Last Tuesday we started a new 100 hourly check on one of our aircraft. This normally takes three days if all goes well and no major work is required. For this check there is one Engineer working on the engine and another working on the airframe (the entire aircraft - minus engine and electrical), and one supervising the entire check. Plus one avionics (electrical/radio) engineer too. I have been working on the airframe. The 100 hourly mainly involves a lot of inspections and servicing different systems/parts of the aircraft. But this week has been some of a discouragement due to the fact that it is still in the hanger. Also being a tiring one as everyone is feeling drained after the last seven big weeks at the hanger. It has taken some time to work through the check, as we have encountered things that have never been encountered before for this aircraft type. I can’t go into the details too much. Instead of being three days it will most likely be three weeks now. As we may not be able to work on it next week due to having other scheduled maintenance on other aircraft  to be carried out. The title of this post bagarapim, in Tok Pisin means for something to be badly damaged. The aircraft that we have been working on is the newest aircraft in our fleet. We have found numerous things that require fixing, nothing that cannot be fixed. But defects that require a lot of work, such as the engine being removed for  example (nothing wrong with the engine). For an aircraft having little flying hours makes it discouraging, especially as we look at renewing our fleet with this aircraft. We have not had these problems with the other aircraft of this type we operate here and else where in the world. And it seems just to be with this aircraft. But the encouraging thing is how we have been going about addressing these problems. The decisions that we have been making so far and those problems we are rectifying correctly, despite leaving the aircraft out of action for a few weeks. Nevertheless it has been a good learning experience and is our job.

* Extra inspections, due to discovering several defects

* Inspecting the main landing gear attachments in the cargo pod

* Main landing gear leg removed (a pain to remove too)

* Troubleshooting and treating some corrosion rear of the cabin

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This video I made while at MAF orientation back in January in Melbourne. It is a picture slide show of my 4 week short term trip to PNG back in late 2005. I have added it, as it is not on the new site. Hopefully it will be out done with my new MAF PNG video project in progress.

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For some time now I have wanted to have a posting each week on something here, but I have been just getting by with some stuff that has been happening. Two things that are well known here in Mt Hagen that do happen are blackouts and town water cutting out.

Firstly, I am really grateful to have electricity where I am. For some time now since arriving in Mt Hagen I have been having a good run without experiencing many blackouts. Normally they have taken place when I am out at the hanger and we have a backup generator there. Or they are for short periods. But the last week or so we have experienced quite a few blackouts here during the night and over the weekend. They can range from 10 minutes to half a day. Funny enough they occur normally during inconvenient times, especially cooking or eating dinner. But the worst time has been while having a shower one evening and being left in the absolute dark and trying to find my fluorescent lantern. I normally navigate well around a house in the dark. But I am amazed how effective candles are.

Secondly, with the water turning off can be an inconvenience as well. Fortunately normally per house or two there is a rain tank. But either town water or tank water is not that safe to drink. People react to it differently, for some people it has no effect and others it does. Back home I had a steel stomach, nothing could mess with it. But here is another story, the tank water  can cause a bit of trouble. Either causing my stomach to rumple or a bit of gas (I’m sorry to say Bay, but I think you would self-combust if you tried that water, hahaha. I’m almost crying). So with the town water and tank water, as a precaution we have to first boil it and then filter it. And water being the main fluid that I drink here, it is time consuming. Again the worst experience I have had with town water here again involves the shower. I had been at work all day, not knowing the water had been off. And normally when it comes back on the first thirty seconds or so does not just have air in it, but also a brown substance, either dirt or something. So once in the shower and turning on the water, I was covered with this brown water and was followed by a manly scream of shock and frustration.

There are many reasons why the power and water cuts out, but at the end of the day I am not sure exactly why. But it is a common way of life here.

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The previous week on the Wednesday I received something that I have been waiting for a while. When I arrived in Mt Hagen after POC, I setup my toolbox with the only trolley I could find available. I had thought of welding up and making my own trolley, but is an expensive option with a lot of work. So I put on order a 7 drawer tool trolley back in Cairns, Australia. I have wanted to get a tool trolley for many years now, but moving around every three months at Qantas was not convenient or when at the military being required to use their tools only. My toolbox has been over crowded for some time and wanting to get more tools I need,  plus the provision of some money it seemed the time to proceed. I ordered this tool trolley because it is the extension for my toolbox and around the same price what other guys here pay for another brand. But come the other Wednesday I opened up the box after waiting a few months to discover that it was the wrong tool trolley. I had ordered this trolley through MAF who had purchased it from an outlet in Cairns who had it shipped up from its manufacture in Melbourne. Once arriving in Cairns International Freight terminal, it was sent up via air freight to Mt Hagen. I was very disappointed by this outcome, as the supplier had made mistakes in previous transaction of gaining quotes and yet again they had made another mistake. Plus spending money on an investment that you are going to have for a long time, you want it to be what you ordered. So I had to decide if I was going to send it back, which would be a very costly operation and one that I would make sure those responsible would cover. Or I could keep it, the tool trolley is exactly the same as the one as I ordered, except that it has different drawers and is more expensive. The supplier tried to sell it to me over the phone, but I knew that it wasn’t worth the effort to exchange it. But it still matched my toolbox and looks good. So there’s an example of inconvenience being in PNG, if I had been in Cairns working for MAF I could of taken it back and thrown it at them and exchanged it for the correct one. But despite it being the wrong tool trolley, it is a more expensive trolley and a needed provision from God.

1. My initially setup with my toolbox, somehow was a magnet for junk.  Yuk (not good lighting in the hanger for photos)

2. My new setup, very portable

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The last week and a half has been interesting with a bit of a change. Monday last week I and most Engineering staff were granted the day off, since the previous six weeks had been very busy. We had more work than what we can cope with the staff we have. Since last week we have had only one plane in the hanger. This is being rebuilt at the moment after being repainted. Today saw our first aircraft come in for almost a week. Despite having no other aircraft to work on, we have kept busy with plenty of work required around the hanger, whether it’s overhauling components or repairing components, installing new equipment or equipment maintenance, there are always jobs to be done. But it has been nice to have a change of pace and not have that pressure that there is to get aircraft out serviceable.

I have been trying to get going a men’s weekly prayer meeting, last Wednesday was the first one. It was such a blessing to pray with others and to have fellowship.

Friday night was my first youth group meeting I have attended since being in PNG. Almost four months now since my last at WSAP Youth. It was at Mt Hagen United Church, the church that I have been attending the last few weeks now. It was good to see what they do, but also to be an encouragement to them. We had a time of worship and being their video night, we watched Louie Giglio’s third DVD on Hope, which is very good. So it was a good night, especially considering the limitations of resources here and what you can do.

Saturday afternoon I was at my house, just resting and I could hear what sounded like a war cry. I listened more carefully and could notice that it sounded like quite a crowd. I looked to the front of the compound and could see a large mass of people dancing down the road making this load cry. So I thought they must be going off to fight and there goes my plans for Saturday night. But after some investigation and observation, it was a compensation ceremony with another clan.

Also on Saturday afternoon I experienced my second earthquake since being in PNG (the first one was while on the toliet at POC in Madang and having no idea what was happening). Neither being anything serious where I was, just a small tremor that lasted for 5-10 seconds. But last night was a bigger tremor, enough to notice the house shaking. So just a few things that have been happening here, life here continues to be different and spontaneous.

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For those who have not seen this video. This was made by my good mate Andy for my farewell back in early May. Quite a video to have made for one self as a farewell gift and shown at your commissioning service. Thanks again Andy.

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