"Why does Bill need a Website?" you may well ask- you certainly won't be the first.
Is it simple vanity? Or do I have something to say. I think the main spur came from the awareness that I know a little about some aspects of Papua New Guinea, and there are many people in the world who know less than me and are curious about this island nation.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
In 1971 I graduated from Newcastle (Australia) University and taught English and History in N.S.W. High Schools for nine years. During that time I learnt to successfully operate the controls of single engined aircraft (I hesitate to say I learned to fly, leaving that claim to the birds and insects).
I had a yen to do some kind of Mission work, so applied to Missionary Aviation Fellowship and was accepted for training at their Ballarat Base. After completing their orientation there I was assigned to Elcho Island in the Northern Territory of Australia for ten months to build up my experience before being posted to Papua New Guinea.
By that stage my wife and I had two daughters, 12 years old and 7 years old, and a four month old son.
After eight years with MAF, I joined Talair at the end of 1989. During my three years with them I flew Cessna 402s, Twin Otters and Bandeirantes
In 1993 I left Talair just two months before they closed down, and joined MBA, which in those days meant "Milne Bay Air". Starting on Bandeirantes and Twin Otters, I progressed to Dornier 228s, Beechcraft 1900Ds and Dash 8s. When I left them, the Company had been renamed Airlines of PNG.
In April 2001 I joined the Company I fly with at present, "Fubilan Air Transport". That is their operating name, as they are a subsidiary of National Jet Systems of Australia. You can read a little about it here.
So it is that I have come to be a PNG pilot, with some pictures to show and stories to tell.
This site has attracted interest from many people interested in Mission Aviation flying, in working in Papua New Guinea, in the Tok Pisin language and the Christian faith. I've answered as many of their questions as possible by email. Feel free to ask yours.