Aviation Medley

Here are a few photos from flights I've been on over the past couple of weeks...

I went flying on the Kodiak (aeroplane) to expand my knowledge of PNG landmarks. I was surprised (though I probably shouldn't have been) to also see Australia and Indonesia on this flight!

?

I was initially a bit confused as to what this sign was saying. I think it means The Evangelical Church of Papua New Guinea in Kawito (village), Gogodala (language) Bible Training Centre!

Heathrow eat your heart out!

It is flat out west...

... which gives some amazing river shapes.

And like some ancient monument...

...rises this rather large termite mound.

I've also managed some helicopter flying, landing in villages near and far:

Down in the South East

Out West...

...delivering a sawmill as a sling load, to help construct a literacy building.

Closer to home - in the Finisterre Mountains

PNG is such an amazing country with such wonderful landscapes and people.

Ride to Aviation

Early one Saturday morning I attached a camera to my helmet before I rode out to work (we don't normally work Saturdays, but we had been asked to do a particular job). It shows a little of the centre, going up past the local National High School and then on to Aviation. There aren't many people as they're more sensible than to be up at that time on a Saturday!

If the trip looks relatively smooth - I tried attaching the camera to the bike at first and the result was totally unwatchable! The tarmac is nice, though.

Community

It is hard to believe that we have been back in PNG for almost two weeks. We have spent the time readjusting to life here and getting over the jet lag. If we only had one word to sum up these past days, it would be community. When we arrived at our house, very tired after our long journey, we were greeted by cards, some presents, flowers and food. Over the next few days, people we knew came to say hello and relative strangers turned up bearing food and greetings. One of my favourite moments was when a lady I know very little phoned up and started, "Hello, I am from kitchen angels..." For a moment I heard heavenly music! We feel really blessed to have been met with such kindness in our early days as a new family here. It has been wonderful to have meals brought to us and I am already looking forward to returning the favour by going on the 'kitchen angels' list. These lovely ladies provide meals for people when they are ill, struggling or just arrived with a new baby - it is such a great idea and has really helped me get back into the swing gradually. It has also been great to reconnect with friends and introduce Reuben to them.

Our days of being cooked for have come to an end and now life is truly beginning again. I am learning to be a mum here and Duncan will shortly be the only helicopter pilot. We are not sure how it will go. We are sure that God has things for us to do in this place and has blessed us by putting us in a community that cares.

Reuben was given this bouncer and as you can see, he is really enjoying it!



Duncan and Reuben taking in the view

PNG again

After 47 hours, 4 airports, 4 planes and 10 time zones we arrived back at Ukarumpa last Friday. It feels good to be back! The journey went well considering it was so long and we are relieved it's over. Reuben has slept through the night for the previous two nights and we are slowly recovering from jetlag and adjusting to living at altitude again. 

Once in PNG we flew in a Kodiak (small 9 seater aeroplane) to Ukarumpa. We made one stop on the way and the runway is pictured above.





Some of the local villagers came out to meet the plane.

 

Back in our Ukarumpa house again.

Going solo

Having returned to PNG alone to continue my in-country training, I was pretty much straight into the check-out process. I had tests to ensure I could fly the aircraft safely and operate in the PNG environment, and my solo return was rewarded with my first solo flight early in December.

The joy of being solo - freeing, but terrifying!

All our flights are tracked on-line and this is a record of where I went on my first day. This does of course mean that, whilst I may be alone in the cockpit, I'm never on my own out there. No diversions for a spot of heli-tourism!

The track to the North East was my first flight, the South West my second

My first task was to collect a couple of sets of translators from villages on the Huon Peninsula. My second flight, on the same day, was to take a person and some supplies out to some other villages for the Salvation Army. Because I'm particularly fortunate, I also got audited on that second flight to check the department's adherence to the rules!

 

Back safely - the new pilot and the new aircraft (P2-SIL)

 

Having been to Kerema a few times before with an instructor, that was my next assignment on my own. I overnighted in the town so as to be on hand early the next day to shuttle people into the village for the official handing over of the Digicel Foundation's first rural aid post to the villagers.

 

 

A suitable number of speeches were made to mark the occasion

 

Unfortunately, as I finished my first re-fuel of the morning, the aircraft developed a minor fault and everything ground to a halt. A number of people who wanted to get into the village were stuck in Kerema and a group of people who would rather be out of the village before it got dark were now trapped up there. Thankfully it was still early. I climbed on the aircraft, found a fault and fired it back up again - the problem came straight back! Thankfully a fixed-wing aircraft was sitting unused at base, so  a mechanic jumped into it and was promptly with me. Along with the auditor! He wasn't checking me this time, but he was certainly being thorough. Aircraft fixed, I could get back underway, but now with significantly less time than I'd started out with.

 

 

The village landing site. Thankfully I didn't breakdown here!

 

Mercifully everyone was very gracious and understanding, so everyone who needed to got into and out of the village, and everything was completed before the weather closed in - just.

My last solo flight before the Christmas break was to a coastal village in the South East. I went to take out songbooks to be distributed.

 



I was glad to be able to bring these villagers the fruits of their labour, but it was a warm day in a warm part of the country and a flying suit is not the coolest of attire (at least temperature-wise).

 



I was longing to join the local kids in the river, but seemed to have forgotten my swimming shorts. At least I wasn't the only person suffering in the heat - a government helicopter brought in some local officials. I'm guessing their pilot was warm too.

 



But with the solo flying underway, it's nice to be back with the family again.

Overflowing

It is rainy season in PNG now and after a few months of 'dry season' (when it still rains but not much), everyone at Ukarumpa is delighted to have overflowing water tanks.

This is our water tank, complete with its own waterfall!

When it rains, it rains HARD and it helps us feel at home!

Our tin roof makes it sound pretty loud!

This is a bit of a cheesy comparison, but there are many senses in which we are 'overflowing' too. Duncan is in PNG on his own at the moment so we are missing each other very much, but at the same time we are overflowing with thankfulness for our gorgeous son, for the care of friends and family in the UK and at Ukarumpa, for the fact that Duncan will shortly fly solo in PNG for the first time, for the provision of things we need here and when we go back there, for the prospect of a Christmas in the UK with a son we never dreamed we would have this time last year and for the peace that God has given us in the midst of so many transitions. As I'm typing this I'm suddenly remembering an evening last summer... we were in Waxhaw, North Carolina and the skies suddenly opened. Boy did it rain. The day had been so hot that we rushed outside and danced around until we were soaked. This time feel likes that: overflowing, overwhelming, but exhilirating...

Change of Plan

Do you have ever have those times when it seems like a number of things are going wrong at the same time and you have to make a big decision based on information that keeps changing? Well, that is what these past few weeks have been characterised by for us!

Without boring you with all the details, the upshot is that Duncan is returning to PNG in a few days, but Reuben and I are staying in the UK for a bit longer. His visa hasn't arrived and he has to have some more vaccinations. Duncan needs to get on with his training, but will pop home again (is it possible to 'pop' 8,000 miles?! I'm not sure, but it makes it sound less serious...) for Christmas, after which we will all go to PNG in the new year. We have always HATED being apart and it doesn't get easier in spite of previous training! It feels different again now that Reuben is on the scene, but hopefully our reunion will be all the sweeter!