Sweet Dreams

Now I lay me down to sleep, on a moldy pillow, in a tent in the jungle half way around the world from where I live.

I suppose because this job is unconventional it is in a sense exciting.  I'm sure we have all had jobs or experiences that in hindsight that were exciting.  At the time it was going on it was trivial or mundane or one degree of unpleasant or another.    

The military is an example that comes to mind.  Yep, went through basic... everyone does.  I had a uniform, just like everyone else.  The sent me to different exotic places, like Mississippi and California. It's rather hard to get more exotic than Mississippi; it certainly seems like a foreign country.  I also went to Spain during the first Gulf War.  Seem like that would be exciting doesn't it?  Well, if you like 12hr shifts lack of food and warm clothing and working from 6pm to 6am.  Then it was exciting.  I did get out and see some of Spain and met some interesting people.  That was fun but exciting?  

Our camp is near a river, the Fly River, one of the largest drainages of PNG; also one of the most polluted due to a copper/gold mine.

Our day starts early-ish, my alarm goes off at 5:30 which is a nice sleep in compared to the early shift at Moro when it goes off at 4:30.  We eat at the mess hall and make our way to where the helicopter is parked.  Tabubil is the second rainiest spot on the earth so weather plays a large factor in our day.  If it is raining we goof off, if not we get the aircraft ready for the day.  The fuel takes are “sumped” or tested for water.  The covers that keep the rain out of the electrical bits that in theory are fine with water but in reality not so much.  In a new aircraft they would be but the age of the aircraft and the fact that a helicopter is a vibrating shaky creature the wiring is less than perfect.  Then we preflight the aircraft to make sure everything is wonderful and nothing fell apart during the night or was missed during post flight.  Then pilots look it over and then we wait for the call that they are ready to fly.  That means that the weather is good, the people are in place to receive the loads, and the loads are rigged and ready to go.  When we get that call, we go out and fuel, if necessary, and do some final look over to ensure the aircraft is ready to go as the pilots go through the check list and start the aircraft and finally fly off at which point we mind the store sometimes working on equipment or cleaning and organizing things to make life comfortable and workable.   Mostly we goof off on the internet, wait for the aircraft to come back for fuel of the weather turning bad or run out of loads.  Exciting?  I do this for 28 days and then go away for 28 days.  I say away because, it takes a few days to get home and a few to get back.

The interesting parts are it is Papua New Guinea, “the land of the unexpected.”  Orchids and banana trees grow wild on the road side.  The landscape is rugged and tropical.  Cockatoos, hornbills, and snowy egrets are common, parrots can also be found.  There are lots of interesting bugs too.  The people are exotic, primitive and tribal and can be unexpectedly dangerous.  The political system is such that the tribe deals out the justice.  If you assault someone, their family will come and get you or their tribe.  If you have no tribe, you are easy prey.  White people are protected by the government because white people are industry and trade.  If a white causes damage, he has to give up “compensation”.  Kill a dog, $1000 fine.  Kill a kid and escape the village without getting you head lopped off, similar fines. 

Working on one of the largest helicopters in the world is also interesting.  It is old, built in the early 80’s.  It is relatively low tech with gears and transmissions and engines and all the little bits that go with it.  There is a stability system that makes it easier to fly and is computer controlled but not fly by wire like military or modern cars.  I still get a thrill to see it lift off, hook onto a 20,000lb load and fly off into the jungle.  Kind of cool.

The downside… it’s Papua New Guinea.  Hygiene and tropical diseases are always an issue.  The primary plant life in the tropics is mold, it’s everywhere in a short time.  It’s primitive so staying at a four star hotel is not even a possibility… if you are generous with your ratings, you might find one in the capital for $200/day but not where we work.  The food is marginal, corned beef hash or ox tail for lunch the last couple days, little fresh fruits or veggies. 

For someone who would go stark raving mad working in a cube, commuting to work every day, dealing with traffic and saving up for four weeks off a year.  It’s a pretty good gig.  They say only missionaries and misfits go to PNG.  So I guess it fits.  I work with what most of society would call misfits, defiantly unique personalities.   One day we might have a conversation about unpleasant body functions and the next about international economics or quantum physics.