LOFT stands for line oriented flight training, which in MAF PNG consists of a series of modules that cover airstrip operations (i.e. take-offs, landings, emergency procedures, etc.), terrain flying (valley turns, ridge crossings, etc.), navigation (learning the local features so we can still find our way if the GPS systems fail), negotiating weather, etc.
For my first day we headed out to the Western Province, visited a number of airstrips, and stayed overnight in Kiunga. It was a lot to take in!
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| On the ground at Lake Murray airstrip, day 1 of LOFT |
On day 2 we planned to visit two airstrips on our way back to Mt Hagen. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get to our first destination due to cloud, which forced us down to 500 ft above the ground (the legal minimum) and rain, which blocked our path. At our second destination there was a bit of a clear pocket around the airstrip and I was able to fly a low-level circuit but made a bit of a hash of the landing. On leaving there we picked our way through the cloud layers and attempted to find a way through to Hagen. All up this was probably the most challenging weather I have encountered so far, so it’s no surprise that my brain was fried afterwards.
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| Weather on arrival in Mt Hagen, day 2 of LOFT |
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