MAF pilot Justin Honaker serves in Lesotho, Africa. He was born in Loma Linda California, where he lived until he joined the Marine Corps in 1997. Justin holds Private and Commercial Pilot's licenses, as well as, Flight Instructor Certification. He is a certified Airframe and Powerplant mechanic and has experience as a helicopter mechanic. He and his wife, Amanda, met at MAF Headquarters in Nampa, Idaho, when Justin was in flight training and Amanda was working in the mailroom.
Here in Lesotho, my mom is visiting and she’s spending the morning flying with me, something we’ve only had a handful of opportunities to do together. When a call comes mid-flight that a young boy has been hit by a car and needs immediate medical evacuation to another hospital, I immediately adjust my routing and […]
“Daddy, tomorrow I’m going to the hangar with you. We are going to go fly your airplane, eat our lunch in the mountains, and then fly home,” my four-year-old son Josiah declares with an air of confidence that’s immediately got me on my heels.
“Well, uhh, hmm, yeah, right—about that…” I stammer, in hopes something intelligent […]
It’s a small personal victory, hoisting the windsock pole over Matekane’s western end with a new windsock proudly unfolding into the brisk winter wind. The windsock pole weighs a ton! Something like my own personal Mount Suribachi for this former Marine turned missionary pilot. Replacing windsocks regularly keeps us safe though, despite the mission to […]
A bead of sweat drips from my forehead onto the screen of my mountain bike’s GPS, obscuring my view of the altitude read out. It’s just as well. Pedaling uphill for over an hour and twenty minutes, I’m tired of knowing how many more feet to the top. I know I’m close—I can almost see […]
The game is very simple: fly over Merrill’s house undetected. Practically, that means before she can get to the radio saying she’s spotted me. If I’m spotted before I can pass her house, she wins; get past her house before the familiar “Nice try,” then I win.
It’s quite difficult to win, however—Merrill lives deep in […]
Neheng and Sebongile enjoying their M&Ms, and pilot Justin Honaker
Sebongile and Neheng are two of my favorite people. The best of friends with a lot common, they are the same age and go to the same school. They’re also MAF frequent flyers. And, they are both mute and deaf. However, for all the […]