Airstrip Construction Project In Beledomon
- 10 hours ago
- 1 min read
"That's a 20° incline!" exclaims Herten who is accompanying me on this flight to inspect the airstrip. He looks with concern at the inclinometer which shows the runway’s angle. Addressing the villagers of Beledomon, he says in Indonesian "Yes – there’s still some work to be done here", and to me in English, he adds: "A Cessna will never be able to land here; at best, a Pilatus Porter."
Transporting a person by small aircraft costs three times less than by helicopter. In addition, there are far more planes than helicopters in Papua. Although we encourage people to build an airstrip to supply the village, helicopters remain an indispensable means of transport. Before an aircraft is permitted to land on a newly built airstrip, Helimission flies an expert to the site. They measure the dimensions and slope of the runway and give the villagers instructions on what still needs improvement. In the hilly highlands of Papua, Indonesia, it is difficult to find even ten meters (33 feet) of flat terrain. A bush plane needs around 300 meters (984 feet). This can take years of hard manual labor. Small mountains are literally moved with shovels and pickaxes to construct a reasonably level surface. Even then, it is usually very steep, as is the case here in Beledomon.
Before the laborers get back to work, we are invited to a festive meal: sweet potatoes with papeda porridge (sago starch) and wild boar meat with a fat content of at least 50%. Delicious!
Salomo, Pilot
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