbon that we had to drive through, and were presented with flower Lei’s - which was pretty awesome!

We stayed at Pori Station Friday and Saturday nights (24th, 25th Dec). Saturday being Christmas day there was a great celebration, with local churches from around Pori who brought their garden produce (like fresh vegetables and other food), as thanksgiving offerings to us! There was a Christmas service, to which we did a drama and some singing. On Sunday we did a puppet show, and also more singing with one of the team members preaching.

 

Sunday afternoon we packed up and walked a couple of hours to the airstrip site, and Ken’s house at lake Tuku. They had built us two Kunai thatched round houses - one for us boys, the other being a more open one for the kitchen/dinning type room. The girls stayed in the little house that was there. The buildings were in an enclosure with guards 24/7, so we were pretty safe from theft and any other danger! On Monday, they (the locals) put on a huge ground breaking ceremony for the airstrip site with ‘wigman’ dancers - all dressed up in their painting and stunning feathered headress. It was an amazing thing to be a part of it all. Arriving at the airstrip site there were numerous announcements to be made, appointing all the local communities their spot on the strip to work on. Also with a message and some singing and drama from our team.

 

We had a most life changing experience working with the communities for the next 3 weeks, with highs and lows through the team - most of us getting altitude sickness of some sort the first few days, and getting used to working by hand. The hardest part for a lot of us was having to pace ourselves instead of trying to keep up with the locals! Because we just couldn’t without making us more sick!

 

I was pretty surprised at how much soil was moved in a days work when everyone works together. There was no machinery, and only about 5 wheel barrows between about 3-400 people. So canvas bags were used as sleds, and or soil clumps were just carried. It was a slow way, but the only way... and after the three weeks, I was extremely surprised how much was done. No where near completion, but certainly a good way towards it.

 

Ken found out I was a mechanic, so one Saturday four of us walked the couple hours back to Pori Station so I could take a look at an old generator there. It hadn’t been run since 1972....... so after we pulled all the stuff out that had accumulated in the shed it was in, I started working on it - with only a shifter and screw driver it was interesting, but fortunately some other guys tracked down a couple spanners that were pretty close to the right size! Anyway, about four hours later I managed to get the little single cylinder diesel to run, that was a pretty exciting time for all concerned! Only one of the locals there had ever seen it run, and he was only a little boy then. So, I spent a little while giving instruction on how to start and operate it. It is an old 110volt AC alternator, and there isn’t a great deal of use for them because they have 240volt lights throughout the station. So that will need to be rectified sometime. Wouldn’t take much to fit a 240v alternator on it. And in my opinion would be well worth it as the little motor showed it’s reliability. (was built in 1926!)

 

The highlight of the experience for me was working and getting to know the people, the love and care they showed us was more than we all expected!

 

One little instance stands out:

 

A couple of days after we started on the airstrip, I was starting to get altitude sickness and felt really un-well. So, I was just sitting down and resting with a couple of the other team members, when this old guy went and cut us some grass and brought it up to us to sit or lay down on. That really hit me hard, because we were the ones supposed to be helping and encouraging them, but they were the ones spending their time helping and caring for us! To me, seeing them all work while I was sick on the side watching, made me feel very small - but they still loved me for it and took the effort to make sure we were comfortable and protected. It actually

 

reminded me of how God loves us. We must do so little in his eyes, and we often have to sit on the side and take a break, but he still thinks we’re the best and loves and cares for us.

 

We were farewelled on the 14th of January, at the airstrip site with the PNG highlands pig killing and feast ceremony. A total of 16 pigs were killed and cooked in the earth oven ( mumu). We each were then presented with a string bag (Bilum) made by the Pori women. Also a Bilum cap and us guys received bird of paradise feathers to put on the cap.

 

With all the locals and our little team we saw about half the airstrip completed.

 

We departed early next morning (about 4am) to Tari in three Cruisers, the trip being very fun! It was dark for the first half or so due to the time we departed, and slightly raining, fortunately we had Troopers this time and were under cover! But the ute ride would still have been so much fun though, but the thought that the bags would have gotten very muddy and wet... not so fun, so, the Troopers were certainly an answer to prayer there.

 

In Tari we stayed the night at Halogali Mission Guest House, was a lovely place. Doing final cleaning preparations, and getting the mud out of every nook and cranny (boots especially) so customs wouldn’t have any issues. We departed by ute the next morning to the airport and after quite a wait, got everything checked through (the tickets being hand written). Our plane was about an hour and a half late, so once we got to Port Moresby we actually boarded our International flight back to Australia about an hour late (they call it PNG time!) but they waited for us. It was a rush from Domestic to International terminals! Running!

 

The flight back went without any issues, and we landed safely in Brisbane. Customs were really good, and we had no issues and everything came through. We then had the bus trip back to Tewantin, and the four days of de-brief. This was spent preparing presentations to show those back at home, and preparing for the mental ‘aftermath’ of a trip like this.

 

The trip was a brilliant experience and I’m looking forward to getting back over there again to help install a hydro unit to the house at Lake Tuku. The fast flowing mountain stream running through the property lends itself perfectly to this type of unit and a much better alternative for small applications compared to a generator.

 

Pori is about 5000ft above sea level, and consists of about 17,000 people - If I remember correctly. Transportation to and from Pori is extremely expensive and hard on the vehicles due to the road conditions. 40klm takes approx. 3 and a half hours. This airstrip once completed will be a huge life saver both medically and economically. The strip length once completed will be 700mts.

 

Our visit was a huge encouragement to the Christian community of Pori.

 

Thanks so much for your support and prayers.

 

*Training for evangelism, cultural preparedness, and team unity.

Port Moresby

Looking west - Port Moresby

Tair airport

My style of transport! :big_grin:

The rest of our crew - and the Police

Flatty.... took them about 3 minutes or less to change!

Crawling up the mountain!

Ooops!

Standing on the back of the Police Trooper

Pori Mission Station

About 5500ft AMSL

Some of the locals with another team mate

Christmas day service

The old Pori Airstrip - 450mtrs, no longer used but a friend of mine used to land on it.

Vertical farming - or close to it!

A better view of the old strip

Local lads

A local school, the kids sung us all a welcoming song in English - and their language.

You can see the new airstrip sight in the distance

Trekking

Lake Tuku - bottom end of the strip runs out onto the lake

Cleared of trees... now the earthworks start!

Where us guys slept

Some dressed up in their traditional dress to perform the 'wigman' dance for us.

Awesome views

People!!

Yep that's right! Shovel and pick...

Me standing on the end of the strip, overlooking Lake Tuku

Looking up the airstrip

Buildig a round house

Sweet potato plants, and Lake Tuku

Myself and some local school kids

I was a bit sick one day to got to work, so stayed back and made this...

Their big hand made ditches!

Me working on the old Generator

Big mound is gone! Early morning, with clouds around.

The round house we were building

Walking to the airstrip from where we were staying

Looking much better!

As you can see, there is still a lot to be done!

Being presented with cap and bilum bag

Ground oven - called a mumu (pronounced moo moo)

On our way home...

Our late plane...

On descent into Brisy

The team in our PNG shirts!

So, there you go, some of my 1200 photos... Hope you enjoyed them

Any questions, please feel free to ask.

Regards,

Tom

Ouch, nicely made up though... but I think that's all it is...

Good lesson all the same!

G'day Chris,

I think Motz has covered the answer there...

But for me I did both, in that I did my RAA one when I got my RAA ticket (I knew I wanted GA eventually but still did it) as I knew I wouldn't be doing GA straight away, so the fact I had to do another was a good thing in my opinion as it made me 'keep current' as such. There was probably a year and a bit time span between the two.

I guess it's up to you whether you want to do it again, if you think you know your BAK stuff and don't find it that hard (I find BAK easier for me than the other subjects like Met etc...) so doing it again wasn't a biggy. But if you don't like it, and you're sure you will be going GA. I'd suggest doing the GA BAK if your school has that option.

I know there isn't any clear answers there, sorry. But it's a fact that RAA accept the GA BAK, but not 'usually' the other way around.

How is the flying coming on? Enjoying it?

Nice work.

G'day Mike!

Sounds like you got a nice set up around the place - will have to keep you in mind when I head West later on in the year...

Assuming I'm not somewhere else doing something!

Not nice news at all.

Sorry Win, tagging in late here!

But great to hear you had a great day and a couple of flights! Awesome work Mate!

I hope you have many more to come! :thumb_up:

It's good you can count money Tubz - I would welcome it!

Nah, I'm in a pretty good position really, can't complain.

You'll enjoy the Cooper Darky, I had the privilege to drive one a couple years ago (don't tell anyone!), they are good fun Plane would be first priority I thought though!

Not sure about myself really... I love driving too! Do about 5000klm a month for work.... If I'm not flying/training or working I love to water ski! But usually am the boat driver, as I'm better at that than skiing I also love music, and play in a couple bands at times.

This year seems to be filling up at a crazy rate... already I'm off to Tassie in 2 weeks - then the Kimberleys around easter... PNG in August!

Got to fit in my flying somewhere too

Just remember the Idea of the radio transmissions is to help with situational awareness! So long as the other person knows where you are, and what you're doing. Well you can't go wrong - just don't over do it! Short/simple, clear/concise is the best advice... ;)

Keep up the good work.

Just become a mechanic in either aviation or industrial....

Some just give us more work than others, but If it's man made, it's bound to fail one way or another. Including Rolls Royce (yep, valve head fell off)

Well done, love doing this sort of thing! Great song also...!

Should be able to get discounts on your coffee at the airport, never tried it as I don't like coffee.... but I've heard of people doing it. Not sure who and how... but yeah!

The neighbour down the road about a klm http://www.flickr.com/photos/50527022@N02/sets/72157625601711785/