Wonenara - for the aviation enthusiast...

This is a post for the more aviation minded as I know they would be interested in some of this stuff. For those of you who aren't so inclined feel free to skim over the pictures and say "that's nice" and find something else to do!

This place is barely half an hour's flight time to the South East of Goroka and once again it is very much a bush strip with the locals lacking any infrastructure taken for granted in the Western world. Air transport is vital and we are here to help.

I need to preface the fact that once again these pictures were taken on a nice clear morning - much better for photography. Looks nice doesn't it? Another airstrip less than 15 minutes flying time away had low cloud and required the equivalent of a very confined IFR visual circling approach to get in with virga type rain falling from a low overcast. By afternoon Wonenara airstrip was surrounded with cloud and rain. Such are the vagaries of flying in PNG. The specs on this airstrip are: elevation 5 015ft, 425m long on a 10% slope.

Firstly, some shots of the arrival. The downwind leg is flown rather close due to the surrounding high ridges. The descent is commenced on the downwind leg and after crossing a ridge at very low level (usually with a couple of locals running out of their huts perched on a knife-edge waving wildly at you) a steep banking turn onto final is required so that you avoid another close ridge. Descending steeply on base, terrain fills your right window while the left looks a little like this.

A few seconds later it looks like this. If you look at the left of the pic, the huts on the ridge are now above the height of the aircraft.

About mid-way on final you have the option of bailing out and following the valley leading off to the right of the airstrip for a missed-approach. On short-final it looks like this. Parking area is up the top on the left. It is a very confined space with barely enough room to turn around. As you can see, undershooting the approach would not be pleasant and some people have met their end in PNG in such a situation. However landing long is not pleasant either as 425m of runway can disappear very quickly at 80kts...

Okay, now for the departure. The commonly heard joking remark is "there is no nice departure option for Wonenara!"

Option 1: As soon as you are airborne, immediately go for broke in a massive 45 degree bank turn at zot feet putting your left wing into the banana trees so that you can then fly out the valley which is oriented about 150 degrees left from the take off heading. Radius of turn is critical as you will arrive as a smoking hole in the ground on the opposing valley wall if you don't turn hard. This option is often favoured by the lower performance aircraft as it allows a more comfortable climb gradient over terrain down the valley providing you get that initial turn right!

Option 2: Take off (usually with a tail wind) and veer slightly left to avoid the higher tree-tops in the valley. Proceed down the valley ahead which is rising underneath you (often resulting in a very shallow climb relative to terrain - especially with that tailwind) and watch out for the ridges either side of you. Depending on wind direction decide how you are going to turn around in the valley after it takes a 90 degree turn to the left into a dead-end surrounded by very high and steep ridges. If you successfully complete the 270 degree turn you can then veer to the right about 90 degrees and follow the valley back out to depart overhead the airstrip.

Here we are departing, initially heading up the valley using Option 2 - doesn't look too bad in a photo does it? You can see where the valley turns 90 degrees to the left.

Even with turbine performance, with a load on you would impact the ground about where that burnt patch of ground is on top of the first ridge. Just before impact you hook hard into a left hand climbing turn. Flying a PAC 750XL is a bit like flying a Sherman tank but a careful touch is required here - get twitchy and spin out of this one and you'll be pushing up daisies faster than you can say "six feet under ground..."

One of the reasons why you have to turn so hard and right through about 270 degrees - this ridge is poking out trying to get you.

Missed him! And finally this is where you can start breathing a bit easier as the closest ridge scrapes past on the right. We are turning back to the right to depart over the top of the airstrip.

Not too bad hey? Admittedly it becomes a bit harder and certainly less photogenic when you are peering through light rain with plenty of cloud sitting around. The other week on a day of 5.8 hours of flying and 16 sectors I was doing shuttle runs between here and Aiyura which meant I did that departure 8 times in the one day!

Just so you can see why I don't take as many photos when the weather is not so very good here is one of flying the Tua river valley home in the afternoon. Not really a lot to look at is there?

This is what it was like literally only a few minutes later approaching the Goroka valley. The contrast between these two pictures highlights the incredible variety in weather even in geographically close quarters - the joy, challenges and indeed the danger of flying in PNG...

Approaching to land at Negabo airstrip in the rain perched at 4 500ft elevation on the side of an +8 000ft mountain in the background (not visible in the rain and cloud). It is 470m on a 9% slope. Note the offset of the nose with the airstrip - significant cross-wind from the right with turbulence and shear is common.

And despite the fact it is usually the bane of my life - just to prove that rain and cloud can produce something beautiful...

Hope you enjoyed the journey!