You keep your cool even when it’s obvious that you’re right on the edge. You never just “go for it” and go around even if the tailwind increases 1mph over limit. Definitely what has kept you safe and alive. You must love what you do because there’s a lot of mainline carriers out there that would be lucky to have you. Keep up the good work and stay safe.

Hi Ryan. I am an ex NASA pilot and now instructor pilot for a major airline, and your life is much more exciting than mine. My hats off to you. Keep it up. God Speed young man !!

As a former US Navy fighter pilot, Blue Angel demonstration pilot, and United Airlines Check Captain, I have to break my normal routine of never commenting on UKposts videos. That was an OUTSTANDING job of professionalism in every way shape and form! You knew your parameters, held to them, and did an superlative job in carrying out the mission. I would be proud to fly with you any time!

I was flying in and around that area of the N.G. highlands nearly 70 years ago. In those days before satellites, that area was a blank on our charts, and we flew using our local knowledge of the area, which depending on the height you were flying would make your surroundings look different, and I think for us getting there and back in the changing weather, was the hardest part. And so for me, the eye-opener of this video was seeing the navigation display with your position constantly displayed.

That is intense, especially just before touchdown, when it becomes obvious how fast you are moving. Thanks for the ride.

My flight instructor used to say, "Never try to save a bad landing, just go around until it looks right." This pilot is a smart one -- Happy Landings!

So I grew up in the village of Aibai for about 15 years. My dad planned and had the airstrip built. Trying to get to Goroka by car takes 6-9 hours one-way, and you run the risks of landslides and highway robbers. The flight is only about 15 minutes like the gentleman in the video said. The reason the strip is so short is because below the airstrip is a road. My dad considered blasting out the mountain to lengthen it, but so far, that has proved cost prohibitive. Btw, it took about 12 years to build this airstrip (the government bulldozer got stolen, which slowed the project by several years). Excellent job on touching down on this strip!

Very nice go-around and approach. You displayed sound decisions and 2nd try was fantastic. I was a little amped up myself, and I remember some of my trips, but it is great to see someone fly those very difficult routes. I am a retired pilot and miss flying, but I fly your routes using FSX and the latest scenery. For weather I dial in conditions into AS16 and try to get as much realness as I can. I do get a bit shaky myself. Great trip and I hope to see more.

Not even close to the same level of skill needed, but it reminded me of flying into Carmel Valley (near KMRY in California) back in the day when it was open. The terrain really influences what you THINK your altitude is vs the actual numbers. Thanks for this, got MY heart pumping too!

I'm a 1 year you-tube pilot with hundreds of hours of watched aviation videos under my belt and I want to commend you on such a fantastic landing. It got very rough and very wet after landing, usually how I like it, but you kept your composure and handled it like a true professional.

When I was Army flight school one of my classmates was from Alaska. He was 24. He had been a bush pilot since obtaining his license. It seems like so much fun. He left the Army to go back to Bush flying. He was so far ahead of the entire class. It was nothing for him.

Nice video!! I'll never be pilot taught to me by bush pilot in Wawa Ont. in most stressful landing of 1974. Drove MI to Air Service, flew into fishin' camp on Cessna 172 pontoon plane, caught shipload of fish for 5 days, then picked up by Air Service and he brought a Beaver....but pilot alone. Foggy, but screw torpedos etc, and pilot brought me, my buddy, & our stuff out after hauling shipload of stuff in. Just kept getting foggier so when at Wawa pilot radioed Air Service whose owner advised him when clear of last hill. We settled in dense fog looking for lake and insane pilot put me in right seat as on way to lodge I mentioned had passed Ground School & had 4 lessons. All of sudden pilot said I dang near touched windshield while pointing & shouting, "Mountain There"! He shouted full flaps, full rich which I dialed in, while he pulled wheel back, got full throttle, & advised, you fly & let me know when straight up. Pilot trimmed plane etc & I found straight up where Beaver labored most, so said to him, "Straight up Sir"! Pilot grabbed wheel slightly disoriented, so I said sheer cliff face about 20' under pontoons Sir, and he pissed his pants. Beaver most important I'll have you know as struggled up as high as she could go, pilot kicked rudder, & w/last air speed headed for the basement dodging trees until last one got Beaver Trim from prop, when pilot pulled up, up, and away soaring into safety of the dense fog. Pilot reapproached, got new more better clearance, and we landed w/o further incident. Owner of Air Service real apologetic and all, but claimed distracted while Wife removed his other cheek & didn't hear warnings from plane handlers our engine noise stopped as were on other side of hill. Our pilot claimed he was 45 and that was closest call he had, and closest call he had ever heard of too! We were offered free lifetime in-out service whenever we wanted to fish or hunt, but we never went back choosing life instead!! You bush pilots are a breed of your own, my hat's off to ya, but count me out where you can do everything right and easy be wake up D-E-D dead!

That was pretty cool job. It’s really good to see that even going through a challenging stressful flight you could show everyone every single detail of the operation such as a good flight instructor would do. Congrat once again. Rooting for you blessed man.

Who needs Netflix when you have THIS stuff to watch?? Brilliant - thank you. I'd do it in a heartbeat!

I have the greatest respect for "Bush pilots" who are tested to their limits just about every flight. Same goes for rescue pilots. You folks have amazing skills and every flight hour is pure flying.

Thank you very much for this great experience, it felt as if I was sitting next to you as a student and observing/learning the entire experience! It was very educational and at the same time very enjoyable!👌

I am still holding my breath after that superb demonstration of airmanship... That's a 35,000 hour pilot talking. Great job.......

Whew! I think I was holding my breath for the last 30 secs. Your hand knows RIGHT where that flap handle is. *SLAP!*

A slippery and muddy strip. Takes a lot of skill and ability to do what he does with much ease. Well done on this outreach. God bless you and may you prosper in life.

Wow Ryan! I've shot short, soft field landings in 152, T-cart, etc. but nothing like a Kodiak...and nothing with a cliff at the end! Great landing Ryan! We all pray for you and your ministry. God bless you forr all you do.

Absolutely mad man but you have all my respect as a pilot. I would never

Of the many aviation lessons I have learned from you, Ryan, possibly one of the most important is that the self-discipline required NOT to attempt a landing if it is unsafe to do so is crucial. To think "I can do it, it will be OK, after all I've come all this way and if I turn back it will all have been for nothing" is so tempting - but is so deadly.

Bravery and humility - this was inspirational for life in general. We need focus and courage and competence in many areas and this video calls that forward. Only people with a true calling and aptitude should become pilots, because when things get difficult, only those type of people will have what it takes. Really great video!

I grew up in Valdez, Alaska, and have been in many small planes flying over the mountains from and to there. When I was 14, I got to sit in the co-pilot's seat of the mail plane, in order to get home from Cordova where my first flight (out of Anchorage) had had to detour. I wasn't sure I wanted to be in that seat, but it was actually very exciting, and the glaciers, from above, are even more magnificent than I could ever have imagined. After watching this 2020 flight, I'd fly with you, any day! Nice work! :-D

Holly Molly! I'm sometimes worried landing a C172 or a Mooney on a 650 m dirt runway and you are managing to land a turboprop on a 454 m wet runway in the jungle. That's a top notch skill. Outstanding! I'm also impressed with the Kodiak's slow stall and approach speeds.

Such a smooth, unruffled pilot; a picture of professionalism. When I was assessed for my PPL some decades ago, the assessor told me that a candidate would only get the nod if he felt he could trust his kids with him/her. Without a moment's hesitation I would trust my kids with this guy! (BTW ... this the first video I've watched here ... Subscribed immediately!

WHEW! I puckered sitting in the comfort and safety of my home with that last big adjustment right at the cliff face!

I watched this video a while ago and it popped up again today in suggestions. Never ceases to amaze me at your skill with that landing. Very very impressive.

As a Commercial Airline captain at a major airline I love to see this. NO your not crazy. You do an outstanding and professional job. And you supply a needed service to these people. Keep up the great work sir!

The Kodiak is an awesome aircraft. I worked and retired from Quest Aircraft Company and started manufacturing on plane number 8. It flys wonderful and had many improvements and upgrades over the years. Daher now owns the company now but the Kodiak 100 is still in production. I love the fact that we were involved with the missionary groups. We would as a company pray over each plane before delivery. Maranatha, Sandpoint Idaho

I’m learning to fly and this has just inspired me more. What a fantastic pilot you are!

I don't know anything about piloting but I can tell you have done an amazing job! Well done!

There was definite relief in your voice when you called to say on the ground, cancel SAR. Amazing landing!

Holy cow Ryan!! That was a full pucker landing! Such an intimidating approach, and then throw in the weather and the tailwind.... amazing job sir. And much respect for the instant go around at 1mph over. That's one of the reasons you will get to be an old pilot someday. You're a great example for all pilots. Thank you so much for sharing these videos with us!

Thanks Ryan. I appreciate your flying precision and how you show your true self in reduced conditions with margins and how they affect our human responses. Many blessings.

Great job commentating under pressure. You really made it appear so easy! You remind me of my Dad. He was an Experimental Test Pilot in the 50's & 60's for Northrop's F-5 & T-38. Very confident & very calm under pressure. A great skill to have as a pilot. Thanks for the amazing ride !!

Holy cow! I can see how lesser pilots could really get themselves into a lot of trouble very quickly. Great ADM skills there. Thanks for the video.

That’s what we call “a real pilot”👏

I have absolutely no experience with flying a light plane, or even being a passenger in one. I watched the video and saw nothing stressful even though the title is "most stressful landing of 2020". I couldn't work it out. But then I read the comments, and I can see now that the reason it didn't appear stressful was because of your great skills and professionalism. You made it look so easy!

What a great trip to share with you in your plane! Thanks for sharing the experience, I love watching this. I always remembered when I did my PPL I found that on my first solo I went through the checks out loud, as if the instructor was sitting next to me.. speaking aloud just like you do.. I believe it is great to do that.. your checks are more than mine ever were though!! (BUMPFFF) but I even go through them in my head many years later as a passenger on any plane!! haha.... good practice I guess.. Enjoyed your comments and planning as you go along.. great stuff!! (PS, I am a nurse and worked in 10 countries.. PNG being one of them so cudos to you in that fly-zone!!)

I didn't see the runway until he was on his final approach. He earned his money on this one.

Airlines Industry needs pilots like you that put safety first and still love flying.

Awesome, love your ability to narrate through everything. I flew in the USAF as a Flight Engineer on the C-130B model Hercules, and went into some wild improved runways, but I was not piloting...thankfully for the rest of the crew lol. Fly safe, love your vids!

You made that look easy. That's a real display of commitment to your calling. Many are called, but only a few go.

Papua New Guinea is blessed to have you serving our country through the mission. Best wishes and prayers for your continued safe flying 🙏🏽❤

It seems so, so “e-z”... like a toy, having fun.... from this view. Until, the sound is turned on, trying to just repeat what you are saying to the tower, and listening to what the tower says back, the depth perception issues, all the electronic equipment, wind speed(s)...on and on. NO WAY THIS IS “E-Z”... lol. EXCELLENT JOB! I dream of doing what/how you are living! Thank you!

Wow I can not tell you how fast my heart was racing!! great job!!

I thought you were well-qualified and competent in making that landing, given the tailwind and rain, etc (not to mention narrating your flight), but I would never do it myself, and I consider myself to have been fairly daring most of my life. I'm older now, hence the hesitation. Great job! Thanks for explaining everything so well; it made for following a very interesting set of circumstances and flight!

You kept your cool from start to finish. It was nerve wracking to watch you take off and landing over a mountainous trains and on a muddy air strip in a rainy weather. You got nerves of steel! I salute the person who trained you to be such a great pilot!

Those rock filled clouds beckoned me back in the '80's when all we had was paper maps, a visual flight guide, and turbo piston aircraft made out of bogus spare parts. Being the King of short field cross wind landings on rough bush ALA's is no substitute for the cool and calculated approach seen in this video. Stay safe brother.

You know how to fly and land in the most challenging landing strips. Talent!

Love to watch and listen to pilot play-by-plays. Awesome job.

Great “primer” on why minimums, maximums and situational awareness is sooooo important. Your vlogs are both amazing and informative. I wish we had had this kind of information (video) available when I was training in 2000! Keep up the great work!

As a former FB-111 Nav I have seen some intense approaches & landings. You are the pilot I would fly with. Rules are meant to be followed.

Incredibly brave and skilled aviators providing an important lifeline to the outside World

I know nothing about flying aircraft And your flight had me on the edge of my seat. Stay safe!

I was thinking "there's a runway down there? WHERE?"

Wow, putting the flaps up was a nice move there. Just in time to settle that thing. Beautifully done! Safe landings!

Thank for bringing back memories of PNG flying as a young guy. Flying a PC6B into Aseki, (then a 1500ft grass strip) was always interesting with reminders pegged out on the two hills acting as a "localizer" on final and the wrecks at the far end for those who thought a late go-around may work (they didn't). I'll always value the experience. A lot of fun but I quit while ahead opting for a 747 and 10,000ft runways which don't soil the underwear.

Great job. Really appreciate you showing the necessity for go-arounds until conditions are best in a complicated landing!

As a guy who, at 75 years old, has only let himself fly with one pilot in a private plane (my best friend), I would fly with you anytime. I appreciate your skill. I was as nervous as you coming in for that landing. Whew.

I did 3 years flying in Borneo and Malaya[ 61 to 65] Good to see skills are still out there. Our shortest strip was 180yards

Lived in Goroka nearly 5 years and made that flight to Aibai and also up to Mt. Wilhelm (trout farm) about 25 years back. Seems not much has changed and the piloting is as ever challenging yet so much fun. Thanks for the trip down memory lane and the video, as we didn’t have a camcorder that time🤙👍

During my time serving as an aircraft technician with the Royal Canadian Air Force, I spent three years on an isolated posting to 440 Transport Squadron, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Yellowknife is a small city in Canada’s Arctic. During my time there, I was involved in various forms of missions, and exercises. This gave me the opportunity to experience some of the most terrifying landings, and take offs imaginable. Our squadron’s only operations aircraft was a fleet of five venerable DeHavilland Twin Otters. The incredible STOL characteristics of the Twin meant nearly any short strip of semi-level open land could serve as a “runway”. While the strip in this video is far from ideal, it is much better than the horrific pseudo “runways” our squadron’s pilot’s viewed as “acceptable”. I’ve been on missions where we landed on the very small island (gravel bar) where the crew of the Franklin Expedition met their horrific end. Even the mighty Twin had a hard time getting wheels off the ground on that one, actually being literally thrown into the air by a massive dip in the gravel near the end on the strip. Or the time we landed at the NASA MARS research site, on a landing strip with a 14 degree uphill slope. But by far, the most terrifying was the time we landed on jagged sea ice, 200km out over the Arctic Ocean, in the midst of a pretty good blizzard. Landing was what I’d call very rough. One of the plane’s ceiling panels even came loose, hitting both myself, and the female technician seated behind me in the head. After a short time messing around on the ice, and marvelling in the fact we were standing on the Arctic Ocean, a mere 300km from the actual North Pole, it was mentioned that we should probably return to base, as the storm seemed to be intensifying. Two minutes after we re-entered the plane, the pilots gunned the throttles, setting off the scariest 45 seconds of my entire life. Because we had the aircraft in the ski configuration, there was none of the usual shock absorption provided by the big, balloon tires which are normally installed. Due to this, every bit of the energy created by hitting jagged sea ice at an increasing level of speed is transferred directly to the 40+ year old airframe you are now convinced will become your ice encrusted Arctic tomb. I cannot begin to describe the massive impacts that plane was taking, and as a result, our bodies were taking as well. We were bouncing so bad, you’d think the plane had finally taken flight, only to slam down again. This time, not only the panel above me fell down, but every panel in the passenger compartment. I watched as the Twin’s cartoonishly large wings flexed up and down, further than I ever would have considered possible. Then, after approximately 45 seconds of pure terror, we peacefully lifted into the air. I’ve never been so happy to be off the ground in my life. I skipped the remainder of flight “opportunities” offered by our incredible pilots on that particular exercise, choosing to instead make inroads with the cute little tech who had been seated behind me during that horrific take-off. Although I missed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand upon the North Pole, I do not regret my choice, as two years later, that cute little technician became my wife. We are still happily married twelve years later, and often fondly reminisce about that time on the Arctic Ocean when we thought we were going to die.

As a pilot, I can't imagine doing your job on a daily bases... but you do everything right...you brief your entire flight while on the ground...you use all cockpit resources to help you....you stay very focused on every task that needs to be done from start-up to shut down...Well done!!

Excellent execution and very professional! You made great decisions and kept us abreast. Really cool... yes, I'd love to do that. Retired UAL, current Baron Pilot

Nice job dude. Very professional. Enjoyed watching your procedural discipline and proficiency and skill. Watched it with my 10 y/o son. He was curious what I did and your video helped explain alot. Flew with the US Air Force for 24 years and your adherence to that discipline and situational awareness will keep you and others safe for your career. Again, Nice job

The amazing part is that you remained talking and explaining the whole procedure to us! Kudos to you!!!

Remember these moments. These are the experiences that will stay with you forever. After 22,000 hrs of airline and PT91 flying I stopped entering into the logbook, that was 5 years ago. Don’t be in a rush to fly bigger planes, it just gets more and more boring(if you are doing it right), 16,000 x 150 ft of runway makes for slightly less stress. I have delivered aircraft from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans and from the Arctic Circle to the Panama Canal, for my first 5000 hours of flying that’s what I remember most vividly, the remaining 15-18000 hours are Airline where turbines and ATC makes it mind feel quite boring(Like it should be). Cheers

Great vid dude, love all the cameras you have set up, shows your amazing skills as a top pilot, certainly know what you're doing 😍

That’s amazing landing , professionally & smoothly done 👍😊

great flying. I worked in PNG in the late 80's. Based in Kerema and spent many a hour sweating hoping the pilot would get us down safely. Especially when flying up into the hills, mainly Kanabea which had a very steep runway. Brought back some great memories flying with Talair & Douglas Airways.

I am always a bit nervous landing a glider on a 800 metre flat grass runway, so I can fully understand that you were a "little" bit stressed. That really is one hell of a landing strip! Hats off to you.

Cheers Ryan. That's the most amazing professionalism and piloting expertise at the very highest level. I'm a low time CPL who has done just a little bit of mountain flying in New Zealand but your skills are a total other level of inspiring. You have great respect for that PNG cumulo-granite cloud.

I can see that you have that burning desire to safely fly an airplane to it's maximum limits. I love grass runways, but you sir are a model of inspiration most pilots would love to achieve.

Recap: Steep cliff, tail wind, rain, go around, less wind, consider going home, 11 degree slope, muddy landing, windshield covered in dirt, NTE covered in mud, adrenaline pumping, yet all good. Dear MBP, my heart!! Note: This strip is not named in msfs, but can be found 6.1 nm at 303 degrees from AYNO, 6,450ft and Rway 23. Look for the yellow mud strip at the top of the crest (big bump in the middle).

Your situational awareness is out of this world. You've definitely been around the block a few times. Keep up the awesome flying!

Excellent airmanship and approach on this stressful airfield.

This pilot is absolutely the best! Amazing flight!

I used to live in the Papua New Guinea when i was 16 starting for couple years on and off. In a place called Tabubil. My father worked in a mine up in the mountains. And I remember taking a few flights up into the mountains to land in some of the remote highland villages, and a couple times coming into those insane runways where it was completely full of clouds, and we would circle like three times, and then as soon a the pilot saw a 'hole' he would literally dive into it, and i swear he only was going by the small patch of land he could see, you could not see the runway, I know because I sat up front with him, but he knew the strip so well, that all he needed was to see a piece of the village and he knew where the landing strip was. And some of these strips were so small they were exactly the size of a football pitch, cause that is what they used them for. It was basically short grass pitch/runway. Where he had to pray they had properly removed the netting otherwise we would be in big trouble as there was no coming out once he was committed going into that 'hole' in the clouds. I always laughed at the scene in that Candy and Gene Levi movie where he says, "I see a hole in the clouds, I'm going for it", because that is exactly what it is like, that insane. Whoever wrote that scene in that movie, I swear they went with that aussie pilot i flew with in New Guinea. He was an amazing pilot though. Here it is.. club paradise. I swear this was exactly like that guy used to land. ukposts.info/have/v-deo/sH6rZq2Wgnp2yWQ.html&ab_channel=FlyHere660 Here is the town I lived in for that time. www.google.com/maps/place/Tabubil,+Papua+New+Guinea/@-5.2725028,141.1600255,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x6846a28a54047529:0x58d5b089449992e6!8m2!3d-5.2689848!4d141.2280931 Anyway, thanks for sharing, brings back those memories. that was a long time ago, in the 90's.

That was nuts! You're obviously smart, competitent, and able to make well informed decisions on the fly. Good work!

Great job. Really. Utmost respect for pilots like you.

my heart is pumping like crazy..very awesome narration! Thanks. Be safe.

Having flown rotary around PNG over 20 years ago, you bring back all the same old problems. You are a fantastic role model for younger pilots and a credit to whoever trained you. You demonstrate amazing levels of self awareness and even acting as a solo pilot, a great level of single pilot HF/CRM.

I almost never comment… until today. Great airmanship. Very relaxed, even when things get stressful. I fly my King Air in mountainous areas, but never so close - or within - as you do. Congrats, stay safe!

I too needed to catch my breath. The landing runway was really loose... Perfect ! Good Job and thanks for the sharing. Amazing video !

Thank you for your service to my country and province, too good!! that was an intense landing. I remember getting a chopper ride from a remote part of Goroka in Lufa, Crater Mountains. We flew by the airstrip and by seeing the airstrip, to be honest I got scared and told the chopper pilot that I am not taking plane back to town. He came back to pick me up after a week in the mountains setting up VSAT for a underground gold mine company

Wowza! That was intense. Well done that man. Bringing essential support to remote regions and doing it with great style!

Excellent stuff here! As a 45 year hobby pilot I found your due diligence setting up approach, escape/cancel options very safe and sane. You are obviously extremely familiar with the area, terrain & weather. Your planning and most importantly, your view of ALWAYS thinking towards NOT landing shows excellent decision making. Well done.......

You are not stupid, you are a skilled Bush pilot, well practiced with attention to detail. That's why you are still alive and flying. Keep the adrenalin pumping, if it stops you should stop flying. Good job you are great video. Randy ,thirty years flying bush in Alaska, still keeps me pumped..... MO in

in-TENSE final approach to that strip, WOW! Nicely done,Sir!

Thanks so much for sharing, as for the ''most stressfull landing of 2020'' you make it look so simple. It's great to see guy's like you at work who come across as totally laid back and chilled when flying close to mountain tops, especially when the video's can be watched by those of us who are not very mobile. Have a great day today, and every day !

I stumbled on your channel this morning. I’m not a pilot, but spent years in Aerospace industry and love all things flight. Your effort in presenting what you do is greatly appreciated. The views are stunning thanks to all the cameras. Great job and thank you for sharing!

Many thanks for this! Reminds me of some flights I took with MAF pilot Dave Swanson in XWTAL Cessna Wren in the early 1970s... Very hairy - but always with good outcomes....

As someone studying for my PPL, hell to the NAWZ. Great job, man.

Great video. You really know what you are doing. Your commentary was so informative. You had a plan for every eventuality and safety was your number one. Your attitude to aviation is what every pilot must have.

Love the added aerial footage of the runway with your plane parked at 19:26. Your commitment to getting great footage is appreciated.

Incredibly skill and courage! You’re an inspiration! 👌

Outstanding!!! I am not a pilot but love sitting in seat #2. What a thrill. Thx so much.

WHOA. Seriously dude. How does the plane fly with the weight of those balls of steel? Kudos to you. My heart rate skyrocketed just watching this. Happy 2021.