Operation Grasshopper was a project to look for natural resources in Suriname from the air. For this project, seven

airstrip An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for pub ...

s were constructed in the interior of Suriname from 1959 onward. The project was the brainchild of the Minister of Development of Suriname at the time, Frank Essed. In order to speed up the process of mapping the natural resources of the country—under the method used at the time it would at least take another few decades before the whole country was mapped—the plan foresaw in the exploration of the country by flying over it using planes with magnetometers and

scintillometer A scintillometer is a scientific device used to measure turbulent fluctuations of the refractive index of air caused by variations in temperature, humidity, and pressure. It consists of an optical or radio wave transmitter and a receiver at oppos ...

s on board. In order to be able to do this, seven airstrips were needed in the interior of Suriname. The 7 airstrips were built for the purpose to make the interior accessible for exploration activities. During the construction of an airport near Paloemeu, a plane carrying building material crashed nearby. The pilot and co-pilot, Vincent Fajks and Ronald Kappel died in the crash.{{Cite web, url=http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=163559, title=Accident Aero Commander 520 PZ-TAG, 06 Oct 1959 The airport was subsequently named after Fajks. The airstrip at Tafelberg was named after Mr. Kappel. One result of Operation Grasshopper was the discovery of

bauxite Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO ...

in the Bakhuis Mountains. This led to the drafting of the

West Suriname Plan The ''West Suriname Plan'' was an economic development plan for the western part of Suriname. As originally conceived, it consists among others of the mining of bauxite in the Bakhuis Mountains, the building of a hydroelectric power plant on the ...

Airports constructed during Operation Grasshopper

Kabalebo Airstrip Kabalebo Airstrip serves the village of Kabalebo, Suriname. It was constructed as part of Operation Grasshopper. Facilities The Kabalebo Airstrip has one long unpaved runway. The main-lodge of the Kabalebo Nature Resort and its swimming pool ...

* Coeroeni Airstrip *

Kayser Airstrip Kayser Jan Gouka Airstrip is near the Kayser Mountains range in Sipaliwini District, Suriname. It was constructed as part of Operation Grasshopper ( a project to look for natural resources) and has one long grass runway. Fishing and wildlife to ...

Oelemari Airstrip Oelemari Airstrip 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. Airstrip history The Oelemari Airstrip is a small airport with ...

* Sipaliwini Airstrip * Tafelberg Airstrip *

Vincent Fayks Airport Vincent Fayks Airstrip , in Paloemeu, Suriname. The airport was constructed as part of Operation Grasshopper. It was named after the Polish pilot Vincent Fajks who crashed with co-pilot Ronald Kappel with their Aero Commander AC 520 (PZ-TA ...

References

* Bruijning, C.F.A. en J. Voorhoeve (red.): ''Encyclopedie van Suriname'', Amsterdam en Brussel 1977, Uitgeversmaatschappij Argus Elsevier, pp. 227–229. History of Suriname