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From a desk job in IT to flying one of the world's most dangerous bush pilot routes — Matt Dearden spent seven years flying the Pilatus Porter into 30% gradient mountain airstrips in the remote highlands of Papua, Indonesia. After landing a Susi Air co-pilot job with just 10 days' notice, Matt sold his car, rented out his house, and boarded a one-way flight to a country he'd never visited.

In this episode of The Adventure Diaries, Matt shares how crippling anxiety nearly grounded his flying career, what it's like supplying indigenous Papuan villages only reachable by air, and the near-misses, jungle landings, and cultural encounters that turned a two-year plan into a seven-year adventure. Featured in Channel 4's The Worst Place to Be a Pilot and author of Flying from Shangri-La, Matt offers a rare look at frontier aviation, mental health in high-pressure careers, and the power of pushing your comfort zone — in the air and in life.

Chapters
00:00 - Bush Pilot in Papua, Indonesia
2:48 — Welcome Matt Dearden to the Adventure Diaries
3:41 — Expat Childhood: Middle East to Boarding School
5:40 — RAF Cadets and the First Taste of Flying
8:37 — From IT Career to Commercial Pilot Training
12:31 — Mental Health, Anxiety, and Finding Clarity in the Cockpit
17:20 — Landing a Pilot Job in Indonesia with 10 Days Notice
20:41 — Arriving in Jakarta: Culture Shock and Susi Air Training
33:30 — Discovering Papua: Bush Flying the Pilatus Porter
50:00 — Extreme Airstrips, 30% Gradients, and Near Misses
1:08:01 — The Worst Place to Be a Pilot: Channel 4 TV Series and Book
1:13:25 — Closing Traditions: Pay It Forward, Call to Adventure & Quickfire


Follow Matt

• https://mattdearden.co.uk/
• https://www.instagram.com/indopilot/
• His Book - Flying From Shangri La
  
  
  
• Topics: bush flying, Pilatus Porter, Susi Air, Papua Indonesia, Cessna Caravan, mountain airstrips, aviation careers, mental health, anxiety, adventure travel, expat life, career change.

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The Adventure Diaries Podcast also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering