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Coat of Arms.

     Ujung Pandang, Island of Sulawesi, Republic of Indonesia

     Monday, 29^th November 1993

     As I’ve previously covered Ujung Pandang, dear reader, to avoid boring the socks off you, suffice to say we spent an hour on the ground and then launched for Palu.

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     Palu, Island of Sulawesi, Republic of Indonesia

     Monday, 29^th November 1993

     Upon blasting out of Ujung Pandang, we took up a northerly course and flew up the mountainous, inhospitable shank of Sulawesi Island.  Flying the 287 miles north of Ujung Pandang in one hour and four minutes, we arrived at Palu hugging the south end of a long fjord guarded by mountains on both sides. 

     Oh yes, dear reader, resembling Norway, but without the snow and ice.  In future the fjord will funnel a tsunami down its throat, creating a massive, mountain of a wave moving at the speed of a 737, which will hammer Palu flat, damaging the airport, and killing thousands.  Let’s face it, the “Pacific Ring of Fire” with its erupting volcanoes and shifting tectonic plates producing tsunamis, made Indonesia one risky place to reside or visit.

Palu knocked flat.

     The Mutiara Airport lay along the southeast edge of the city with a single strip running southeast to northwest (150°/330° magnetic) at 6,068 feet in length.  Because of the usual 20-30 knot wind barreling out of the fjord from the north, we always used Runway Three-Three for landings and takeoffs; the airport also being restricted to Day and VFR operations.        

     VFR stands for Visual Flight Rules, dear reader; requiring a visibility at the airport of three miles and a ceiling of 1,000 feet.  Plus night operations were forbidden.

                         

                                              

     Sleepy Palu’s only claim to fame was that it had been bombed and strafed by American Douglas B-26 (A-26) medium bombers operated by the CIA.  

     This happened in April 1958 during the Permesta rebellion in North Sulawesi.  In fear that Indonesia was becoming communist, America supported and supplied the rebels.  Naturally the CIA had to get involved by providing 15 B-26s flown by their operatives.  When a B-26 got shot down, and the pilot survived, the cat was let out of the bag.  World opinion came down hard on the CIA, causing them to withdraw their support for the rebels.  By 1961 the rebellion went the way of the dodo, and petered out.

Palu before the tsunami:

Home of the giant sunfish.

     After an hour on the ground, we launched off Runway Three-Three, and maintained a northwesterly heading as we climbed out through the fjord.  Upon getting enough altitude to safely cross the mountains, we cranked our 737 around to the left and took up a more westerly heading for Balikpapan.

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