Irian Jaya Airfields
Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:31 pm
As I mentioned in my entry above the only aircraft I ever found on an Irian Jaya abandoned airfield was a very derelict Hawker Hunter from the Dutch Air Force. It is located on Boroke Airfield on Biak which was a Dutch military airfield. As I noted the aircraft can still be seen today on google.earth.
Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:53 pm
Didn't know that Hunters were operated here !
Nice big empty hangar ... people would kill for a hangar like that in West Java
Nice big empty hangar ... people would kill for a hangar like that in West Java
Dutch AF on Biak
Wed Jun 10, 2009 4:50 pm
The Dutch had quite a large contingent of A/C opeating out of Biak by both their AF and Navy. Historical photos reveal not only Hunters but P2V Neptune, Fairey Firefly, Grumman Avengers, Martin PBM Mariners, C-47 Dakotas, helicopters, et.al . Unfortunatly the proper link of www.biak.nl remains 'down' (Luchtmact in Biak) as that is the key portion where there are scads of photos from WWII to 1961 when they vacated. The photos include quite a variety of naval ships in the area including aircraft carriers, frigates, transports and more. Elements of the AF, Navy and Army were permaently based there. The website link has a number of photos of that very hangar with P2V Neptunes undergoing service. Actually there is a photo of a broken Hawker Hunter which could very well be the very one that remains today. The Dutch AF used both Boroke and Mokmer for their military aircraft. Keep checking on the website for the link to be re-established. Great photo history resides there!
Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:40 pm
I'm amazed the Hunter AND the hangar are still there.
There was an small empty warehouse (~ 2,000 sq ft) about 400 yds down the road from our warehouse near Pondok Cabe Airport in Jakarta , thieves punched a hole in the brick wall and stole the warehouse brick by brick , steel frame , roofing and all in a matter of days.
The police turned up at my warehouse later and asked if I saw anything which I didn't as I was only at that warehouse a couple of days that week , one day it was there there and a week later it was gone . Nobody saw anything.
You tend to forget that the Dutch were still in Irian jaya until the 1960s .
There was an small empty warehouse (~ 2,000 sq ft) about 400 yds down the road from our warehouse near Pondok Cabe Airport in Jakarta , thieves punched a hole in the brick wall and stole the warehouse brick by brick , steel frame , roofing and all in a matter of days.
The police turned up at my warehouse later and asked if I saw anything which I didn't as I was only at that warehouse a couple of days that week , one day it was there there and a week later it was gone . Nobody saw anything.
You tend to forget that the Dutch were still in Irian jaya until the 1960s .