Rudi Kappel Airstrip

Tafelberg Airstrip
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorLuchtvaartdienst Suriname
LocationTafelberg, Suriname
Elevation AMSL1,112 ft / 339 m
Coordinates3°47′15″N 56°09′00″W / 3.78750°N 56.15000°W / 3.78750; -56.15000
Map
SMTB is located in Suriname
SMTB
SMTB
Location in Suriname
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
11/29 1,200 3,937 Grass
Sources: GCM[1] Google Maps[2] HERE/Nokia Maps[3]

Rudi Kappel Airstrip (ICAO: SMTB) is located 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) south of the Tafelberg tepui in Suriname. It was constructed as part of Operation Grasshopper. It used to be named Tafelberg Airstrip, but was renamed Rudi Kappel Airstrip, after the co-pilot of a flight that crashed near Vincent Fayks Airport on 6 October 1959.[4][5]

History

The airstrip was the first airstrip to be constructed in the interior of Suriname. On 3 March 1958, the Geijskes expedition to the Tafelberg began. One of the goals of the expedition was to examine whether an airstrip could be built on the savanna.[6] On 16 March, Rudi Kappel, H. Massink, and 18 Amerindians started clearing the area, and on 24 March, the first plane landed on the airstrip.[7][8] In February 1959, Operation Grasshopper was announced which intended to map the natural resources in the interior of Suriname. As part of the operation, six more airstrips were to be constructed.[9]

Charters and destinations

Charter Airlines serving this airport are:

AirlinesDestinations
Blue Wing AirlinesCharter: Paramaribo–Zorg en Hoop[10]
Gum AirCharter: Paramaribo–Zorg en Hoop[11]
Hi-Jet Helicopter ServicesCharter: Paramaribo–Zorg en Hoop

Accidents and incidents

  • Suriname (Kingdom of the Netherlands) On 25 October 1968 a Douglas C-47A PH-DAA of KLM Aerocarto flew into Tafelberg following an engine failure whilst on a survey flight. The aircraft collided with the mountain in cloud, killing three of the five people on board.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Airport information for SMTB at Great Circle Mapper.
  2. ↑ Google Maps - Tafelberg
  3. ↑ HERE/Nokia - Tafelberg
  4. ↑ "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 163559". Aviation Safety. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  5. ↑ "Rudi Kappel verongelukt". Amigoe di Curacao (in Dutch). 8 October 1959. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "Expeditie naar de Tafelberg". Het nieuws (in Dutch). 4 March 1958. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  7. ↑ Arno Landewers. "Wetenschappelijke verkenningsvluchten boven Suriname 1938-1958" (PDF) (in Dutch). pp. 2–3. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  8. ↑ "Vijf Gure dagen op Tafelberg". Het nieuws : algemeen dagblad (in Dutch). 11 April 1958. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  9. ↑ Arno Landewers. "Operatie sprinkhaan" (PDF). Landewers (in Dutch). pp. 2–3. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  10. ↑ Blue Wing schedule Archived 2013-05-22 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Gum Air destinations
  12. ↑ "PH-DAA Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 July 2011.


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