|
Flying to Umphang, Tak Province, Thailand.
Category: All Articles
» Flying Journals
Contributed by Andy Ponnaz. Flying to Umphang, Tak Province, Thailand. (Lat./Long. N 16° 01’ 32”/ E 098° 51’ 42”) The STOL (Short-field Take-Off & Landing) airstrip is above Umphang village in Tak Province, northwestern Thailand, and belongs to the Thai Border Police. Prior permission must be obtained from Border Police Provincial Headquarters in Tak beforehand. STOL skills are essential requirements, along with extra care and attention to weight and balance. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LAND HERE WITHOUT TRAINING. Low-winged planes should give it a miss.  Geography: Umphang village is at the edge of the northwestern border of Thailand, roughly 50 nautical miles South of Mae Sot and the same southwest of Tak. Magnificent high jungle ridges surround the small village to the north and the west with hills in the east. The ridges make the border with Burma and is home to the Tirasu Waterfalls. Flying around Umphang, it is easy to drift into Burma or run into real estate. Layout: The airstrip is a south-to-north clearing above the main village on the mountain’s rising slope. At 1’700’, it is just over 650 metres (2132’) long, unusually wide at the middle with an unobstructed valley-to-plateau approach over the village clock tower on to the threshold at the southern end. The northern end of the gently rising strip butts onto a jungle thicket at the base of a small hill which itself is on the slope of the mountain. I share Tom Claytor’s opinion to use the over-the-village straight-in shallow approach from the south (as opposed to the steep descend off-centre approach from the north). The uneven surface is a mix of leftover bitumen asphalt, earth and gravel on which light grass is growing. Local livestock feed there too, along with their droppings.  The airstrip was abandoned some 4 years ago when the last Pilatus PC-6 “Porter” left Umphang. Thai Flying Club (TFC) member Dr.Chollatit had it bulldozed recently to open the way for the exclusive “Mah Baa” or Mad Dog membership (to those who dare!). Landing: Approach from the south, perform a high speed low-pass to familiarise yourself and to warn of impending landing; go to the right of the hill, pull-up and bank left around the back of the hill with the grace of a tight chandelle. Check wind direction by observing smoke from the village. If it’s windy, there will be much turbulence from the hilly surroundings. Keep up your speed until you are committed on a long and shallow final, and then drop gear and 2/3 flaps. At medium to short final, go to full flaps and 60kt, reduce to stall-warning speed and “hang it on the prop” (control descent with generous throttle) for a very shallow short final. Practice this at 3000’ to get the mushing feel. Cut the engine over the threshold for a firm main gear touchdown, flaps up, steady the nose gear and apply brakes vigorously ABS-style with the stick or yoke to your chest.  You’re on gravel now and the prop doesn’t like it! Momentum is used in the U-turn to backtrack and park at the right on the white sandy gravel by the sala. After shutdown, use brawn and the nose wheel clamp to park your plane properly. A go-around must be performed early on. Nothing short of a firm landing at stall within 30 metres from the threshold would avoid the bush at the northern end. If the coin hasn’t dropped yet, there is no touch-and-go in Umphang! Departure: To be performed north-to-south, in the opposite direction of landing. Caution: gravel! In order to avoid damaging the prop, perform the run-up, mag checks and cycle the prop as you backtrack to the northern end, controlling speed with the brakes. Maintain enough momentum to do a U-turn without revving the engine to get round. A serious nick on your prop can cost you more than a new blade! Set up for short field take-off (from the POH). Observe wind. Observe a clear runway. When ready to take-off, start your roll by gently but firmly increasing rpm to the firewall as you get ahead of the grit. Keep an eye on the airspeed indicator and lift-off at or beyond POH shortfield t/o speed, fly level allowing the speed to build up before retracting the gear and flaps, bank gently left and follow the valley for a shallow climb-out.  Umphang is famous for rafting and the Tirasu Waterfalls. November to January is the best time to capture the Umphang spirit. By the same token, the sky is usually overcast over at this time of year with ceilings at around 3000’-4000’ which means studying the WAC chart well and looking for a large hole in the clouds to descend through. HS-ASP FLIES INTO UMPHANG (Another one for the records) On Saturday November 29th 1998, I flew HS-ASP, a Cessna 177 RG “Cardinal” and successfully landed at, and returned from Umphang with two souls on board laden with mountain bikes. Two weeks previously, renowned bush pilot extrordinaire Tom Claytor did it flying right seat in a Cessna 182 along with Dr.Chollatit and 2 other TFC members. My flight this time was in overcast “pea soup” all the way, requesting IFR in mid-climb to stay within the regs. The terminal forecast for Tak, my alternate, was already overcast, and it was expected to be worst further West. My only real alternative was to return to BangPhra (VTBT), which I had planned for. Maintaining 8000’ all the way to within 40 miles, I descended to 7300’ to stay above minimums (6800’). As luck would have it, I found a large hole in the clouds at 15 miles through which I descended into an underworld of mountain with peaks hidden in the gray ceiling of thick cloud at 3000’. Following valleys and hopping ridges, the GPS brought me over Umphang in still air and I landed after 1 hour and 50 minutes of being aloft. The return flight was much the same, breaking through the ceiling to get on top at 6000’ for Tak, boring a hole through the cloud again and landing at the deserted (yes! There was no one there!) airport. At least the phone worked to make the return flight-plan. Departed Tak and climbed to BEKOD through the muck and tracked Alpha 464 into Bangkok at 7000’ in clear sky with 20+ knots headwind; got into real weather over the BKK VOR as the flag dropped to track the outbound to VTBT. Landed after 2 hours 5 minutes with 35 litres (40 litres planned) in the tanks, a hot pitot and a cleaner plane! We are all taught that the fuel on the ground is no use when you’re running out of it up there, and that “hanging on the prop” on final approach is throwing caution to the wind. Yet in Umphang, carry too much fuel and you’ll stay on the ground in a tail wind; and a normal approach à-la runway 23 at BangPhra will throw your machine into the bush with you in it! Hanging on the prop is essential if you want to get safely on the ground at Umphang. As Tom says, “bush pilots have to do it regularly”. What for? Mad Dogs might well do it in Umphang, but the right balance is no magic; it is a mix of very good preparation, profound understanding of the forces at work and a dedicated application in managing what you’ve got. On the other hand, The Magic can be summed-up from one of Tom’s quotes: “Only as far as we seek, can we go… Only as much as we dream, can we be…” I am thankful for the sound advice from all pilots and instructors who remind me to read the POH, give me tips and why-fore’s like leaning the mixture, measuring critical runway length from aloft, drag me along as co-pilot overseas, and caution me on critical issues to name but a few. In applying everything I have learned, I have come to enjoy flying at a new level and appreciate my aircraft in a larger dimension. Pardon the pun but at the end of the day, I fly happier and I fly better. "More than anything else, Jonathan loved to fly." Richard Bach, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" Andy S. Ponnaz, 30th November 1998 |
 |
Views: 1745 views
;){kind=spacer}
Report Inappropriate Content
All Rights Reserved. WingsOverAsia.com - A Registered Trademark. Copyright 2010 -
FAQ -
Terms of Service -
Contact Us
-
