Interview with a PNG Bush Pilot - Episode 19 of the Go Flying Australia Podcast

[recflyer]

[MEDIA=audio]http://traffic.libsyn.com/goflying/Go_Flying_Australia_Podcast_019.mp3[/MEDIA]

 

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Today on the show I talk with Matt McLaughlin about his experiences flying general aviation aircraft in one of the most dangerous flying environments in the world – Papua New Guinea. Matt would regularly fly into the Fane strip shown in the below youtube video.

 

Would you fly in Here?

 

 

Previously Published Episodes (click here)

 

 

 

 

I would love to hear some feedback.

 

I would love to hear any feed back (both good/bad) by the following means:

 

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Thanks for taking the time to read this!

 

Cheers,

 

Adam

 

 

[ayavner]

One of the best ones, loved hearing about his experiences in PNG!!

 

 

[facthunter]

Heroic stuff. Developmental Aviation. Only the planes have improved. Nev

 

 

[Spooks]

Don't mean to thread hijack, but people interested in this might also enjoy this series we had in the UK last year

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11041485/The-most-dangerous-place-in-the-world-to-be-a-pilot.html

 

 

[recflyer]

Don't mean to thread hijack, but people interested in this might also enjoy this series we had in the UK last yearhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11041485/The-most-dangerous-place-in-the-world-to-be-a-pilot.html

Thanks spooks. Yes I really enjoyed this series as well. Thats why when I saw Matts Book I knew that it would be very cool to do an interview with him.

 

 

[scre80]

Great interview Adam, all I can say is nerves of steel for landing on those short strips.

 

 

[recflyer]

Great interview Adam, all I can say is nerves of steel for landing on those short strips.

Yeah it certainly takes lots of skill, experience and confidence! The interesting thing about the youtube video of the otter landing at Fane is that on the approach to the airstrip the mountains beyond the strip don't look that steep but once the pilot lands you can see that they are amazingly steep and hence a Go around would be difficult.

 

 

[recflyer]

One of the best ones, loved hearing about his experiences in PNG!!

Thanks, so when are you signing up for a job? TIC

 

 

[poteroo]

 

Heroic stuff. Developmental Aviation. Only the planes have improved. Nev

Very true. The weather is still the same, the mountains just as high, the valleys still the same width, the gaps still as scary, the strips still as steep/short/soft/rough.

 

Modern day turboprops are so much more reliable and perform better at altitude. Compare those lovely Twotters to what we used in the 60's. happy days,

 

 

[poteroo]

Yeah it certainly takes lots of skill, experience and confidence! The interesting thing about the youtube video of the otter landing at Fane is that on the approach to the airstrip the mountains beyond the strip don't look that steep but once the pilot lands you can see that they are amazingly steep and hence a Go around would be difficult.

Called the 'false horizon effect. To counter this your aim point is further up the strip, plus you carry a bit more speed &/or, less flap - in order to avoid stalling too early in the roundout. Once you touchdown - brakes are not usually necessary on the strips with >5% slope - on the steeper ones you actually need to dump flap and add heaps of power to get to the top parking bay. Go-rounds are possible - but only from a certain point on the approach to each and every strip. This you are taught during your 'route & strip' endorsing, (x5 to each strip & each route for commercial ops). happy days,

 

 

[facthunter]

"Committed to a landing", is not unusual in flying. A glider is a prime example, but you get a similar situation when the plane may be configured in an abnormal way. Ie multi, on one engine, beyond gear extension, on final or more unusually, a mate of mine in a Cessna Titan had an engine failure at height where the cowl was so damaged the extra drag made it unable to maintain level flight at all, on the remaining engine, complicating the whole descent and approach

 

One way strips need accurate assessment and commit point. The narrowness of some of those strips would bother me especially if after a recent shower and on a mountain ridge or cliff there can be severe up/ downdrafts to cope with. Nev

 

 

[recflyer]

Called the 'false horizon effect. To counter this your aim point is further up the strip, plus you carry a bit more speed &/or, less flap - in order to avoid stalling too early in the roundout. Once you touchdown - brakes are not usually necessary on the strips with >5% slope - on the steeper ones you actually need to dump flap and add heaps of power to get to the top parking bay. Go-rounds are possible - but only from a certain point on the approach to each and every strip. This you are taught during your 'route & strip' endorsing, (x5 to each strip & each route for commercial ops). happy days,

Interesting stuff! Thanks.