Forum has been reinvigorated

[Victor R]

I already chimed in on thanking Michael (Paneuropean) for all the work he has been doing on rehosting photos.

What I have not seen mentioned is how Michael's presence has reinvigorated the forum. It had gotten rather dull over the time of his absence. Now, however, it has taken off again. Not only do we get the sage advice we have become used to, rehosting the photos has brought many old threads to the forefront. Some of these I have not seen before; others are old friends that I recall but still enjoy rereading.

I also note other forum members posting on these older threads.

The forum has become much more interesting and again adds a little ray of sunshine to my day.

Michael, you are much appreciated!

Victor

[conmoto]

I second that emotion.

[PanEuropean]

Hi Victor:

Thanks for your kind comments.

I have a couple of weeks of "quiet time" before things get busy at my workplace again. I'll probably be at home until about October 25th - then, I have to deliver an aircraft to Indonesia.

This year has been extraordinarily busy for me... for example, I was only in Canada (my home country) for 8 days during the first 6 months of this year. That is why I was not active in the forum earlier this year.

I got out of Papua New Guinea at the end of last week - below is a photo I took when I was training pilots there. The aircraft is a DHC-6 Twin Otter. I flew that particular one from Victoria BC to PNG, by way of Alaska, the Bering Strait, Anadyr, Magadan, Vladivostok, the two Koreas, Taiwan, Philippines, Darwin, Cairns, and then finally Port Moresby. It was almost a re-run of "around the world in 80 days".

I dropped my Phaeton off at the VW dealer about a month ago to have a whole bunch of little things fixed up - they are still waiting for a few parts, I think I will get the car back towards the end of October.

The great irony of it all is that I am hardly using the car now. My 'mileage log' for 2012 is as follows:

Miles flown delivering planes - about 80,000
Miles flown as a passenger with the airlines - 110,000
Miles driven in my Phaeton - 215.

Michael

My 'daily driver'

[Victor R]

Impressive.

That's some picture!

Maybe you should change your user name from "PanEuropean" to "PanTerran".

Victor

[cowboy_]

Are the seats on that airplane as comfortable as the Phaeton ones? Massage options? Guess not!

[laser21]

indeed thanks for the reuploads! Im reading through old threads as you update them!

[j3w]

I already chimed in on thanking Michael (Paneuropean) for all the work he has been doing on rehosting photos.

What I have not seen mentioned is how Michael's presence has reinvigorated the forum. It had gotten rather dull over the time of his absence. Now, however, it has taken off again. Not only do we get the sage advice we have become used to, rehosting the photos has brought many old threads to the forefront. Some of these I have not seen before; others are old friends that I recall but still enjoy rereading.

I also note other forum members posting on these older threads.

The forum has become much more interesting and again adds a little ray of sunshine to my day.

Michael, you are much appreciated!

Victor

Agreed, thanks from a noob.

[Defiants]

I, too, want to thank you, Michael. Having been a Moderator on another automotive site, I might have a greater appreciation for how much you do, and how much work it is, than the usual users do.

Your dedication in re-hosting the photographs and diagrams is of a value which cannot be over-emphasized.

--Guy.

[steveskinr]

G'day Michael

I grew up in Papua new Guinea and helped my Dad build some airstrips there. Quite a few friends still there if you want any contacts. My brother is usually there also.

There is a reasonable chance Dad built the airstrip you showed. Which one was it? It doesn't look familiar to me so I don't think I helped him build that one.

Where are you off to in Indonesia? If it is in Papua, or what we called West Irian, later changed to Irian Jaya, I can put you in touch with friends. If it is in Sentani, give Tim Ruth a hoy at the Yajasi hangar if he isn't out flying. Really good bloke.

Long after I left PNG, GPS made flying a lot easier in that country with min navaids. In the 60s, there were many attempts to find downed aircraft and about half were unsuccessful. It was a very common part of listening to short wave radio.

There are 860 languages on our half of the island which accounts in part for the terrain you see...perhaps the converse would state it better.

[PanEuropean]

Thanks to all of you for your kind comments about the photo re-hosting.

I have now finished reviewing all of the threads that are listed in the Phaeton Forum 'Table of Contents' (FAQ by Category) and re-hosting the photos on all of them.

I'm sure that there are many more discussions with missing photos - if you come across one and see photos missing from posts that I have made, please bump the discussion up to the top of page 1 by adding a request for photo re-hosting to it. I'll try to get it done when time permits. I will be out of the country for most of the remainder of 2012 (primarily in Indonesia), so I might not get it done quickly, but I will get it done eventually.

Steve - I don't know what the name of that airstrip is. I visited about 4 different airstrips in rural PNG, each one more terrifying (to me, at least) than the one before. I was introducing a very experienced PNG-based pilot to the new Series 400 Twin Otter - he picked the airstrips.

Below is a picture of the same strip as in the picture above, but taken just after turning final. Once you turn final here, you are committed to land, there is no possibility of an overshoot... it's one way in, and one way out, with terrain rising to 3,000 feet above airfield elevation on both sides (as well as forward) within a 1 mile radius of the airstrip. Perhaps this photo might help you identify the place.

Not much internet service there (I couldn't find the Starbucks), which is why I had to wait until I got back to Canada to re-host the forum photos.

Michael

Remote Airstrip - PNG


Below is a photo taken on the downwind leg to the airstrip shown above. The asterisk shows the position of the aircraft when I took the above photo, and the arrow shows the point of view of the photo above.

Downwind Leg to the Above Airstrip

[Paximus]

Gasp...

You're not offering to do the touch and goes for the ILS calibration then?

CB

[EnglishPhaeton]

[QUOTE=PanEuropean;79202646]Hi Victor:


Miles flown delivering planes - about 80,000
Miles flown as a passenger with the airlines - 110,000
Miles driven in my Phaeton - 215.

Michael

So, Michael, you bought your Phaeton with "air miles" loyalty points

X2 for all the hard work keeping this going!

Stu

[n968412L]

Michael - thanks again for flogging through all the photos. I particularly appreciate the shots of various colours and interiors. They are probably one of the key things that got me on the slippery path of Phaeton ownership... so very pleased to see them again!

Thanks

M

[johnt26]

Awesome picture of the airfield Michael!

I thought Telluride was tough! Ha, there IS a Starbucks there too!

Thanks for re-hosting all the photos and all the best for the rest of the year for safe travels!

I'll be in Sydney in early November if you need anything dropped off!

[wouterjansen60]

Hi Michael, omg, referring the direction of that airstrip, what is here the missed approach procedure even while your climb rate is fairely high on a two engine aircraft?? Just curious.

Cheers, Wouter

[PanEuropean]

...what is here the missed approach procedure even while your climb rate is fairely high on a two engine aircraft??

Hi Wouter:

The moment you turn final, you have to make a decision: Either you are 100% committed to landing, with no possibility of an overshoot if you continue further on final, or; the moment you turn final, if you don't like the way you are positioned (too high, too low, or laterally displaced), you must continue to turn to the right without delay until you are pointing in the opposite direction to the runway (this implies a 270° turn from the base leg, or a 180° turn from final) and you climb away at best angle of climb.

This kind of situation - where you are forced to make your 'go or no-go' landing decision at the moment you turn final - presents itself sometimes in mountain operations. Providing that the weather is benign (no strong and gusty winds, and no cloud below you when you turn final), it's not a problem. But it is a bit stressful when you don't do this kind of work every day.

Michael