Tag Archives: MAF pilot

Flight of the Cargo Ladies

On a recent flight to the small village of Long Sule, MAF pilot Steve Persenaire told me a little bit about the people who live there. Unlike most of the villages in Kalimantan, in Long Sule the women do much of the hard labor. Whenever a plane comes in, ladies are there waiting to help […]

Epic Water Surprise

There is an air of excited anticipation so tangible you can almost see it as Matt Monson, our newest pilot, taxis off the runway and into the MAF area. Our entire staff is poised to give Matt a soaking he’ll likely not forget. Matt is none the wiser. Our buckets are filled and carefully positioned […]

Friends in High Places

The sunrise was golden. The mountains were beautiful. The plane was cutting smoothly through the crisp air. That’s when my friend, sitting next to me on the small plane, handed me his bag and reached for a sick sack. We were pretty high up, around 8,000 feet, and the small planes MAF flies in Papua […]

Messenger of Hope

The KODIAK airplane touched down on the sodden runway outside the village of Apahapsili, Papua. MAF pilot Daniel Perez had landed in isolated villages like this one many times for medical emergencies—this was no different.

A young couple approached the plane anxiously, the mother clutching a tiny listless baby to her chest. Daniel got them settled […]

The Plane Purpose

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MAF Pilot Dave Ringenberg recently carried an unusual cargo—2,221 pounds of tile for the floor of the church in the village of Holuwan in Papua, Indonesia. The airstrip is situated about 18 minutes south […]

A Timely Delay

Medevac flight in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Photo by Sean Cannon.

In Kalimantan, Indonesia, MAF pilot Paul College had an unplanned stop in Binawang, on a day when he was running late. Daylight was fading as he cleared the last mountain range and landed at this village deep in the jungle.

The MAF airstrip helper in Binawang […]