MASswings' Twin Otter Plane Landing In Bario, Kelabit Highlands

Sorry this is a belated post I know but now that my Realplayer has been fixed I can post this.

Video shows MASwings Twin Otter plane arriving at Bario airport in the Kelabit Highlands. Watch carefully as the tiny plane swoops over the mountains and valley. What sort of airport would you expect in this "ulu" (remote) area?

Take off from Miri Airport for Kelabit Highlands - video clip

I'd wanted to post this video clip but my realplayer was problematic. This is a belated post.



Video clip shows MASwings Twin Otter taking off from Miri airport bound for the Kelabit Highlands. I kept a close watch on the propellers, fearing they'd suddenly stop and...



Quiz: How many passengers do you think this plane can take?



(A)19 (B) 25 (C) 30 (D) 37

MASwings to Kelabit Highlands, Sarawak

The Big Brother. Just look at the propeller blades! Awesome! These are probably MASwing newer planes.

De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter being unloaded.

I crept as near as I dared to take these pictures.

An Australian backpacker, who happens to be a pilot, told me this Twin Otter is probably about 20 years old.

A return trip to the Kelabit Highlands from Miri is about RM 190 nett. The flight is only about 45 mins. Book now.

MASwings to Kelabit Highlands

The only practical way to reach such a remote and isolated place like the Kelabit Highlands is to fly on MASwings' Twin Otter plane (about 45 mins)



From my front row seat, I could watch the pilots flying the plane. Cockpit has no door so you could say Hi to the pilots.
The pilots were mad with me for getting too close. One of them got out and scolded me, "This is an airport. You want to get your head chopped off?"
The handsome Twin Otter. NO welcoming party on board. Just grab any seat you fancy.
No toilets either. So if you get CON (call of nature) you're in deep trouble.

Kelabit Highlands, Sarawak

Tomorrow I'll be flying off to the Kelabit Highlands, a plateau (1500 m) near the Indonesian border.

Most people fly there. The other alternative is a combination of buses, taxis and boats which can take you practically the whole day. The latter way is undoubtedly more adventurous but you might be called upon to pull or push the boat!

Since internet access might not be available, I'll blog about the Kelabit trip on my return on Wed 15 Sept.

I'm looking forward to flying on the MASwings' Twin Otter, a plane that can take only about 19 passengers!