TONIGHT - FLYING IN PNG DOCO... ABC's Foreign Correspondant Tuesday 19th of AUGUST 08

[Phildo]

For those interested the ABC is showing a documentary on 'Foreign Correspondent' at 09:30 pm Tuesday AEST 19/08/08 on free to air channel ABC1.

 

Looks good and a rare viewing on aussie TV. :thumb_up:

 

Take a look at their website....

 

http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2008/s2335266.htm

 

Just for info...

 

Phil

 

Fly safe.

 

 

[Guest Cloudsuck]

Careful Phil, you will have flash backs...

 

 

[Phildo]

Ha! ...

 

Nah,

 

I havent flown there for years (passenger only). I loved the remoteness though.

 

Phil (where is that a mountain range again?)

 

The doco should be an entertaining media beat up of the authorities I'm sure... Maybe needed eh?? (Current PNG pilots jump in here!!)

 

Phil

 

Fly safe.

 

 

[Phildo]

Well,

 

After seeing it ... it was ok.

 

I guess the moral of the story was if you crash in PNG, your loved ones will never know what caused the accident as there is no investigation.

 

Phil.

 

 

[Guest Cloudsuck]

I think even without a huge investigation, the most accidents up there are caused by controlled flight into terrain.

 

 

[Phildo]

I would have to agree.

 

I was in Rabual and a local mining pilot told me power performance underestimation was a big killer for new pilots, being hot and high.

 

The new pilot loads up like he did in the mainland and contacts the mountain usually at full power setting.

 

Sad but true.

 

Phil

 

 

[poteroo]

When you open up to 'full power' and see about 21-22 inches MP on the clock, even 300HP upfront isn't going to give you whiplash ! . That's why you need substantial, (5-10%), downhill slope to get airborne.

 

And, by the time you have opened up to full power - and checked you have it - you've already passed your accelerate-stop distance - and you're going off the end - engine runnning or not !

 

Agree with XXX regards the overloading and climb rates. Mostly, you can't meet the 6% SE climb gradient limit which used to be drawn onto the former DCA take-off charts. Which meant lots of manoeuvring in valleys, using the upslope lift, to get up to the gaps into the next valley.

 

Most of all - it's the cloud which is so intimidating. It's everywhere - layer after layer, Cb after Cb - and it's real rain ! Many places average over 150 inches per year - some well over 200 ins. Most companies used to need leading edge repaints annually.

 

Want to take your RAA aircraft up there for a jolly around? Forget it!

 

As for Foreign Correspondent on Monday night - well, PNG has changed for the worse since the taim bipoa. Greed, self-interest, corruption, and a complete absence of ethics or morality come to mind about current day PNG.

 

What hasn't changed is that, regardless of how sophisticated the aircraft, or whether you have 2 crew - negotiating the weather is just as risky as it ever was.

 

 

[Phildo]

AND .... on top of all that ... People want to kill you for $20 at the ATM.

 

Stuff that for a living. Get a different day job and fly for fun I say.

 

Still, It's interesting to hear from current PNG pilots but ... Alais, I doubt will get em to say much (dont bite the hand that feeds .....)

 

Phil