PNG Guns and Gold Revisited
For Saturday, October 25, 2025
Michael MacKuen

Today we shall revisit a previous mission run through the Western Highlands. We begin at Tabubil, the headquarters for the Ok Tedi Mine, proceed across the sparsely-populated central mountains to reach the Porgera Gold Mine, and then end our run at Mount Hagen. In this high country, we visit a mix of established airports and smaller village airstrips. The flying can be challenging. The scenery can be eye-watering.


Yifki locals wave goodbye to visiting Caribou

We depart from Tabubil [AYTB] in the Star Mountains right on the border with Indonesia. Sited in a dense jungle, the large town (10,000) was established to support the Ok Tedi Mine [OKTED], located at 6,600 ft on Mount Fubilan – once described as a copper mountain with a gold cap. The steep high altitude site is characterized by heavy rainfall and earthquakes. Despite the challenges, the mine became fabulously productive, yielding both gold and especially copper. It also generated a corresponding environmental disaster. In a 2002 response, BHP Billiton (then the world’s largest mining company) ceded ownership to a local entity that was subsequently nationalized by the PNG government. Today the mine remains one of the world’s largest copper mines and generates something like 7 percent of the national economy.

We fly into the Bismarck Range to reach Telefomin [TLF]. This station town was founded in 1944 when Mick Leahy engineered a remote emergency air strip for the USAAF war effort. (For more on the Australian adventurer who “discovered” the densely-populated Central Highlands see the terrific documentary First Contact. You might like the segment “The Day the Plane Came.”) Nearby is the source of the grand Sepik River which runs through the mountains to Indonesian Papua and then back through the northern plain into the Bismarck Sea. We continue eastward, climbing steadily through the spectacular ridges and peaks of the Highlands, to land at Bak Airstrip [AYBB] which serves the villages of Daburap and Tekap. Then we descend into the valleys to visit Wanikipa [AYWP] and then Yifki [YIFKI]. Missionaries here have reported on the difficulty (and partial success) in convincing local residents to give up tribal warfare and violence as a way of life. (A recent example: Ten Minutes to Make a Stand.)

Heading south up the mountain valleys, we stop for an entertaining landing at Paiela [AYPB], a hilltop station town. Then a steep climb up over the mountain ridges [10500] into the Porgera Valley to get a look at the Porgera Gold Mine [POGRA]. At almost 9,000 ft, the location has high rainfall, landslides and frequent earthquakes. This is the second largest mine in Papua New Guinea and is one of the world’s top ten producing gold mines. From its 1990 beginning, the mine’s gold and silver has accounted for about 12 percent of the nation’s total exports. While jointly owned with the PNG national government and the Enga provincial government, the dominant operating ownership now lies with Barrick Gold (the world’s second largest gold mining firm). After eliminating the previous owner’s community relations program, Barrick has been tough-minded with the local population and prompted occasional outbursts of violence. (Things got serious when the locals obtained automatic weapons.) We land at Kairik [AYPE], the company’s airstrip that services its Fly-In Fly-Out management and senior staff.  

We then visit isolated Maramuni [AYRM] which has only very recently been connected to the regional road network. We then carry on to Kompiam [AYAQ] village and its Kompiam Rural Hospital. Missionary funds and volunteers built the hospital and have provided medical care in this undeveloped region for about a quarter of a century now. Tribal warfare is common in the north of Enga province and this condition makes for a difficult healthcare environment. One local missionary doctor tells the story of how he once treated a local patient for gunfire wounds only to have the neighboring tribe raid the hospital to burn down a clinic building.

Next, we fly south to the regional airport at Wapenamanda [AYWD]. This hard-surfaced airport has connecting passenger service to Port Moresby – and is the only direct air link between Enga Province and the nation’s main urban centers. The nearby provincial capital Wabag is little more than a village, marred by violent crime and little development. Its new library, established by the Australians, has since been dispersed – reading books has not proved popular. And its government buildings have several times been burnt to the ground.

Our final destination is Mount Hagen [AYMH] which is the nation’s third largest city and the Western Highlands’ main commercial center. Mount Hagen began in the 1930s when Mick Leahy and his team set up a grass airstrip to link with the outside world. The town grew up around that original airport – which was later moved 15 minutes northward. The current airport hosts links to Port Moresby, Tabubil, Kiunga, Moro, Wewak and Australia’s Cairns. And the mining companies fly out of Mount Hagen to supply equipment and workers for the Ok Tedi and Porgera mines. 

Documentation
The flightplan is available here.

Aircraft
Today’s flight is 257nm with a mix of established high-altitude airports and unpaved mountain airstrips. This is a mission for STOL-capable transport aircraft including the Cessna Caravan, Quest Kodiak, and DHC Twin Otter – all of which are a common sight in the area. I’ll fly the much-loved DHC-4 Caribou in the colors of Greatland Air Cargo. The Caribou spent parts of its life operating in PNG for the RAAF. As ever, please fly what you like.

Additional Scenery
Most airports are in the default simulator, but not all. I would recommend the following freeware sceneries. Thanks to these fine authors.

Tabubil [AYTB]. Mountainair
Telefomin [TLF]. Mountainair
Wanikipa [AYWP]. donalexander76
Yifki [YIFKI]. Milosanx
Kompiam [AYAQ]. por930
Wapenamanda [AYWD]. Mountainair
Mount Hagen [AYMH]. HaveDoughnut.

You can get a full package here.

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 8:00 am local for October 25, 2025. We typically prefer real weather but may need to adjust.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, October 25, 2025. 1800 UTC
Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel
Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

NOTAM (2025-10-25): Since FS2024 SU3, trees on the threshold of airstrips can pose a real hazard, especially for aircraft with a wide wingspan. One partial solution is to add Wantok’s Fixes for 425 Papua New Guinea airstrips. (This is for FS2020 and clears trees on the runway thresholds. It helps on a couple of this week’s difficult airstrips.)