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The Prophets The Stranger The Lamb |
Airports!At least some people call these airports! They are more like postage stamps carved out of the jungle and stuck on a hill. Some are level, wet, slippery and short. Some are steep, narrow, slippery and short! Many airstrips in the mountains are around 10% slope. That means in 10 feet it goes up one foot. Some are 12% overall with 18% in the middle. Even a long level runway can be a challenge with four inches of rain the night before and the grass has slippery moss under it. Below are some pictures of a few of the airports. Most are 600 meters long (1800 feet).On the left is Iteri with mountains on three sides. The middle is Sorimi with mountains on all sides. Siawi is on the right. All are less than 300 feet above sea level. Hewa (left) is 4600 feet above sea level and 10% slope. Aziana (middle & right) is 400 meters long, 12% slope (18% in the middle) at 4000 feet above sea level. The narrow valley approaching Aziana is about five miles long. Dinangat is surrounded by mountains exceeding ten thousand feet above sea level. This sloped runway is involved in a disappearing act from time to time. |