Kodiak Country

Monday 3/21/2011.  Today it all came together in so many ways.  Not only was this my last day to fly in Papua, (I started the three day airline journey home the next day) but it was also the day that has the most challenging weather, and the most challenging airstrips!   



Kono Strip Directory



Our first destination was Kono, which has a very short (360 meter) airstrip with 9% slope.   This airstrip has an 8:30 a.m. wind curfew,  meaning if we are not on the ground by 8:30, we will have to come back tomorrow.  The weather was not looking great.  It was good enough for us to depart and take a look, and if needed, go back on to Sentani or to Wamana in the Baliem Valley. 



The weather is not looking good for Kono

We loaded freight and passengers and launched off to see what we would find.  When people think of MAF they naturally think of airplanes, however, MAF has several other ministries critical to supporting missions.  MAF teachers provide education of missionary kids, MAF distance learning provides theological training for pastors in remote areas, and MAF network, email and radio services help connect  missionaries in remote areas to the outside world.   In Papua, MAF operates and maintains a large network of High Frequency or HF Radios for missionaries and villages.  Each one of these remote runways has an HF Radio that monitors the radio network.  This allows MAF pilots to communicate with someone on the ground and receive the status of the weather from the base station in Sentani, or from the HF on the aircraft.  It gives the villages access to critical emergency medical flights and to request supplies.   In some areas of Papua the HF network is being replaced by cell phone service, but there are still many gaps in the cell phone coverage.   Today we learn over the HF that clouds and rain have closed in on Kono, our first airstrip.  We let our passengers know that we will not be able to get them in.  We divert to Wamana to drop off the passengers and the freight.  We will bring them back to Sentani at the end of the day and try again tomorrow.



Mountain Obscuration is a big problem in Papua



Mike works the weather with patience crossing through the mountain pass in the North Gap to get us into Wamana.  It is an interesting mix of low cloud, rain and other aircraft traffic.  One aircraft at a time up and down through the large hole in the weather near the airport is all that can be accomplished.  An instrument landing system would be of tremendous help here.  As we cross the ridge line into the valley, Mike points out the wreckage of a DC3 that impacted the ridge.  This CFIT accident had a very unusual outcome, everyone survived and walked to safety.   Unfortunately, there are many aircraft wrecks to look at here in Papua and all are reminders of the perils of flying in this part of the world. 

   


The yellow and white dot is all that is left of a DC3 after CFIT

 

Our next destination is Lelambo, another short strip located just over the mountains from the Balium Valley.  We work the weather out, over the mountains and down into the long valley that the airstrip rests in.     Mike works the weather with skill and patience to get us to our destination.



From Lelambo, it is back to Wamana to pick up our passengers.  On the approach into Wamana we pass over the wreckage of a BAE-146, a mid-size commuter aircraft.  It flew into a hill short of the runway a few years ago trying to scud-run in at 140+knots.  No survivors.  There is a distinct difference between methodically working weather, always having an "out" in mind, and blindly diving into weather hoping for the best with no other options.   Here the difference is usually life and death.  MAF trains extensively so that our pilots are equipped with the right skill, knowlege and equipment to handle this type of flying safely.  It is also a reminder to be continually praying for the missionaries that live in this part of the world.  As hazardous as the flying is, driving is actually more dangerous. 

The weather never really improved the whole morning and by early afternoon there were thunderstoms to deal with on the way back to Sentani.  This was definitely the day to be in the Kodiak.  In addition to great performance in and out of short runways like Lalambo, the Kodiak has all the latest technology in the cockpit.  Synthetic Vision System or SVS, as well as terrain displays, allowed us to see a three dimensional and map view of the mountains and valleys around us while flying in limited visibility.  With these tools in the cockpit available to a well-trained pilot, the Kodiak should never be involved in a CFIT accident.  Traffic is also displayed on the map in the cockpit, allowing us to see the progress of incoming and outgoing aircraft in limited visibility.

  On the way back to Sentani, the storm scope,  large moving map and traffic display allowed us to work around weather and traffic conflicts to get our passengers comfortably to our destination.   The level of safety and additional situational awareness these systems bring to pilots in this part of the world is amazing.     

Heavy Hauler and Carrier operations.



With a pod on the bottom and lots of room, the Cavavan is a heavy hauler



Saturday I was able to sleep in.   This is my day to fly around with Phil in the Cessna Caravan, the heavy hauler of the interior.  For runways that are long enough and have a large enough turn around area, the Cessna Caravan is the much preferred aircraft by the people we support.  The Kodiak is the sports car of the mission field, powerful and decked out with the latest technology and perfect for the short, marginal airstrips.  However the Caravan is the pickup truck, and where the conditions allow, the preferred aircraft due to its cargo carrying capacity.   Weighing nearly 3000lbs more than a Kodiak with less horsepower, it does not perform as nearly well as the Kodiak and prudence is needed.   Airstrips that can accept the Caravan are clearly defined and in some cases there are restrictions in load and times of day it can operate.   Today there is a 0730 a.m. limit on the first airstrip we are going to, we cannot land until after 0730 due to mountain shadow in the runway.  That translates into another hour of sleep before we need to depart.  Todays destination is Angguruk, a challenging runway for the Caravan.  While the approach looks fun, the excitment really begins after touch down.  The runway surface is fairly slick with slime and there is a 24% grade to climb before we reach the  tight turn around spot at the top.  Its touch down, check the brakes, get the speed conrolled then lots of power to climb the hill.  As soon as we reach the top, chop the power and make the turn.

 

MAF has been supporting the work of the Dutch missionaries on this airstrip since 1961!  The work of the expatriate missionaries is now complete and the national church is taking the lead.  While we are not flying passengers from the west this morning, we still need to remind passengers to turn the cell phones off.  A lot has changed since 1961, but some things have not, the take-off will be as interesting as ever.



Reading the strip chart, the take-off is one of the more challenging that I have seen.  The APE-3 conversion on the Caravan allows for up to 9062lbs take-off weight.  That’s a lot for us back country airplane drivers and it means we need to have careful concern for our airspeed.   The take off is; checklist complete, abort procedures reviewed, power set for take-off, “committed”  Vr, after rotation pitch DOWN and descend with terrain to accelerate to Vy and a 45 degree bank on turn out to clear the ridge line, then climb at Vy.   Looks fun!   Here it is on video.

Flying constant powered glide path to a confined runway and touching down consistently on speed and in the zone sounds to me a lot like landing on an aircraft carrier.  While I have never done that for real, in some ways I believe what MAF pilots do here every day is more challenging, as most of the time we cannot “bolter” or go around, the wind is rarely down the runway and there is no electronic guidance.  Of course, we in MAF don’t have to do this at night or with people shooting at us, as our true tail-hook pilots have to.

This is about as close to a catapult launch as we get, and just like a carrier take-off, once you bring the power up and go, there is no stopping without serious implications, you’re committed.



Me and the boys



“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”- Henry Ford

Thursday and Friday are spent in meetings.  On Thursday it was about STC and training.  On Friday, MAF held a technical conference.  This as a regularly scheduled event where the MAF aviation staff in Papua get together and cover various topics.  The theme of the day comes from Tony Kern’s book, Redefining Airmanship.    We cover such topics as aerodynamic flutter, closing of runways, avionics maintenance, and accident reviews; however the favorite of the day is the SYE or Share Your Experience time.  The best story gets a case of Coke as the prize.  Because none of us pilots and mechanics will live long enough to make all the mistakes, this is confession time and learning time, confessing our mistakes so that others may learn.  It takes courage and humility to admit mistakes, and usually the senior people on the program lead off to be an example to others.  It is a great time of review and reminding.  The winner of a case of Coke this time around goes to Nathan, the new guy on the program.  Nathan told and absolutely hilarious story of the day he applied to be a pilot for parachute jumpers.  His career as a jump pilot ended after just one day, but what a memorable day it was!  Their loss, our gain.  I could not do the story justice by recalling it from memory, so you’re just going to have to ask Nathan yourself.

“It is always in season for old men to learn.” - Aeschylus

Beautiful Lake Sentani- with many WWII aircraft in the bottom

Wednesday.  If you get the impression that professional pilots are always learning, you are right.  I have been a rated pilot for 25 years and the process of evaluation and instruction has never stopped.  Today is not my day for evaluation however, it is Phil’s.  Every 6 months MAF pilots undergo a “proficiency check”.  Today, Phil needs to complete the instrument flying check portion and Program Manager and Instructor Pilot Doug has a plan to complete it locally.  Sentani is normally a very busy place with airliners arriving from distant cities and local flights arriving from the interior airstrips.  When all of these aircraft converge on Sentani’s things get busy, add a little weather and things begin to get very interesting as well.  With no precision approach into Sentani, the holding patterns can get pretty full with traffic waiting to get in to land.

Today, however, it is crystal clear and beautiful and this time of day the traffic is light.  From the passenger seat behind Doug, I watch Phil fulfill the requirements of the Proficiency Check with slowflight, steep turns, unusual attitudes and an instrument approach to landing.





 

The remote beaches and blue waters look inviting



As Phil works, I cannot help but be amazed at the beauty of this area, with picturesque Lake Sentani and miles of unspoiled white beaches lapped by beautiful blue waters.



Lose sight, lose fight...

Tuesday Morning it was hard to get up.  Jet lag, a 4:30 a.m. wake up and a steady rain all kept beckoning me to stay in the cozy guest house bed, but at last, duty calls.


At 5:45 I meet Nathan at the airplane.  It is still steadily raining and the Cyclops Mountains located next to the runway are obscured by low cloud.  Nathan is new to the Papua and this is his first field assignment as an MAF pilot.  He has just soloed on the program, which means he has completed Chief Pilot Tim's rigorous 6 flight field transition course, has flown a 100hours of dual flight with a field experienced pilot, and taken the ceremonial bucket of ice water over the head.  Nathan is now checked out at a handful of interior airstrips.  During this first term Nathan will continue the checkout process on more airstrips of increasing difficulty.  Although already fully qualified commercial instrument pilots, MAF pilot/mechanic applicants complete a through standardization course in Nampa, ID at MAF headquarters before going overseas.  After nearly a year of language school, MAF takes a slow, safe methodical approach to field checkout.  That methodology has comes from decades of experience in landing on difficult airstrips in the most remote parts of the world.  The island of Papua averages an aircraft accident a month.  The instrument flight system that allows a pilot to fly in clouds in this part of the world is of limited benefit.  High mountains, short sloped runways nestled in tight valleys and lack of electronic navigational aids and landing systems means that one must see where they are going when flying below minimum enroute altitudes for the instrument system.  Situational Awareness is a critical lifesaving thing to have here.  In fighter pilot terms, "lose sight, lose fight", if you can't see the objective it is best to not be there at all.  CFIT or Controlled Flight Into Terrain is the #1 cause of aircraft accidents here in Papua.  A CFIT accident happens when a pilot has taken a perfectly good airplane and flown it into the ground, usually because he lost sight of the ground due to weather, or tried to make an impossible turn by flying too far up a canyon.
       As Nathan looks at the weather, considers the terrain around the runway he is going to this morning and makes a very wise choice; delay the flight until the weather gets better.   He has a cargo flight this morning, and the nice thing about cargo is it rarely complains about being late.  With our flight delayed, I finally get the warm cup of coffee I have been wanting. Checking the flight schedule, I see Phil as a flight later in the morning that I can get on.


After a few hours, the weather has cleared sufficiently for Phil to make an attempt at getting to Pamak, an airstrip located in a valley known for difficult weather.  If we get there and don't like what we see, the weather is now good enough for us to return to Sentani.  Phil has 14 years of experience on this program and it shows in the patient, methodical way he treats both passengers and airplanes.


Working the weather into Pamak






On the ground at Pamak

 

Phil patiently and masterfully works the weather during the decent into the narrow valley.  With the airstrip in generally good weather below we start our approach.  For these remote runways MAF has developed in house strip charts, charts with diagrams and notes for pilot reference.  Well before the runway we arrive at our key position over a small village. This key position is where we need to be at a predetermined altitude and airspeed to make a landing, and we are just a little high.  Phil does not like this and executes an abort well before the predetermined safe abort point.  Beyond the abort point we are committed to landing due to terrain restrictions.  It takes discipline to make this decision.  A different kind of pilot would have attempted to use the Kodiak’s excellent performance to make up for the slight variance in altitude.  Disciplined flight procedures, wisdom, patience and prayer support make for long term success here in this part of the world.    

  We circle around again and make another approach.  At the key position we are on altitude, airspeed and configured for landing.  Phil makes the minor adjustments necessary for a smooth, stabilized approach to touchdown.   It’s a fairly quick turn once we are on the ground.  Passengers and cargo are secured and we are off again before the weather closes in. 

We are done with flight day just after noon and I take the time to walk across the ramp and speak with the good folks at the JAARS program, flying in support of the Bible translation work of Wycliffe Bible Translators.

    

Selamat Datang di Sentani (Welcome to Sentani)

Sentani met my expectations of the Papuan third world.  Warm, moist, green.  Getting off the airplane, Doug from MAF met me at the bottom of the stairs from the jet.    Luggage was picked up in a clean but open covered area very typical of the third world.  MAF's hangar is literally next to the terminal, and the MAF compound is behind the hangar.  A missionary pilots dream!  Wake up, walk out of the house and the airplane is just a few steps away.  I checked into the MAF guest house for some much needed sleep and a shower.  My view out the window is of the JAARS hangar area, with tails of the JAARS PC6 porters lined up, waiting for work on Monday. Lunch was at a local restaurant, tasty and Asian.  You can drink the water and take ice in many of the dining establishments here.  There is only one main road in Papua, it goes from Sentani to Jayapura, 20 miles or so away.   If you want to get anywhere else on this vast island, plan on walking or flying.  Flying is the preferred method for those with all but the most modest of financial means.

 For dinner, I was picked up by Jonathan, an MAF pilot that grew up here as well.  He gave me a tour of the local area, filling me in on the history of General Douglas MacArthur’s nearby headquarters and taless of WWII wreckage he played on as a child.

 Part of Operation Reckless, MacArthur’s forces invaded Sentani, then known then as Hollandia, on April 22^nd 1944 to block and isolate the Japanese 18^th Army’s advance toward Australia.
There is a large monument here to MacArthur at his former headquarters and I am hoping to visit it this weekend.  After WWII, the Dutch regained control of this area.  As missionaries began to arrive, the Dutch decided to put all the missionaries in one location, known then as Outpost 7.  Jonathan drove me by some of the original MAF houses

one made from an old military quonset hut.  In typical missionary fashion, it is still in use today as a MAF home, although highly modified.   

Dinner was pizza at Pizza Ron's, a new restaurant located in a nearby shopping mall.  Yes, read that as shopping mall, with A/C, escalators and all the stores to boot.   Money is coming to this remote island, and with it, western style commerce.  Sunday was church, with missionary “bingo” being the after church activity.  For those of you unfamiliar with the term, “missionary bingo” is two missionary’s talking until a mutual aquaintance or previous meeting is connected.  After church, its was lunch and shopping with a stop a Dunkin Dounuts, just to say I had been there.


Jeff

Jet Lag

After 44 hours of travel time (yes, 44 hours), I arrived in Sentani at 7 AM Saturday morning.  Passing through Hong Kong, Singapore, and Jakarta was amazing.  Not that I was able to travel any place other than the airports, but it was impressive just seeing the vastness of these cities from the air and how western and modern these enormous airport terminals were.  Singapore had by far the largest passenger terminal I have ever seen.  Very different from our years traveling to and from Africa.  Arrival in Singapore went well and I said good bye to my traveling companions, a couple on their way to visit family in India.

My flight from Singapore to Jakarta was quick.  On this flight I met a couple from Canada, living in Jakarta and working in the oil industry.  Jakarta is a huge city (at least from the air) and has come into significant wealth in the past few years as gold, copper, oil and natural gas have become major industries in Indonesia.

I was a little nervous about clearing customs in Jakarta and my transfer to Indonesia's Flag Carrier, Garuda Airlines.  Doug Allrich, Program Manager for Papua, gave me a checklist for clearing customs in Jakarta, and it went like clockwork.  No problems.  After clearing customs, checking baggage and getting tickets without being able to speak a word of Indonesian, I still had several hours to wait before I could pass through airport security and head to my gate to board my last flight.  I was told that I could not pass through airport security until 1.5 hours before departure. 

The main goal during this time was to stay awake and not lose my luggage.  so I checked out the departure area for several hours.  Air conditioning and seating for passengers was sparse, with just wooden benches to sit on and a light warm breeze sneaking in the open doorways. What was widely available was seating at one of the many restaurants and coffee places.  Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, KFC and others were lined up one after another.  After exchanging some US Dollars for Rupiah, I headed for Starbucks.  Caffeine and Internet service were the ticket to passing the time and staying awake.  I have Skype, email and news on my iPhone and Starbucks offered free Internet access, so it was a nice combination.  The news was dominated by the earthquakes in Japan.

As time passed, I grew more restless, tired, and uncomfortable.  I needed sleep, but that was not to be until I could find more secure and comfortable surroundings.  Finally, with two hours to go before departure, I decided it was time to risk it.  I boldly approached security, showing my boarding pass.  The guard hesitated for a moment, smiled and let me in!  Yes, the land of air conditioning and chairs with cushions at last!  Grabbing a bottle of water I headed to my gate and a comfortable, cushioned bench to snooze on.  As the time passed and the gate filled, I realized that I would be one of very few white people on the full flight to Sentani.  I really was on the other side of the world now.

Time to board, and I am amazed at finding a brand new Boeing 737-800 with all the bells and whistles as our chariot.  My only complaint on the seven hour overnight flight to Sentani was being woken up every few hours to be fed a full meal!  After three meals and having several hours of sleep, I arrived in Sentani and the Third World at last.