(SWPAC) Taco's Turkey Trot.

[Taco]

Short flight. Taking off from CPG to FIN

[Taco]

Yep, short flight and short runway for takeoff, but alas, we landed at FIN (Finschhafen)

Again, no welcome committee! Boy, did that CO give me a bunch of bull. Oh well, did have some good sounds from the Big Band era!

Taco

[Taco]

Well, we are off again, another short flight. Taking off from FIN to AYNZ

[Taco]

Landed at AYNZ safe and sound, but on the flight over here I stayed above and away from some of those mountain ridges, who knows might have been some of our friends from the north with the meatball on their flag, and some of the local spear chucker who would more than like to down a Turkey! hehe.

Taco

[Taco]

What is Leavenworth like? Here we is trying to grab a few zzzz, and this OD comes in yelling "Alright you joystick jockey up and at them, you can't make hay sleeping!" Man, after the tales the CO passed on, and now this, someone needs to be popped right between the eyes! Oh well, that's why we make the big bucks. LOL

OK, Taking off from AYNZ to AYGR

Levaenworths #0000

[Taco]

Lost our local power, DAMN WIND! starting over.

[Taco]

Hey about this! Landed at AYGR safe and sound, I think.

Well, sure looks like we have a welcome committe this time. A jeep load of heavy brass is coming our way, I told Dudely, I think we are in a world of do-do for buzzing the tower at AYGR on take off. But our luck is still holding no repercussion for our buzzing. All they wanted was to know if our ship has any problems, and if not we will be refueled as soon as possible, and we will need to take off right after the refueling is complete. Looks like there is some submarine activity down along the coast. In fact, they gave us a couple of depth charges!....Yipes!

[Taco]

We were just about ready to fire up for takeoff from AYGR to AYGM when we got word that the submarine problem has been eliminated. It seen that the submarine turned out to be a pod of whales! Didn't know there were whales this far south, oh well, they removed the two depth charges, and now no boom!

[Taco]

Well, we have landed at AYGN. All in all the flight was uneventful at best, no submarines, no whales. Only thing the bloody weather, darn it couldn't make up it's mind what to do.
It's time for the Turkey to be serviced, so we will spend the night here. Nothing here to write home about, so I think theres no way we could get into any trouble here with the local folks. hehe

[Taco]

Howdy, the Turkey has been seviced, and a few minor problems have been fixed and she has been refueled. By the way, we didn't get into any trouble last night! We were just "Quiet American" which more than likely surprised anyone. OK on with business.

taking of from AYGN to AYPY Grumman TBF

[Taco]

Again we landed safe! Landed at AYPY.

Just got parked and this here Army type person came over to us and told us we were to stand down by order of the local CO. As it was explained to us, there is an outfil up in the highlands that need some supplys. So, we volunteer, as this here Sergent told us! Now isn't that just like the Army. So we are standing down, and watching these Army types loading some strange looking stuff into the bomb bay. Who know when we will taking off again.

Taco.

[Taco]

As we were drinking our coffee and trying to look like we were enjoying it and the satle donuts, crying out loud, these donut must have came over here on a slow boat to China or someplace!

So incomes this here shavetail walks over to us, now we are trying to smile about the coffee etc so he would notice. Well, leave it up to the Army, plans changed again. It seen a C-47 is due in at Nadzab AYNZ and he can make it up to that outpost faster than we can, so they are unloading our plane, and now our orders are to go straight to Gusap.

Taking off from AYPY to GSP

Taco and Dudely!

[Taco]

Landed at GSP.

Well, here we go. Dudley brought some of those blasted donuts from the Army at Port Morseby and was trying to sell them to Military personal here as hockey pucks, but they kept trying to tell him that there was no ice to play hockey on. Knowing Dudely he kept telling them that if might freeze and they should be prepared! But alas, no sell, but he dog gone near got us whipped by few of the mud marines! You know those boys can't take a joke very well.

[Taco]

Hey there!

Darn, we have been grounded for a day or so, because of some heck of rainstorms. The field is so muddy you can hardly walk on it without sinking up to your ankles. We were requested to come over to operations at 0900 something about a special mission up to Wewak (AYWK). Wow! It’s sure nice of the Army to request us. Hehe. Anyway, all kidding aside, the mission is to transport this civilian to Wewak, and we were told that the reason was on a need to know basics. OK, we have no problem with that. Now this civilian was something else, actually, a local native dressed in army duds. He sure is a scary bugger the mud marines told us to be careful this fellow maybe a cannibal! That’s all we need, I don’t believe them I think they are just trying to get back at us for trying to sell those donuts for hockey pucks. Anyway, the Mud Marines helped us get the Turkey over to the runway thru the muck! Going to be one hellva a takeoff!

Taking off from GSP to AYWK

[Taco]

landed at AYWK, Wewak, orders over the radio, "Do not, I repeat, Do not exit the runway until you see the jeep with the "follow me" sign." Ok, so here the jeep with the sign and some MP's with some big guns. All this over one native in army duds! Speaking of our passenger, Dudely said he was doing OK until we fired up the engine and then his eyes got big as dinner plates. Don't think he has ever flown before. Dudely mentioned that on takeoff he thought the bugger was going to pass out! Anyway he settled down for most of the flight. But he sure didn't waste any time leaving the plane after we stopped and the hatch was opened. hehe

Not far out of GSP we picked up an escort, which we didn't know about, a couple of Army Air Corp P-39s. Of course, though the whole flight these jokers kept giving us a back time about the TBF, you know, What keeps it in the air, how does it fly, can't it go any faster etc. But old Dudely and I gave back as well as we recieved!