Starting a DC-3 at Palmalmal, New Britain, Papua New Guinea. About 1961.
Courtesy of George Oakes. Here is George's story of what happened.
In about 1961, when I was the Patrol Officer at Pomio, on the south coast of New Britain, we would go over to Palmalmal to meet the DC3 on its flight from Lae to Rabaul every fortnight. On one occasion the plane landed and had over 20 passengers on board. After the pilot had organised people getting off and on and unloading cargo for us they all boarded the plane to go to Rabaul. The pilot went to start the motor: nothing happened. The battery was flat.
The pilot got out and asked if we had a long rope which the plantation manager at Palmalmal soon found. The pilot then twisted the end of the rope around one of the propellers like starting a top then got back in the plane and when he gave the signal about a dozen of us pulled hard on the rope: nothing happened.
We then attached the end of the rope to the tractor and the tractor driver waited for the signal from the pilot and then drove as fast as possible away from the plane: the engine started to everyone's relief. Once the pilot got one engine going it was no problem to start the second. He was then able to take off for Rabaul.
The pilot told us he had a party in Lae he wanted to attend. We people on the ground heaved a mighty sigh of relief as we did not know how we could look after over 20 passengers for the night if the pilot had to wait for another battery to be delivered.
The pilot said no photos please, however, several months later I was sent some photos of what had happened. I had not realised a DC3 could be started this way.
