Oelemari Airstrip (ICAO: SMOL) is an airstrip located near the Oelemari River in Suriname. This small grass airstrip was constructed as part of the Operation Grasshopper project in Suriname.[2]

Oelemari Airstrip
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorLuchtvaartdienst Suriname
LocationOelemari River, Suriname
Elevation AMSL483 ft / 147 m
Coordinates3°06′15″N 54°32′35″W / 3.10417°N 54.54306°W / 3.10417; -54.54306
Map
SMOL is located in Suriname
SMOL
SMOL
Location in Suriname
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 grass
Sources: Google Maps[1]

Airstrip history

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The Oelemari Airstrip is a small airport with an unpaved runway in southwestern Suriname of which the runway is laid out in the framework of Operation Grasshopper and it is named after the Oelemari River. Beginning 1960 an expedition, led by Ir. Herman I.L. van Eyck, arrived there to be able to start the construction of the runway.[2] On July 9 of that year a Northrop YC-125 Raider, a three-engined STOL utility transport airplane landed there for the first time, which was used for further construction. More than a month later that same plane, which was leased by the Surinaamse Luchtvaart Maatschappij from Ambrose Aviation in the U.S., crashed there.[3] Oelemari was opened for public traffic in March 1962.

Charters and destinations

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Airlines serving charter flights to this airport are:

AirlinesDestinations
Blue Wing AirlinesCharter: Paramaribo–Zorg en Hoop[4]
Gum AirCharter: Paramaribo–Zorg en Hoop[5]
Hi-Jet Helicopter ServicesCharter: Paramaribo–Zorg en Hoop

Accidents and incidents

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  • On 15 August 1960 a Northrop YC-125B Raider stalled during landing at Oelemari and was reported written-off with no fatalities. The pilot was D.L. Walker. The airplane was leased by the Surinamese Government/SLM from Ambrose Aviation for equipment transport for landing-strip construction, under "Operation Grasshopper".[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Google Maps - Oelomari
  2. ^ a b "Operatie sprinkhaan" (PDF). Landewers (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  3. ^ "V57n1".
  4. ^ Blue Wings schedule Archived 2013-05-22 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Gum Air destinations
  6. ^ "Northrop beschadigd te Oelemarie". Het nieuws (in Dutch). 16 August 1960. Retrieved 13 January 2022.