A flight to forget
Oh what a flight
Okuk's Last Flight
B707 Anecdotes
B707 Introduction
A Biblical Story
A Biblical Story 2
A Biblical Story 3
Forbidden Fruits
Joe's Jolly (Poem)
The Golfer
Suitably Restrained
PX Advertisment 1
PX Advertisment 2
PX Advertisment 3
PX Article 1
PX Article 2
PX Article 3
The Check Ride
First and Last Flt.
First Command
DC3 KOK - POM
The Holiday
Friends at Last
History of P2ANQ
Ferry Flight
Crayfish
FO Cassanova
Larry Blackman
Secret Revealed
Airbus A300
Cargo Capers
Doing it Differently
Side Slip
Larry Blackman
4th Floor Memo
International Arsonist
Office Works
Thru Eyes of a Hostie
Airline Anecdotes
MY ASSIGNMENT TO LARRY BLACKMAN Posted by Barry Sue
Not long after I was transferred to Lae (thanks to Peter Evans), I was flying with Peter Wycherley for a few weeks prior to being assigned to Larry Blackman as his first officer.
Prior to joining Larry, other first officers told me of the low level flying Capt Blackman and what could be expected;
“You fly everywhere at 2000 feet” they all told me.
On the afternoon of the 31st January 1976, Larry called me to inform me that our next day’s flying had been changed in that we were to fly members of the Air Niugini social club from Lae to the Trobiand Islands and return to Lae. He went to great length to emphasise upon me that we were not to wear the uniform. Instead, he wanted me to wear casual shorts, hang out shirt and shoes with long socks.
Next morning, Larry and I (with our hostess Buka Mary in uniform) disembarked the crew bus at Lae airport with nav bags etc to the roaring applause of our waiting passengers and eskies who were already getting stuck into cold SP’s.
Having prepared P2-ANQ for the flight, Larry and I were standing on the tarmac chatting away as an F27 taxied in and shut down. While the props were winding down, who should we see step down from the cockpit and head toward us but chief pilot Dick Glassey.
Dick: “Morning boys!”
Larry: “Morning Dick” replied Larry.
Glassey eyed us over dressed in casual gear, sunglasses and after shave lotion. Laying eyes firmly on Larry;
Dick: “where are you bastards off to?”
Larry: “We’re off to the Trobiand Islands for the day!”
Dick: “Not dressed like that you’re not.”
Larry: “Why not?” Larry barked back. It’s only a picnic flight for the f….. Air Niugini social club and they’re all in the terminal dressed for a picnic and on the piss!
Dick: “Because we’re airline pilots Larry and we’re required to wear a uniform whilst on the job.”
The argument went on until Dick finally ordered a crew bus to the tarmac; personally saw us aboard it;
“you and your mate Su Su (my PNG nickname) can piss off and get changed into uniform.”
As I jumped off the bus to change, Larry yelled out “bring those clothes back with you mate! - we’ll change back into them later”
Having loaded the aircraft with booze and an already ‘on the way’ pissed payload, we taxied for runway 14 at Lae, departed where we maintained runway heading for 2 hours and 5 minutes.
Not a second later than the after take off checks and departure call, Larry was out of his seat changing back into his casual clothes to the ‘singing, cheering and clapping on’ from all those in the back. What a day!
Later, Larry and I became known in the company as “Seagull and budgerigar” - thanks to Saddles. He reckoned with all the dead heading we did in F27’s looking for DC3’s that didn’t exist, that they needed to throw rocks at us to make us fly.
Not long after I was transferred to Lae (thanks to Peter Evans), I was flying with Peter Wycherley for a few weeks prior to being assigned to Larry Blackman as his first officer.
Prior to joining Larry, other first officers told me of the low level flying Capt Blackman and what could be expected;
“You fly everywhere at 2000 feet” they all told me.
On the afternoon of the 31st January 1976, Larry called me to inform me that our next day’s flying had been changed in that we were to fly members of the Air Niugini social club from Lae to the Trobiand Islands and return to Lae. He went to great length to emphasise upon me that we were not to wear the uniform. Instead, he wanted me to wear casual shorts, hang out shirt and shoes with long socks.
Next morning, Larry and I (with our hostess Buka Mary in uniform) disembarked the crew bus at Lae airport with nav bags etc to the roaring applause of our waiting passengers and eskies who were already getting stuck into cold SP’s.
Having prepared P2-ANQ for the flight, Larry and I were standing on the tarmac chatting away as an F27 taxied in and shut down. While the props were winding down, who should we see step down from the cockpit and head toward us but chief pilot Dick Glassey.
Dick: “Morning boys!”
Larry: “Morning Dick” replied Larry.
Glassey eyed us over dressed in casual gear, sunglasses and after shave lotion. Laying eyes firmly on Larry;
Dick: “where are you bastards off to?”
Larry: “We’re off to the Trobiand Islands for the day!”
Dick: “Not dressed like that you’re not.”
Larry: “Why not?” Larry barked back. It’s only a picnic flight for the f….. Air Niugini social club and they’re all in the terminal dressed for a picnic and on the piss!
Dick: “Because we’re airline pilots Larry and we’re required to wear a uniform whilst on the job.”
The argument went on until Dick finally ordered a crew bus to the tarmac; personally saw us aboard it;
“you and your mate Su Su (my PNG nickname) can piss off and get changed into uniform.”
As I jumped off the bus to change, Larry yelled out “bring those clothes back with you mate! - we’ll change back into them later”
Having loaded the aircraft with booze and an already ‘on the way’ pissed payload, we taxied for runway 14 at Lae, departed where we maintained runway heading for 2 hours and 5 minutes.
Not a second later than the after take off checks and departure call, Larry was out of his seat changing back into his casual clothes to the ‘singing, cheering and clapping on’ from all those in the back. What a day!
Later, Larry and I became known in the company as “Seagull and budgerigar” - thanks to Saddles. He reckoned with all the dead heading we did in F27’s looking for DC3’s that didn’t exist, that they needed to throw rocks at us to make us fly.
