Chopper Nut - featured March 2019

[deaneb]

Zac will love it too

[chopper_nut]

For those that are interested, I won't be around much for the next two months. Starting a new job next week in Indonesia back flying the 500. Won't have my sim stuff with me this time but I'll try to put some pics up every now and again.

[cowpatz]

All the best for the new adventure Nick.

[deeknow]

Starting a new job next week in Indonesia back flying the 500. Won't have my sim stuff with me this time but I'll try to put some pics up every now and again.

nice one !!! keep us posted, looking FWD to some pics.

[chopper_nut]

Thanks guys. I'll be lurking a little probably.

[emfrat]

Nick - the best jobs are the ones where you get paid for doing something you would happily pay to do

ATB, MIke

[chopper_nut]

So, I've been in Indonesia for a six weeks now, a month in Jakarta for exams, medical etc and now a couple of weeks in the field. All on the 500 at the moment although we're trying to tee up some Longranger time to get me comfortable in that too. Most of the work has been telecommunications related. The Indonesian government is building a huge network of cell towers all over Papua and eventually, the country will have satellite internet. I flew way out to the PNG border the other day and I had better internet than I do at home in Nelson...


A couple of machines at Wamena


Cramming our worldly possessions plus four of us to go to Oksibil


On the pad at Oksibil


All of the materials lined up to build a couple of towers


The engine runs the whole day


Two machines working that particular job to get it done quicker


Landing at a repeater station at 10000ft. Highest landing to date


Pax and cargo arriving to service the towers


The New Guinea border is literally 100ft to the left


Sentani is a huge cargo hub. An enormous number of 737 freighters, MAF Caravans and Kodiaks and Susi Caravans and Porters. Quite an eclectic bunch of aeroplanes

[deaneb]

Great pictures Nick. What an adventure you are having!

[cowpatz]

A very interesting update thanks Nick. Great pics too.
I live 20 km from the centre of Auckland and 5 km from the Waitakere ranges peak; and we don't even have a reliable ADSL line.

[chopper_nut]

Great pictures Nick. What an adventure you are having!

Thanks mate, more to come.

[chopper_nut]

A very interesting update thanks Nick. Great pics too.
I live 20 km from the centre of Auckland and 5 km from the Waitakere ranges peak; and we don't even have a reliable ADSL line.

Internet in NZ is disgraceful but it's not just NZ.. my missus is in PHX as some of you know and her internet is pretty average as well. There are heaps of dark areas around there where there's no signal.

[Splitpin]

Keep the reports coming Nick , great photos.
Nice to see an old long-engine 737 still working .
Take care young fella

[deeknow]

Great pics Nick, defo keep em coming. Fascinating range of aircraft by the looks.

Feel sorry for that poor old 737-300 there in a pretty sorry state. It had quite the history by the looks
https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-b737-24300.htm

Those machines your flying look the businesses tho, pretty smart in that blue livery too

[chopper_nut]

Keep the reports coming Nick , great photos.
Nice to see an old long-engine 737 still working .
Take care young fella

Standing right alongside the runway when a -200 departs is pretty amazing. No hush kits of course. Takes me back to my childhood

[chopper_nut]

Great pics Nick, defo keep em coming. Fascinating range of aircraft by the looks.

Feel sorry for that poor old 737-300 there in a pretty sorry state. It had quite the history by the looks
https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-b737-24300.htm

Those machines your flying look the businesses tho, pretty smart in that blue livery too

They look.good until you try to spot them against the jungle. Really hard to see

[chopper_nut]

Back off tour now. Just a few more pics from Indo.


802 used as a bulk fuel carrier


One of three Long Rangers. All with aftermarket Van Horn blades and the bigger C30P engine


Tidy early Jet Ranger will a big motor


The helipad at Tanah Merah


Did six or seven trips to this site because the pad wasn't ready


Worked in pairs for most of this tour


Pile of material to shift

[chopper_nut]

Bit of a slow start to this tour with there being one less helicopter than expected but into it every day now. I have been based in Timika for most of the time so far. Those familiar with the UK program 'Worst Place to Be a Pilot' would recognise most of the places that I have been frequenting.




Some of the spectacular topography in the mountains north of Timika. Up to 14000ft.


Waiting on the ground for a hill to open


Crowded pad early in the morning


Flying cement into a bridge project


Flying crews into repeater towers. Managed to get stuck with the weather for about an hour.


Infamous Lion Air at Timika


Indonesian military is frequently in and out. A Herc arrived as I was departing.


Difficult being an enthusiast here. I feel like airport security is going to arrest me as soon as I try to take photos so this will have to do.

[cowpatz]

Nice shots. Thanks for sharing.

[deeknow]

wow what a place, great to see those machines, they look odd being so cool and clean and hi-tech parked up in the jungle like that

those big bluffs in that valley shot look spectacular, is that snow up on the peaks?

[chopper_nut]

Couldn't work out if it was snow or not. There is a glacier on the back side but I think it might just be layering in the rock. The geology here is pretty cool