December 2007
G’day All,
Linden Millist here. How are you going?
Will fill you in on a bit of news from what I have been to lately. As always, please pass on to whoever you think maybe interested in hearing news from Adventist Aviation Service (AAS), Papua New Guinea (PNG), or me.
Two weeks before I took some leave, Dan Rubock was contracted from the PAC aircraft factory to shoot a promo DVD and some cool still pictures of PAC 750 XLs operating in the real world, for their promotions stand at the Dubai Air Show in November.
He had been over in Africa shooting a machine at work over there, with elephants and stuff, then he came to PNG to shoot some film of our machine operating. Was heaps of fun with him around! Full of life and loved his visit to PNG. Reckons he will be back, was a hit with the locals and made plenty of friends. We had good weather and got some awesome footage shots, with our plane carrying over a ton of freight operating in and out of some higher highlands 5000ft elevation, 10-14% steep, rough, 400m short "airstrips" that we service in the local area around Goroka here. We also did some air-to-air shots with the 206 as the filming platform with all doors off etc. There are shots of Mud-man in tradition gear in there as well. Very PNG. Can check-out his website www.flickr.com/photos/danrubock for the still pix or if you want a copy of the DVD we maybe able to sort something there.
Just a week before I left for my leave late in October, late on a Friday arvo, we had an incident on landing with one of the six-seat Cessna 206s, at a boggy airstrip about a half-hour away from base here. On landing, the nose wheel and left wheel bogged in and pulled the plane sharply to the left. The prop hit the ground and as the plane turned sharply to the left the right wing contacted the ground. No one was injured (had 4 passengers), but wrecked a perfectly good plane in the process. This has been our first incident since I have been up here. So was looking a bit shaky as to whether I was going to get away for my break!
Anyway I prepared the aircraft for the recovery (prop, wings, and all unnecessary equipment removed to make it as light as possible) which was supposed to happen before I left but didn't work out that way in the end. Still, both the owner and Dad, said that they would sort it and not for it to keep me from going. So that was nice, but I did feel bad leaving them to have to deal with it all while I was having a holiday! A week after I arrived in Western Australia, AAS got a helicopter to fly the main body of the plane out; the wings came later in a bigger plane.
It has been 3 years so far I have been in PNG, plus another 6 months to go (I hope). Was only supposed to be 2 years! Our new engineer Brooks Payne and his wife Susan, who will be taking my current Chief Engineer position have just arrived this week from the US. Good to have them here now. So I have 6 months to hand things over to Brooks.
One of our flight crew team members and his wife, have just decided this week to leave for good from AAS, after being up here at AAS for nearly a year. They leave Boxing Day. A surprise and disappointment to AAS and the other team members, but believe that this decision is best for them. We have another experienced pilot, his wife and young son Jett (cool name ah!), arriving late January, subject to visas.
Soon as I got back up here the new big plane PAC 750XL was due for its third service. It has done 460 hrs so far! So there has been no flying happening for last 2 weeks as all the planes have been waiting for me to service, re-engine, or re-build respectively. Glad Brooks is here to help out now!
Another PAC 750 XL has been sold to PNG to another operator, and will arrive next week, making 3 in country now. (Number 2 arrived September 2007.) Another one is due April 2008, number 4! The waiting time now for a new machine from factory is about 18 months. 2009 delivery if ordered today! Was only 6 months when AAS bought S/N 124, earlier this year. Australian Flying magazine has done an article on the type and will appear Aprilish in the magazine. AAS's machine may feature in photos. We are still very pleased with ours and it appears that other operators in PNG are noticing, too!
Bit quiet up here as most expats leave the country to head down to Australia/NZ. So New Years and Christmas will be a non-event round town I suspect again. Air Nuigini have been as unreliable as ever the last 2 weeks. Planes having to turn back because of mechanical problems, delays, not enough planes for the traffic at this time of year, engineers not turning up to work, or sleeping during night-shift, to finish the planes in for servicing. We have had people desperately calling AAS all this week wanting us to do special charters to Port Moresby, the capital, just so they can make international connections! Unfortunately we couldn't assist, as all our planes are in for servicing, etc.
Another air operator who bought the 2nd-in-PNG PAC 750 XL after we bought ours, has had a bad run since November. First they wrote off their Cessna 206: the pilot mucked up a landing and ended up falling off the other sheer-drop end of the runway. Next week, a local walked into the left prop from behind, on a BN-2 Islander, as pilot was about to taxi out for take-off from a parking bay. Face went one way, head another, and body ended up next to the pilot's door. Was a shocking scene for the pilot to witness, who didn't know anything about it until he saw the body lying just outside his crew door. Following week, another BN-2 Islander of theirs hit a pig on take-off or landing, not sure which. Hitting pigs at 120 kph isn't good for planes, or the operator, who likely then has to pay out a large sum in compensation for the pig! Never mind about the US$50,000.00 repair to the plane.
While I was in the Australia in November another operator's C90 King Air plane was hijacked out of Port Moresby, the capital, on a payroll run for a mine out on the Indo/PNG border. Was forced to land on a disused wartime airstrip of about 700m in a C90. On landing one prop struck the ground. (Just flew a new engine/prop in this week to attempt to fly it out). Otherwise plane was OK. Expat pilots handle the situation exceptionally. In appreciation for the good landing the “security guards” (hijackers) handcuffed the 2 crew half naked, covered in mud, to a tree. The crew was otherwise unharmed. Would have been the biggest robbery in PNG's history had the hijackers pulled it off, but the plan all went pear-shaped when the getaway vehicle wasn't there to meet the getaway dingy that met the plane on landing at the deserted island. All the money was recovered and I believe there are now one or two less security guards in existence today.
Our neighbors (not Pacific Helicopters, our other neighbors) lost their only Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter in November 2007, which chopped itself to pieces after the load slinging long-line got tangled on one of the landing gear skids, attempting to do slinging operations (lifting or carrying stuff, off a long rope hanging under a helicopter). As the helicopter lifted off, the tangled rope caused the chopper to be rolled over onto one side, causing the machine to roll over uncontrolled into the ground, at which point the main rotor blades start their lethal work of self-harm/mutilation on/off the rest of the helicopter. Fortunately the pilot was not fatally injured.
Another mission operator cooked one of their turbine engines in flight on their B200 KingAir en route to Cairns early this month. (This was the aircraft I flew to Cairns in for my leave early November) US$200,000 loss, and no King Air for 2 months.
So has been a rough end to the year for a few of us aviation operators up here. Hence why insurance companies are a little shy of PNG aviation insurance, (they probably don't make much money, if any, off PNG-based liabilities) and why we pay hefty premiums. I'm sure they make up for it in "safer" places like Australia/NZ though!
As a summary, for 2007: AAS has had a very good and successful year, through God's blessing and guidance of the efforts offered by the highly-skilled and self-motivated, hard-working and most significantly the dedicated members of the current AAS team. Albeit not easy and certainly not without the inherent challenges that come with operating in a remote, unforgiving, tribal, and very much a less-developing (going backwards infrastructure-wise) country of the world.
Damon Roberts has gained his PNG CAA Check and Training Approval on the TU 206's for AAS
Also approved by PNG CAA to be AAS's Quality Manager. Damon Roberts completed PAC factory, aircraft endorsement training for the PAC 750 XL type Feb 2007. Damon has been AAS's primary PAC 750 XL Captain with approx 350hrs to date in on type in PNG since July.
We have had Boris and Grace Ambrus join us from Avondale Flying College. Boris has also filled our Communications Officer role as well. Boris has been checked and trained almost exclusively by Captain Roberts onto TU206 aircraft, through-out most of PNG. Boris has been mostly engaged in servicing the local Goroka area with our leased TU206. Approx 300hrs in country.
AAS has sought a suitable engineer to be trained into Chief Engineer position, Mr. Brooks Payne (and wife Susan) from USA. Brooks is also a pilot who has over 3000hrs total on various types including Cessna 425's. We expect that Susan will take over being in charge of communications/fundraising. Brooks, we hope, will be acceptable to the PNG CAA to accept Chief Engineer responsibilities for AAS by mid-2008.
Smooth and successful transition into brand-new turbine-powered aircraft addition to the fleet.
PAC 750 XL S/N 124 P2-SDB was purchased and paid for in full (US$1.4-ish million) in 2007.
Ferried by Roger and Linden Millist from factory in Hamilton NZ, May 2007. Delivered to PNG and commenced operations 1st June 2007.
CEO Roger Millist completed Check and Training courses by factory and approved by PNG CAA, holding PNG's only C&T approval on PAC 750 XL type (all other PNG PAC 750 XL operator's pilot's must be trained/endorsed by Roger unless NZ factory trained)
Chief Engineer, Linden Millist completed PAC factory, aircraft endorsement training for the PAC 750 XL type and factory engineering training.
470hrs flying time total, have been accumulated on P2-SDB, being a mixture of mission, clinic runs, medical medivacs, commercial freight and passenger flying to date.
This aircraft has proved to be exceedingly capable in various roles/missions, economical, and extremely profitable to operate. AAS expects to operate several more units of this type as it continues to expand its fleet. A big thank-you to all who played a part and gave contributions towards the purchase of this very necessary and useful machine.
Mick and Mary Merrit voluntarily joined AAS for 2 months, mid-year 2007.They worked extremely hard in the short time to achieve a great deal in the time they were with us. Including: renovations and extensions to staff housing/properties and the hangar/workshop/office facility, assisting in repairs and general maintenance, manufacture of additional workshop equipment, adding to security measures, seat covers for aircraft, etc. The Merrits made many good friends with the local people and experienced much of what life in PNG has to offer in the time during their visit!
Planes and service hours:
P2-SDA TU 206G: Approx 500hrs to Oct 2007 (Engine Change)
P2-SDB PAC 750 XL: Approx 500 Hrs since Delivery June 2007
P2-JAG TU 206G: Approx 400Hrs since March 2007 to Oct 2007 (Prop Strike)
TOTAL 2007: 1400Hrs
Pilots/Engineers:
CEO, Flight Operations Manager (Chief Pilot), C/T PAC 750 XL and Cessna 206 Roger Millist Since 2005
Quality Manager, C/T Cessna 206, Captain PAC 750 XL Damon Roberts Since 2006
Chief Engineer, Captain Cessna 206 & PAC 750 XL Linden Millist Since 2005
Communications, Captain Cessna 206 Since 2007
Office/Accounts:
Carol Millist Since 2005
Lisa Roberts Since 2006
Ancillary Staff:
Load Master/DG Officer Samson Nopi
Bookings Clerk/DG Officer Sharon Soha
Chief Security Aron Kaupa
Security 10 persons
Security Breaches/Break and Enter 2007:
Hanger/office property 0
Staff Housing/properties 1
Anyway that is about all the news to date, I reckon.
Wishing you Seasons Greetings. A safe and Happy Christmas, as well as a Prosperous and Healthy New Years and throughout 2008!
Cheers,
Linden Millist
|
