Capt. Garry Honour, Retd

A Tribute to Aviators in PNG

Here are a few tales put together remembering some legendary Papua New Guinea aviators whom we all respect.

Captain GA (Dick) Glassey

The following biography is based on an obituary written by Peter Sharpe and published in the Port Moresby Post-Courier on 1 September 1995.

Although Dick Glassey was with Adastra for only a short time in the mid-1950s, it is significant that he served his time with the company in Papua New Guinea, for he went on to become a central figure in the development of postwar civil aviation in PNG.

Born George Argyle Glassey, in Ashburton, New Zealand, Dick acquired his nickname through a childhood fascination with a radio serial about Richard the Lionheart. Thus he became known as Richard, which was inevitably shortened to Dick. After leaving school, Dick joined the New Zealand Army, serving several years with the occupation forces in postwar Japan.

He then moved to Australia, where he cut sugarcane before applying to join the Royal Australian Air Force. After pilot training he was posted to No. 87 (PR) Squadron, flying Mosquitoes on photo reconnaissance and aerial survey work. At this time 87 Squadron was commanded by Ted McKenzie who was later to become Chief Pilot and Operations Manager of Adastra.

Ted McKenzie’s successor as Operations Manager, Mike Wood, also served in 87 Squadron, as did Adastra pilots Graham Holstock and Leon Gordon. Sadly Graham Holstock lost his life in the crash of Hudson VH-AGO at Horn Island.

Dick Glassey joined Adastra in 1955, flying Hudsons, mainly in PNG. The nomadic lifestyle of a survey pilot did not appeal to Dick, as he was then raising a young family, so he joined Mandated Airlines flying DC-3s out of Madang.

After Mandated Airlines was taken over by Ansett, Dick managed the light aircraft division of Ansett-MAL. With the decline in the numbers of the light aircraft fleet, Dick became Chief Pilot for Ansett Airlines of Papua New Guinea (formerly Ansett-MAL).

In conjunction with another Ansett pilot, he sponsored flying training for PNG’s first national pilot, Napoleon Onsem. Dick’s ongoing involvement in promoting the training of national pilots was one of his proudest achievements.

With the approaching independence of PNG, Dick was appointed Chief Pilot of the new nation’s carrier, Air Niugini. After his subsequent promotion to Operations Manager of Air Niugini, he helped set up the National Pilot Training Scheme. Up until his retirement, Dick was flying Fokker F.28s on domestic and international services. After a distinguished flying career he retired to Brisbane, where he drove a taxi for relaxation!

Dick Glassey passed away in Brisbane on 3 August 1995 after a short illness. The pallbearers at his funeral were Captains Aria Bouraga, Lockly Sabumei, Peter Sharpe and Malcolm Douglas, all wearing Air Niugini uniforms, representing three decades of PNG aviation.

Captain W (Billy) J Johns

Bill Johns was born on 14 February 1928, in Proserpine, North Queensland. The Johns family was keen on music—Billy’s father played in a band in Proserpine and young Billy got a taste for it. Later on, Bill was raised in Hobart, Tasmania, and became a timpanist with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, playing the kettledrums.

It seems that young Billy got a taste for flying and was trained initially at Archerfield Airport in Brisbane on 12 October 1950, possibly at the Royal Aero Club of Queensland.

In 1951 he relocated to Hobart in Tasmania and continued flying training at Cambridge Airport under Chief Flying Instructor Lloyd Jones. From 1951 to 1953 Bill completed his private pilot licence and continued his training to commercial pilot standard for the next two years. During this time Bill flew various aircraft such as DH-82 Tiger Moth, DHC-1 Chipmunk, Auster types, Percival, Wackett and Miles, which included Aerobatics. Other types flown were the American Grumman, British Beagle and Thorp aircraft.

Later in 1955 Bill moved to the Territory of Papua New Guinea to continue his aviation career. He

joined Territory Airlines of Goroka which, at that stage, was owned by Jack Gray and Jack Smith. When at TAL, Bill flew the DH-84 Dragon, Beechcraft 58 Baron and 95 Travelair.

Around 1956 Bill began flying for Mandated Airlines (MAL), which started his amazing airline career. In the Territory, Bill flew the Piaggio P-166 and later the DC-3/C-47, in which he flew almost 9,500 hours. He also flew almost 300 hours on the DHC-4 Caribou, a devoted cargo aircraft from De Havilland, Canada.

Over the subsequent years, the PNG Airline industry expanded, and MAL became known as Ansett MAL, later Ansett Airlines of PNG, and eventually incorporated into Air Niugini, which launched on 1 November 1973.

With Air Niugini, Bill flew the Fokker F-27 (over 7,000 hours), the Fokker F-28 (some 5,400 hours) and the Boeing 707 for some 365 hours. He continued flying in PNG until 1985.

Bill’s next stop was Nuku’alofa in Tonga, where he was appointed to Friendly Islands Airways until 1988.

Later that year Bill relocated back to Queensland, where he flew for Flight West for seven years, working with Dennis Buchanan once more, following the cessation of Talair in PNG. Bill returned to PNG in 1995, working with Milne Bay Airlines for three years, flying the DHC-8 Dash 8.

Overall, Bill spent some 33 years flying in PNG which is the most distinguished career of any pilot associated with PNG. He also became Chief Flying Instructor of the South Pacific Aero Club based at Jackson’s Airport Port Moresby. This was in conjunction with John Close and Vince Sanders.

During his 47 years in Aviation, Bill amassed a grand total of 31,055 hours, and we who remain are in awe of this wonderful ‘legend of the airways’.

Overall Capt. Bill Johns will be known for an incredible flying record centred on Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Australia. A man of many talents, all the way from an incredible and well respected aviator to an accomplished musician and drummer as good as the best.

Capt. Johns passed away in Brisbane on 1 May 2012, aged 84 years.

Captain Graham Syphers

Graham Syphers, born 16 January 1944, passed away on 16 June 2020, aged 76, in Nambour, Queensland

Can I simply say just how highly respected Graham was in the aviation communities of PNG, the Solomon Islands and later in Australia? Graham was legendary amongst those of us who have spent our entire working lives in aviation.

I knew Graham from around 1964 when I was stationed at the Scone Aero Club trying to talk farmers, graziers and businessmen into charter flights on behalf of the company I was working with at the time—Tamair of Tamworth. Graham was flying Col Pay’s Cessna 180 from Scone Airport at the same time, and I often looked across the fence with envy and admiration for his lifestyle.

I was fortunate to fly with Graham shortly after we both joined Territory Airlines, initially based at Goroka in late 1965. I flew with Graham often, learning so much from him and sharing some wonderful times together.

Graham returned to PNG to form Macair PNG, while I ended up with TAA, first in Essendon and later back in the TPNG. I elected to stay on in PNG, flying for Air Niugini and eventually Singapore Airlines. Graham continued to fly in the Solomon Islands and elsewhere in the Pacific region, Norfolk Island Airlines being one of them. I lost track of Graham, as I believe he moved on to National Jet, continuing a stellar career.

I still miss Graham enormously. He was an inspiration throughout my career. I consider him as my longest aviation wantok, going back some 56 years. Graham might have carried out his final landing, but I am confident that his last landing would have been a real ‘greaser’ just like the ones we shared, and as an old veteran DC-3 Check Captain back in the TAA PNG days he would sometimes comment: ‘Shags, that was like a cat pissing on glass!’

We still miss you enormously. Vale Captain Graham Syphers. Garry Honour, Armidale NSW