Cleared to land

[swisspilot]

I`m organizing the picture I took in the last year, this are from some of the airports I have been to, here in the South Pacific.

Near an extinct volcano

Old plantation strip

One way in one way out strip, gosh I remember this flight...I had a coffin in the back!

Beach strip, Dugongs (similar to a Manatee) swim along the shore.

Ranch strip

Port Vila Intl, aslo known as Bauerfield ( Lt-Col. Harold Bauer, a fighter pilot in the US Marines), cool Horse Racing Ring on short final.

You need a seaplane to land here when it rains, you can pick fresh oysters from the waters around there.

Other plantation field.

Private owned Island with strip.

Pekoa, old US WWII bomber base, key airport in The Guadalcanal Campaign, just north of here there is still the old strip where the Black Sheep squadron was based. An USAF Galaxy landed there last Nov and smashed the first 1000 feet of runway, not sure the airport is made for that!

 

[swisspilot]

One way in one way out.

Near the Solomons.

Closest strip to Guadalcanal.

Y12 landing with 16 kts tailwind, it`s a one way in one way out strip.

Flying Doctor base strip on Gaua Volcano.

Thier plane in Port Vila Intl, new maule M7 from Texas.

Not much left.

Waiting for the cargo.

French built airport on Tanna

 

[swisspilot]

Pentecost Island, pretty remote place but use to be served by ATR42

BN2 landing at old FU4 base: Quoin Hill.

Old WWII Barton Filed, named after US Marine Barton (not sure of is rank).

Polynesian part of Vanuatu

 

[z987k]

Awesome!

 

[Fencer]

Fantastic shots! I suspect there is a lot of labor landing on those patches. Who and how does maintenance on your bird?

 

[Cal Goat]

Still jealous.

 

[N48302P]

Amazing

 

[swisspilot]

Fantastic shots! I suspect there is a lot of labor landing on those patches. Who and how does maintenance on your bird?

Most of the strips are actually pretty nice, about 90% of the nation`s strips are served by 121 flights, even the smallest ones. The most isolated islands have maybe 2 flights a week, busy ones have daily flights to the two main Islands, the grass strips with scheduled flights are 23 all IFR down to MSA then low level VFR, they use the Y12s, Twin Otters and BN2s, there are only 6 paved open airports (the old WWII can`t be used ) , only 3 with approaches, only one with something else then an NDB (solar powered), they do fly RNP into the main Capital...other then the airplanes listed above they fly 737-800, A320 and ATR around here. AVGAS is found only on 3 airports, in one of them only in barrels.

So most of the public airports are in pretty good shape, they use to have a 172 or 182 (not sure now) that would constantly flying it around to work on them, now they just sent lawnmovers around, but often they run out of gas (so they say) so they need to cut the grass by hand with a machete, there is electricity only on 4 islands, and on this ones it`s mainly around the biggest town/village. In some places they don`t need to cut the grass they just leave cows on it and remove them when there is a flight (well not always!), some that use to have pretty bad floods have been covered with crushed corals, works well but the corals does damages the fuselage (none of the planes I flew had rock guards).

The planes I flew here, a 207, a 206 and a new T206 where pretty well equipped, bigger tires and brakes, STC nose gear forks for bigger tires and 3 blade props. The real deal here is corrosion, between the salty waters all over, and the acidity of some of the volcano areas pretty much everything that is not vacum selaed rusts, one of the companies operates a G8 Air Van right on the ash plane of a Volcano imagine how good that is! The new 206 is horrible, it already has way more corrosion then a `71 206 I flew, they mounted a FLINT STOL/WING TIP TANKS kit that was never painted right, whatever Cessna uses this days for the main gear spring steal didn`t even lasted one year.

The only problem I had was on the C207, lost nosegear oleo, I still flew the plane back to base not a big deal...

Maintenance here is done by the national airline or, in the case of the C207 and the older C206 i flew by it`s owner, who works as mechanic on the Air NZ, Air Solomons, Virgin and Pacific flights inbound and has it`s own shop. He has a maule M7 on floats, two c207s and two c206.

Parts get here from AU overnight, if they don`t have it in AU 5-6 from the US.

It would be a pretty good place for private GA, they are just finishing to rebuild a 172 to use for fun...

Legislation here is the one of CAA NZ, but it`s really relaxed. As long as you don`t kill somebody you can do pretty much what you want.

 

[ASpilot2be]

Absolutely stunning shots! Thanks for sharing!

 

[swisspilot]

I never landed here and I`m not sure why there is a strip there really. I know they take there a C185..

 

[swisspilot]

Some from the Ramp:

 

[EIR]

Living the dream.
Fantastic pictures!

 

[Crockrocket94]

Alex, you always post the Wheres Waldo of the airport world. Some of those puppies are hard to find

Glad you're still doing well!

 

[Mark815]

This is just awesome, thanks for sharing those shots! If that's not living the dream, I don't know what is. Forget jets, THAT looks like some seriously fun flying!

 

[swisspilot]

 

[NW004]

Beautiful scenery and great pictures. Reminds me of Costa Rica.