Orbxtreme Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 An Air Saguenay DHC-3 Otter has made it from Québec to Kokoda. It is expected to work around the remote mountain airfields for a while. Today, the Otter heads for Launumu, a mountain airfield that is at an elevation of 5082 ft asl and 1200 feet long. We have to watch for those birds in order to reach the destination… Following that trail is a good way to reach Launumu. If the mixture is not adjusted, the Otter will lose a lot of steam trying to climb up to 7,500 feet to cross the first line of mountains. The runway is in sight. Anybody landing and departing from Launumu deals with high density altitude. This is not only due to the elevation of the airfield but also to the very warm and moist air present in the region. Consequently, some additional airspeed is required on the approach. When a pilot lands southwestward in Launumu coming from Kokoda, he must dive in a valley to lose altitude, which will increase the aircraft’s airspeed. If the airspeed is not promptly corrected, the approach to the Launumu runway will be too fast. Any airspeed above 60 knots forces the pilot to overshoot (unless you are ready to virtually die a few times while trying). Once the higher mountains are crossed, a good way of loosing altitude without gaining airspeed is to use flaps (at the corresponding airspeed) and do a tight 360 degree coordinated turn while descending. That way, you will end up in line with the runway and at the speed you want, which is around 50 knots. The Otter floats endlessly, with its huge wings and flaps. On final for Launumu, you might end up having to deal with the bushes that are close to the runway. It is not unusual for the Otter or the Beaver to complete an approach with bushes wrapped around the landing gear. Launumu has a surprise for the newcomers. If you land southwestward, like it was just done, and are not stopped within approximately 600 feet, you start accelerating since there is a pronounced slope downward in the second half of the runway. This slope leads to a cliff. In case of a missed approach, you can use the slope downwards and dive in the valley at the end of the runway to built up airspeed and start a new approach. Now that the hard work is done, lets wait for the passengers and cargo, and plan the next leg… Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadtom65 Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Very nice and great shots and fantastic vibrant colours you have. Derek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingleaf Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 "Extremely" well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magic1 Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Excellent shots and an interesting flight Francois! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper31 Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 A wonderful flight adventure, very well documented and filled with some good looking screenshots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundancer Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 That number 4 shot, Francois......Extraordinaire !! Fantastic. -Fred- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keino333 Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 that ninth shot is epic....the plane in the midst of all that foliage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VH-KDK Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Beautiful series of images François with some most knowledgeable commentary. A very enjoyable post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orbxtreme Posted May 3, 2018 Author Share Posted May 3, 2018 3 hours ago, Dadtom65 said: Very nice and great shots and fantastic vibrant colours you have. Derek. Thanks, glad you liked them! 3 hours ago, flyingleaf said: "Extremely" well done. Well, thanks "extremely"! 3 hours ago, magic1 said: very nice! Glad you liked, Magic1! 3 hours ago, paulb said: Excellent shots and an interesting flight Francois! Thanks Paul, I figured a bit of warm moist air would accelerate the arrival of the summer. 2 hours ago, Sniper31 said: A wonderful flight adventure, very well documented and filled with some good looking screenshots! Thank you Sniper, that is appreciated! 1 hour ago, Sundancer said: That number 4 shot, Francois......Extraordinaire !! Fantastic. -Fred- Thanks Fred, boy that Otter does not climb easily... 1 hour ago, keino333 said: that ninth shot is epic....the plane in the midst of all that foliage Thanks, when I saw the beautiful tall trees that Ken and Tim had included near the runway, I figured they had to be visible in the shots... 1 hour ago, VH-KDK said: Beautiful series of images François with some most knowledgeable commentary. A very enjoyable post. Thanks, I am very happy that you enjoyed the post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Sawyer Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Now THAT was thrilling François! I'm going to do some serious exploring there after I do some in Germany. It's on my list and man is it lush and green. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bermuda425 Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 A razor's edge sharp set of shots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Some gorgeous shots here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambar Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Wonderful captures Francois as always! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Grand set of shots. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean marc Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 wonderful flight & story with great shots ... 20 hours ago, Orbxtreme said: he must dive in a valley to lose altitude very deep dive according the picture well should be very exciting ... needs cool & allways optimistics passengers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orbxtreme Posted May 4, 2018 Author Share Posted May 4, 2018 15 hours ago, Jack Sawyer said: Now THAT was thrilling François! I'm going to do some serious exploring there after I do some in Germany. It's on my list and man is it lush and green. Thanks Jack, some of those runways can almost be compared to Lukla. That is to say, there is no possibility of a missed approach. 1 hour ago, jean marc said: wonderful flight & story with great shots ... very deep dive according the picture well should be very exciting ... needs cool & allways optimistics passengers Thanks Jean Marc, during the dive and while turning, the speed did not exceed 70 knots (there is one shot with a cockpit view and the speed). Nonetheless, after being told what the procedure would be, one passenger decided to stay in Kokoda and be sick right away. He definitely was not meant to fly in the region! 8 hours ago, Iain Emms said: Grand set of shots. cheers Iain Thanks Iain, glad you liked. 10 hours ago, adambar said: Wonderful captures Francois as always! Thank you Adam, I am doing the best I can with what is left of my computer system! 12 hours ago, Tim K said: Some gorgeous shots here! Thanks Tim, much appreciated. 12 hours ago, Bermuda425 said: A razor's edge sharp set of shots! Thanks Bermuda425, a razor is what I would need around the landing gear to cut out some of those bushes! 15 hours ago, Jack Sawyer said: Now THAT was thrilling François! I'm going to do some serious exploring there after I do some in Germany. It's on my list and man is it lush and green. Thanks Jack, and I tell you, some of those strips can be compared to Lukla. With the Kokoda Trail dirt runways, you don't have the luxury of an asphalt runway that goes uphill to slow down the aircraft like in Lukla. And in some of those strips, you don't have a possibility of a missed approach either. The difference with Lukla is that you see the wall of rock in front of you while you approach, which is a reminder of the consequences of a miscalculated approach! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Lars Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 A truly glorious set of shots, François. Especially the second to last one. One day I should give bush flying a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orbxtreme Posted May 4, 2018 Author Share Posted May 4, 2018 4 hours ago, Captain Lars said: A truly glorious set of shots, François. Especially the second to last one. One day I should give bush flying a try. Thanks Captain Lars, comments appreciated. Bush flying is a lot of fun, especially in the virtual mode since you can push the envelope a bit! The best way to fly bush is to save your flight a few times during the trip. So if anything bad happens, you don't have to redo it all over again. You just load the part you need and learn from the mistake. Each time...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikee Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Great set of shots ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Outstanding shots and a fantastic description. Merci bien, Francois! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Hall Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 One of the best PNG posts ever, commentary and shots were spot on, many thanks for posting these, I hope it encourages more pilots to test their skills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orbxtreme Posted May 5, 2018 Author Share Posted May 5, 2018 17 hours ago, mikee said: Great set of shots ! Thanks Mikee, finally some shots from the southern hemisphere! 16 hours ago, Stillwater said: Outstanding shots and a fantastic description. Merci bien, Francois! Much appreciated, happy that you enjoyed them! 15 hours ago, Ken Hall said: One of the best PNG posts ever, commentary and shots were spot on, many thanks for posting these, I hope it encourages more pilots to test their skills Thanks Ken, I hope they will. Something is coming on Timkenumo, with a new machine. And it worked pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caleb1 Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 Great set of shots, well flown, and a good narration too. The otter is a great plane for that area. After I finish exploring all of what Alaska, PNW, LOWI, England, Netherlands, and Norway have to offer (all of which I intend to finish before the beginning of 2020,) I will hit PNG and Audtrailia. Like Jack, it's on my list after I finish exploring other places. [emoji846] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orbxtreme Posted May 5, 2018 Author Share Posted May 5, 2018 13 minutes ago, caleb1 said: Great set of shots, well flown, and a good narration too. The otter is a great plane for that area. After I finish exploring all of what Alaska, PNW, LOWI, England, Netherlands, and Norway have to offer (all of which I intend to finish before the beginning of 2020,) I will hit PNG and Audtrailia. Like Jack, it's on my list after I finish exploring other places. My gosh you have a contract in front of you! But you'll see, PNG has a lot to offer in terms of challenges and views! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caleb1 Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 My gosh you have a contract in front of you! [emoji5] But you'll see, PNG has a lot to offer in terms of challenges and views! I'm sure I will like PNG. I like bush flying and challenges! [emoji846] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Sawyer Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 6 hours ago, caleb1 said: Great set of shots, well flown, and a good narration too. The otter is a great plane for that area. After I finish exploring all of what Alaska, PNW, LOWI, England, Netherlands, and Norway have to offer (all of which I intend to finish before the beginning of 2020,) I will hit PNG and Audtrailia. Like Jack, it's on my list after I finish exploring other places. Seems like we'll almost never get to them all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YAMBA1 Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 On 5/4/2018 at 1:23 AM, Orbxtreme said: Today, the Otter heads for Launumu, a mountain airfield that is at an elevation of 5082 ft asl and 1200 feet long. I read with keen interest your flying experience on the Kokoda and Owen Stanley ranges . Thank you for sharing . Unfortunately without the pictures that everyone seems to praise. I tried to open your JPG file but could not. This was just to X check if it was where I think Laumunu is located. That is , I follow the track and according to the mud map it seems to be the only landing strip only that runs 110/290 degrees . As you say it is slopped but the one I found was at 2605Ft. so definitely we are not talking about the same landing strip . Unfortunately there was no indication which air field it was, except a few tents in the village and a fellow on a bicycle (a very rare sight in the PNG bush!) Those air field are extremely difficult to fly In and even more difficult Out. I have to adjust constantly the mixture to get the best performance . Thanks heaven it's a simulator ! As a matter of thoughts It would have been helpful if the author of this delightful PNG scenery could have added on the mud map the location of the Kokoda trail Happy bush flying Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.