JAARS IN PERU
as seen through the "Agersten lens."
When you know that you have around 7'000'000 square kilometers of this under your wings in the Amazon, it is nice to... | ....use one of this planes, with floats! You can then land on any water surface you choose. |
Pete summing up the paper work after a day's flying in Alto Amazonas. This picture is taken around 1990 in Betania. | In front, pilot Dave Ramesdale and Jim Dagert (back) spending the night at our home in TigrePlaya. |
TigrePlaya some time in the late 1970's. Starting from the left: I am standing on the raft (with white hair), Reinhard Wilhelm (back on the float), my dad John Agersten, Fred (the pilot) digging for something inside the plane, Rudolf Wilhelm (standing on the float), and to the very right, a passenger (can't remember his name). Notice the huge slat covering the entire leading edge of this awesome STOL wing! The Helio Super Courier easily pulls out 1000 pounds of payload in it's 6 seat cabin. |
TigrePlaya some time in the late 1970's. Here a Helio Super Courier has landed on our grass strip. The strip was built with "hand power", and measured a whopping 450 meters (1476 feet)! That's more than the space this "majorly STOL" aircraft needs, even at max takeoff weight! Notice it's trailing fowler-flap stretching for a grate length of wingspan. This huge constant-speed prop is geared down From the left: Reinhard Wilhelm in blue shirt, Douglas Deming as the pilot, then I am standing in yellow shirt, Rudolf Wilhelm behind little Anita, and finally all the way to the right Chris Burgdorf. |
TigrePlaya some time in the mid 1970's. Preparing the aircraft's for flight after a nightstop. Good old OB-M-492, while still on floats, in in the back. Faithful "milli" in front. Vigdis Olsen is holding our dog, King. I am handing Butch (Eldon Barkman) a gallon of aviation oil. |
TigrePlaya some time early in the 1980's. My dad (John Agersten), standing behind the barrel, is helping with refueling. Notice how the cargo doors opens. You could stuff a cow through there if needed! : ) |