NG Flying May
pp. 47-49 · Read in the full issue
Be Different Soon
! 'rom Correspondents in Canberra and Port Moresby -ivil aviation methods in »ua-New Guinea may have to entirely revised as a result of
higher safety standards re
tly imposed by the Depart
it of Civil Aviation. iTTONALISATION of flying net works and changed cargo methods are being suggested to 1 airlines in the Territory absorb added costs imposed by smaller oads. le Civil Aviation Department begun a survey of types of air t which could be used to replace 1935-designed DCS, now the fliorse of Territory flying.
T>es under examination are: , DC6, Fokker Friendship, bou, Hercules and Bristol ghter.
"Revolutionised 7 ter reviewing the performance lese aircraft in relation to Terri conditions, a departmental team report to Territory airline ators in mid-April, the larger types were adopted ing flying practices would have e revolutionised, ley could lead to the use of big re airstrips from which sup could be trans-shipped to
smaller aircraft for ferrying to out stations.
This would be a complete change from the present practice of land ing DC3’s on as many airstrips as possible.
Other changes which might be looked at include; • Better loading methods to cut turn-round times; • Drastic changes in packaging methods, as, for instance, general acceptance of cartons to speed handling and make loading easier; and (Over)
• More vigorous methods to back-loading for charter flights.
P-NG is Different
These changes could be forced! the airlines because the econon of aviation in the Territory quite different from those on mainland.
In Australia, airlines can fly tB freight aircraft 20 hours a day s maintain them in the other foi But under Papua-New Guij conditions planes can be flown c in daylight—and daylight hours cut even shorter by bad weathi It is now clear that despite howl from Territory users of s craft (PIM, Mar., p. 125) there is chance of the Department of C Aviation relaxing its new payl! standards.
The Administrator, Brig. D.
Cleland, complained bitterly t the Administration had not b consulted on the plans.
However somebody obviously 3 put him in a spot. The question ■ raised at top-level consultations tween the Departments of Te; tories and Civil Aviation weeks fore any move was made.
Safety Only Concern
At those talks, Territories c ceded that flying safety was tirely the province of Civil Ai tion.
The Civil Aviation Departm meanwhile insists that the cuts payload were dictated by sal factors alone.
To reinforce its arguments it pointed to an incident at Mt. Hai only a few weeks before the i standards were announced.
A DCS which had a run-a T propeller on take-off was only ; able to land.
The plane was empty—but c because the party of natives it ! landed to pick up had not arri at the airstrip.
The experts doubt whether plane would have been able to 1; safely had it been loaded as tended.
The Civil Aviation Departm “bogeymen” who have had to t the brunt of the Territory crii ism for tightening safety stands are all men who know Papua-E Guinea conditions.
Director-General Don Ander was a war-time DCS captain Papua-New Guinea. He was one the pilots who flew in reinfoi ments when the Battle of Wau being fought just off the end! the Wau strip.
Director of Flying Operations .
Stone is another transport p whose wide experience inclu DCS’s. He is Australian represe ative on the eight-man councill International Civil Aviation Org* sation, the UN agency response for maintaining world fly standards.
\nd Papua-New Guinea Regional rector Arthur Affleck, a pioneer a tor in the Flying Doctor Service, s the man who set down the de opmental standards for Territory hg 10 years ago and which have y now been revised.