Remote Cafe

Getting stuck at a remote airstrip which the weather goes past is pretty normal for Ryan. But what was not normal today was that Shiv was on board and another pilot also landed and got stuck whilst the storm passed.

One of the things which makes flying in PNG some of the most challenging in the world is the fast-changing weather patterns. In the Highlands, where mountains, covered in dense jungle, can rise up to over 10,000’, the warm air from the tropical lowlands can meet the cold air coming down the mountains and form thick layers of cloud. Although most of our C208 Caravans are equipped with G1000 instrument panels, which enable qualified pilots, like Ryan, to fly by his instruments alone, take offs and landings still need to be visual, so he needs to be able to see where he’s going!

On a routine day when we were flying to Hagen, his flying program had him landing in Bak to drop off some passengers with a little cargo. The landing was pretty rough as Ryan had to circle a few times, waiting for the clouds to part. Just as we had come to a stop in the parking bay, Capt Mathias, a good friend of ours, also landed. As he reached the parking bay Ryan announced that the clouds had moved over the departure path and we’d have to wait for them to pass. I watched as the clouds moved quickly, obscuring the bottom of the runway.

As I watched and waited, Ryan & Mathias spoke with the Bak Agent, unloaded their planes and got their respective passengers ready to go for their next flight. All the paperwork was done and there was nothing left but to wait for the clouds, and rain, to pass…

So the pilots got chatting and enjoyed a cup of coffee and their lunch.

“Starbucks Bak” - Ryan enjoying his thermos of coffee amongst the clouds.

Shiv chatting with some of the local kids.

Carrying the cargo from the plane home to their village. There are no roads out of Bak.