Papua New Guinea Helicopter Pilots‏

Barry Payne - a former PNG resident and pilot recalls the times when he was a pilot flying in the skies of Papua New Guinea

I am in my early 60’s but definitely not retired (I have deleted that word from my vocabulary). Sandra (my wife) and I moved from Auckland to live at Wainono nearly 15 years ago. These days, I keep myself busy chairing a business I founded 10 years ago www.baycity.co.nz, tending other interesting projects and when possible flying my Piper Comanche.

Prior to us (including our 2 young boys) going to Aitape in 1977 to pilot and maintain a couple of Cessna 206’s for the catholic mission, I had been 12 years in the New Zealand Air Force, initially completing aircraft engineering qualifications before gaining my wings in 1969 and later transitioning to helicopters.

Our PNG sabbatical was intended to be just for one year but it ended up as a great decade for all of us. The catalyst was meeting three Aussies (you may know Mel Smith) who had at the time just established a fledgling operation called Pacific Helicopters.

The company based in Goroka was in need of a Chief Pilot and always being something of an adventurer I agreed to take on the role for 5-years. So began a period of rapid growth in the PNG helicopter industry. As I recall over the 5-year period we took the company from a solitary Hughes helicopter to 19 helicopters and 2 fixed wing aircraft. All during that time my family lived in Goroka where Sandra taught at the International School.

Looking well ahead I could envisage a future time when outfits like Pacific Helicopters would need the permanency of residents to ensure continuity of business and from this it was decided to identify a suitable national candidate to train as a helicopter pilot. Roland Arlo from Enga Province was ultimately selected.

My records show I started his flight training in Goroka on the 21st October 1981 and he gained his CPL(H) at the end of November becoming the first PNG helicopter pilot. Somewhere around mid 1983 after completing 5-years with Pacific Helicopters I moved on to Port Moresby where I had a brief spell at the Office of Civil Aviation before hanging up a “consultant’s” shingle.

It was during this phase I received an approach from a group of ex Air Nugini pilots to assist them set up an aviation business and obtain an air services licence. Originally named STOLIP this enterprise became Nationair. Somewhere in my archives there is a photo of Minson Peni, Nat Koroarlo and others proudly displaying their air services certificate outside Nationair’s portable office building that was in my yard at 5-mile.

I was subsequently successful in getting a US government grant to train two further nationals as helicopter pilots for Nationair and undertook this task in just 5-weeks at Maroochydore around mid 1985. The candidates were Martin Linnix and Simon Naua. I choose Australia in an effort to remove their training away from the politics and skepticism of PNG. Not everyone thought it was a good idea to train nationals as helicopter pilots.

I believed by doing the training in Australia there would be a level of credibility to their qualifications as there would be no doubt the Australian authorities would not issue licenses unless all of the relevant standards had been satisfied.

On completion of the necessary exams and flight training an Australian Civil Aviation flight test officer was sent up Maroochydore from Canberra and I feel certain he examined both candidates against measures set well above normal. Of course they qualified. I moved my consultancy business back home to NZ in 1986 and only closed this chapter of my interesting life just 4 years ago. Along the way I have indulged myself with other successful but non-aviation related business ventures.

I reluctantly went back to PNG a few years ago at the invitation of an aviation business based in Mendi. I was so upset to see the town that I remembered as the prettiest of highland settlements so trashed and filthy. No one looked happy. The local government members were holed up in the Port Moresby Gateway….! Sandra and I are planning on a trip back mid next year along with some other aircraft owners from Australia.

Rob Parer lived and worked his whole life at Aitape and now in his 70’s is resident in Brisbane. Click here for more details http://www.ncoba.com.au/Stories/Stories-64/NS006407.html

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Papua New Guinea Helicopter Pilots‏

Barry Payne - a former PNG resident and pilot recalls the times when he was a pilot flying in the skies of Papua New Guinea

I am in my early 60’s but definitely not retired (I have deleted that word from my vocabulary). Sandra (my wife) and I moved from Auckland to live at Wainono nearly 15 years ago. These days, I keep myself busy chairing a business I founded 10 years ago www.baycity.co.nz, tending other interesting projects and when possible flying my Piper Comanche.

Prior to us (including our 2 young boys) going to Aitape in 1977 to pilot and maintain a couple of Cessna 206’s for the catholic mission, I had been 12 years in the New Zealand Air Force, initially completing aircraft engineering qualifications before gaining my wings in 1969 and later transitioning to helicopters.

Our PNG sabbatical was intended to be just for one year but it ended up as a great decade for all of us. The catalyst was meeting three Aussies (you may know Mel Smith) who had at the time just established a fledgling operation called Pacific Helicopters.

The company based in Goroka was in need of a Chief Pilot and always being something of an adventurer I agreed to take on the role for 5-years. So began a period of rapid growth in the PNG helicopter industry. As I recall over the 5-year period we took the company from a solitary Hughes helicopter to 19 helicopters and 2 fixed wing aircraft. All during that time my family lived in Goroka where Sandra taught at the International School.

Looking well ahead I could envisage a future time when outfits like Pacific Helicopters would need the permanency of residents to ensure continuity of business and from this it was decided to identify a suitable national candidate to train as a helicopter pilot. Roland Arlo from Enga Province was ultimately selected.

My records show I started his flight training in Goroka on the 21st October 1981 and he gained his CPL(H) at the end of November becoming the first PNG helicopter pilot. Somewhere around mid 1983 after completing 5-years with Pacific Helicopters I moved on to Port Moresby where I had a brief spell at the Office of Civil Aviation before hanging up a “consultant’s” shingle.

It was during this phase I received an approach from a group of ex Air Nugini pilots to assist them set up an aviation business and obtain an air services licence. Originally named STOLIP this enterprise became Nationair. Somewhere in my archives there is a photo of Minson Peni, Nat Koroarlo and others proudly displaying their air services certificate outside Nationair’s portable office building that was in my yard at 5-mile.

I was subsequently successful in getting a US government grant to train two further nationals as helicopter pilots for Nationair and undertook this task in just 5-weeks at Maroochydore around mid 1985. The candidates were Martin Linnix and Simon Naua. I choose Australia in an effort to remove their training away from the politics and skepticism of PNG. Not everyone thought it was a good idea to train nationals as helicopter pilots.

I believed by doing the training in Australia there would be a level of credibility to their qualifications as there would be no doubt the Australian authorities would not issue licenses unless all of the relevant standards had been satisfied.

On completion of the necessary exams and flight training an Australian Civil Aviation flight test officer was sent up Maroochydore from Canberra and I feel certain he examined both candidates against measures set well above normal. Of course they qualified. I moved my consultancy business back home to NZ in 1986 and only closed this chapter of my interesting life just 4 years ago. Along the way I have indulged myself with other successful but non-aviation related business ventures.

I reluctantly went back to PNG a few years ago at the invitation of an aviation business based in Mendi. I was so upset to see the town that I remembered as the prettiest of highland settlements so trashed and filthy. No one looked happy. The local government members were holed up in the Port Moresby Gateway….! Sandra and I are planning on a trip back mid next year along with some other aircraft owners from Australia.

Rob Parer lived and worked his whole life at Aitape and now in his 70’s is resident in Brisbane. Click here for more details http://www.ncoba.com.au/Stories/Stories-64/NS006407.html

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Papua New Guinea Helicopter Pilots‏

Barry Payne - a former PNG resident and pilot recalls the times when he was a pilot flying in the skies of Papua New Guinea

I am in my early 60’s but definitely not retired (I have deleted that word from my vocabulary). Sandra (my wife) and I moved from Auckland to live at Wainono nearly 15 years ago. These days, I keep myself busy chairing a business I founded 10 years ago www.baycity.co.nz, tending other interesting projects and when possible flying my Piper Comanche.

Prior to us (including our 2 young boys) going to Aitape in 1977 to pilot and maintain a couple of Cessna 206’s for the catholic mission, I had been 12 years in the New Zealand Air Force, initially completing aircraft engineering qualifications before gaining my wings in 1969 and later transitioning to helicopters.

Our PNG sabbatical was intended to be just for one year but it ended up as a great decade for all of us. The catalyst was meeting three Aussies (you may know Mel Smith) who had at the time just established a fledgling operation called Pacific Helicopters.

The company based in Goroka was in need of a Chief Pilot and always being something of an adventurer I agreed to take on the role for 5-years. So began a period of rapid growth in the PNG helicopter industry. As I recall over the 5-year period we took the company from a solitary Hughes helicopter to 19 helicopters and 2 fixed wing aircraft. All during that time my family lived in Goroka where Sandra taught at the International School.

Looking well ahead I could envisage a future time when outfits like Pacific Helicopters would need the permanency of residents to ensure continuity of business and from this it was decided to identify a suitable national candidate to train as a helicopter pilot. Roland Arlo from Enga Province was ultimately selected.

My records show I started his flight training in Goroka on the 21st October 1981 and he gained his CPL(H) at the end of November becoming the first PNG helicopter pilot. Somewhere around mid 1983 after completing 5-years with Pacific Helicopters I moved on to Port Moresby where I had a brief spell at the Office of Civil Aviation before hanging up a “consultant’s” shingle.

It was during this phase I received an approach from a group of ex Air Nugini pilots to assist them set up an aviation business and obtain an air services licence. Originally named STOLIP this enterprise became Nationair. Somewhere in my archives there is a photo of Minson Peni, Nat Koroarlo and others proudly displaying their air services certificate outside Nationair’s portable office building that was in my yard at 5-mile.

I was subsequently successful in getting a US government grant to train two further nationals as helicopter pilots for Nationair and undertook this task in just 5-weeks at Maroochydore around mid 1985. The candidates were Martin Linnix and Simon Naua. I choose Australia in an effort to remove their training away from the politics and skepticism of PNG. Not everyone thought it was a good idea to train nationals as helicopter pilots.

I believed by doing the training in Australia there would be a level of credibility to their qualifications as there would be no doubt the Australian authorities would not issue licenses unless all of the relevant standards had been satisfied.

On completion of the necessary exams and flight training an Australian Civil Aviation flight test officer was sent up Maroochydore from Canberra and I feel certain he examined both candidates against measures set well above normal. Of course they qualified. I moved my consultancy business back home to NZ in 1986 and only closed this chapter of my interesting life just 4 years ago. Along the way I have indulged myself with other successful but non-aviation related business ventures.

I reluctantly went back to PNG a few years ago at the invitation of an aviation business based in Mendi. I was so upset to see the town that I remembered as the prettiest of highland settlements so trashed and filthy. No one looked happy. The local government members were holed up in the Port Moresby Gateway….! Sandra and I are planning on a trip back mid next year along with some other aircraft owners from Australia.

Rob Parer lived and worked his whole life at Aitape and now in his 70’s is resident in Brisbane. Click here for more details http://www.ncoba.com.au/Stories/Stories-64/NS006407.html

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