Arrived in Nairobi Sunday evening after a non-eventful day time flight. Well, saying that, I did get to enjoy a free BA ticket which had me seated in Club Class - much appreciated as I was rather tired having got up at 5am. Apart from the nice food and the ability of my seat to go horizontal (enabling me to catch a bit of sleep)a big plus was the baggage allowance - over 60kgs, so in addition to my suitcase I had with me two large roles of insulation material (weighing over 18kg each) for use on the MAF Sudan base in Juba. Thank you BA!
It's good to be back in Africa!
Monday was spent in Nairobi at the base. It's one of our biggest bases, located at Wilson airport, with a fleet of 6 aircraft (1 PC12, 4 Cessna Caravans and a Cessna 206). 75% of the flying from here goes into south Sudan. It was good to learn about the various ideas/options concerning how MAF could continue serving the people of South Sudan once they are an independent nation. A key influencing factor will of course be security within the country.
Today we hope to visit the headquarters of a number of partners within Nairobi, to learn more about their work and how MAF makes a difference in that.
Tomorrow we head up to Juba, very early, for a couple of nights in the field with partner organisations, including a CMA eye clinic in Bor. Will send an update once I'm back.
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Thursday 11 November 2010
Doughnuts in the jungle!
It seems strange to have come all this way, head into the dense Borneo rainforest to then be served fresh, sugared doughnuts - but this has happened a number of times - and very nice they’ve been too! (I ate three today, one after another sitting by the side of the airstrip at Long Lebuson).
Last night we stayed overnight in the village of Long Nawang, one of the furthest locations the pilots fly to from Tarakan. The village sits on the bank of a fast flowing river, the jungle surrounding it. It is slightly better developed than other villages, and has quite a history in relation to American missionaries, the Dutch and then Japanese troops. We interviewed numerous people there who have benefitted from MAF’s services and, once again, the gratitude is great.
Today we joined Chris Desjardine at Long Lebuson where he was installing an aerial for a high frequency radio there. Without it the pilots have no way of knowing what the airstrip and weather conditions are like until they fly over it (it took us 1 hour 20 mins to fly back from there to Tarakan in the caravan). The aerial wires were erected on the tallest bamboo poles I’ve ever seen; we estimated about 12 metres high.
It’s now my final night here before I head home. It’s been a good trip and we’ve gathered plenty of material. The challenge now will be to bring it to life in print and film . . . but I’m up for that!
Last night we stayed overnight in the village of Long Nawang, one of the furthest locations the pilots fly to from Tarakan. The village sits on the bank of a fast flowing river, the jungle surrounding it. It is slightly better developed than other villages, and has quite a history in relation to American missionaries, the Dutch and then Japanese troops. We interviewed numerous people there who have benefitted from MAF’s services and, once again, the gratitude is great.
Today we joined Chris Desjardine at Long Lebuson where he was installing an aerial for a high frequency radio there. Without it the pilots have no way of knowing what the airstrip and weather conditions are like until they fly over it (it took us 1 hour 20 mins to fly back from there to Tarakan in the caravan). The aerial wires were erected on the tallest bamboo poles I’ve ever seen; we estimated about 12 metres high.
It’s now my final night here before I head home. It’s been a good trip and we’ve gathered plenty of material. The challenge now will be to bring it to life in print and film . . . but I’m up for that!
Tuesday 9 November 2010
Boys and their toys!
Part of the purpose of my visit to Kalimantan is to capture film and imagery of MAF’s work here. Monday was therefore committed to obtaining action shots of the Kodiak in the interior. The guys were looking forward to a great day!And how many guys were there? Five! The pilot, of course, plus two other pilots (who are into photography and filming), a MAF UK volunteer videographer (who also happens to be a pilot), and a photographer. Put these guys together with a plane, and numerous cameras and what can I say? They did have a great day! And with four different cameras trained on the plane, we’ve got some good material.
One thing I love about my job is the challenge of writing in a way that brings things to life for the reader. I will, however, spare you a description, from this hot and humid day, of sharing the limited and enclosed cabin space of the Kodiak with these chaps....(at times an assault on an English lady’s sense of smell)!
Once finished in the interior, the action continued. We headed back to Tarakan and, with it being a beautiful day, had just enough time to get airborne again, this time with eight pilots in the air (plus the videographer) and four planes – the grand caravan, the Kodiak and two 206s (one with the door removed for filming and photography). David Holsten was keen to get a generational shot of the different aircraft flying together in formation. I was impressed, both with the planning and precautions outlined in the briefing before we flew, and in the ‘choreography’ in the air. The planes were flying closer than I expected, the reason for having so many pilots involved – in each plane a pilot in command, and a second one committed to watching the instruments the whole time for safety purposes. We also captured air to air footage of the Kodiak, the light being perfect as the day drew to an end.
So, a different day, but a memorable one where the guys had plenty of fun (and so did I).
Photos:
Top photo: Left to Right - Layton Thompson (photographer), David Holsten (MAF pilot and Programme Manager), Jonathan Binnie (volunteer videographer and helicopter pilot), Dave Forney ( MAF pilot), and Paul College (MAF pilot)
Just above: Aerial photo taken from the caravan with Kodiak in the foreground and the 206s.
Monday 8 November 2010
Vision, energy and unity
It’s the beginning of another week - hot and humid once again. We’ve got some good stuff planned for the coming days, but I won’t spoil the surprise – you’ll have to wait!
One thing that has really struck me about this team is its vision, energy and unity. There is a very strong focus on relationship, not just as a team, but with the people they serve. Each year pilots are allowed to fly their wives and families into the interior to stay in a village and meet the people. It’s totally inspiring for them, and helps keep the passion alive for the mission the families have committed to together. The ultimate impact of what MAF does is often hidden, even from the pilots - dropping passengers at the airstrips and then flying on. The policy this programme has in place ensures that it doesn’t remain hidden to them.
People are at the heart of MAF’s mission! Having met some of the pastors in the interior, it’s very clear that they really appreciate not just the flying service but the MAF pilots and families as well. Someone commented how pastors and pilots mutually encourage each other in the work they’re engaged in – this speaks volumes to me, and takes my thoughts down the route of how taking God’s love to the ends of the earth is totally team work. Team work with God; team work between believers; team work across organisations and nationalities….. I love it! I love how these guys come along side others, caring for them, helping in whatever way they can, making it easier for others to do their part in the great commission.
One thing that has really struck me about this team is its vision, energy and unity. There is a very strong focus on relationship, not just as a team, but with the people they serve. Each year pilots are allowed to fly their wives and families into the interior to stay in a village and meet the people. It’s totally inspiring for them, and helps keep the passion alive for the mission the families have committed to together. The ultimate impact of what MAF does is often hidden, even from the pilots - dropping passengers at the airstrips and then flying on. The policy this programme has in place ensures that it doesn’t remain hidden to them.
People are at the heart of MAF’s mission! Having met some of the pastors in the interior, it’s very clear that they really appreciate not just the flying service but the MAF pilots and families as well. Someone commented how pastors and pilots mutually encourage each other in the work they’re engaged in – this speaks volumes to me, and takes my thoughts down the route of how taking God’s love to the ends of the earth is totally team work. Team work with God; team work between believers; team work across organisations and nationalities….. I love it! I love how these guys come along side others, caring for them, helping in whatever way they can, making it easier for others to do their part in the great commission.
Friday 5 November 2010
Fellowship, chinese food and antics
Thursday, and we return from a day in the interior having roasted in the hot sun and humidity – it was intense. My colleagues resembled lobsters by the end of the day.
I spent the day with the Kodiak, doing a first landing into an airstrip at Long Padi, a 535m strip at an elevation of 2600’. Having established that it was Kodiak friendly, the pilot, David Holsten, proceeded to load up 30kg sacks of rice in stages (well the villagers did the loading) and David did some test take offs and landings, slowly increasing the weight. Long Padi has had a good rice harvest, but the villagers of Long Layu, Paupan and Rungan are dangerously short of rice, their crops having been destroyed by a series of pests – rats, bats and worms. By the end of the day we’d transferred 860kg of rice from Long Padi to Long Layu. Once the word was out, those sacks of rice disappeared very rapidly in Long Layu, various members of the villages arriving on motorbikes or with wheelbarrows to transport the rice home.
After that we headed to another village close by, where Dave and his family have established a strong friendship with a local family, and where a late lunch of local produce awaited us. By then the clouds had gathered and the rain came down, making it a little more difficult to interview people – our hostess, the village pastor and another representative from the village – with the rattle of heavy rain on the corrugated roof. However, it was interesting to see how rapidly the storm clouds gathered following a blazing hot day – something pilots have to allow for and work around if they’ve not exited the interior early enough.
The evening saw all the international couples out at a local Chinese restaurant for dinner and then worship, prayer and Bible study (on this occasion, a filmed seminar on "Laughing Your Way to a Healthy Marriage"). This team is particularly good at an adapted ‘Mexican wave’. All was calm and merry when what someone had said was a shrew snuck out from under the air-conditioning unit. In fact it was a rat, and it proceeded to run under the chairs down one side of the table - (where probably about 10-15 people were sitting) – so started a rapid wave motion from top to bottom of the table, with much commotion. The rat is now resting in peace.
That’s all for now.
Stephanie
I spent the day with the Kodiak, doing a first landing into an airstrip at Long Padi, a 535m strip at an elevation of 2600’. Having established that it was Kodiak friendly, the pilot, David Holsten, proceeded to load up 30kg sacks of rice in stages (well the villagers did the loading) and David did some test take offs and landings, slowly increasing the weight. Long Padi has had a good rice harvest, but the villagers of Long Layu, Paupan and Rungan are dangerously short of rice, their crops having been destroyed by a series of pests – rats, bats and worms. By the end of the day we’d transferred 860kg of rice from Long Padi to Long Layu. Once the word was out, those sacks of rice disappeared very rapidly in Long Layu, various members of the villages arriving on motorbikes or with wheelbarrows to transport the rice home.
After that we headed to another village close by, where Dave and his family have established a strong friendship with a local family, and where a late lunch of local produce awaited us. By then the clouds had gathered and the rain came down, making it a little more difficult to interview people – our hostess, the village pastor and another representative from the village – with the rattle of heavy rain on the corrugated roof. However, it was interesting to see how rapidly the storm clouds gathered following a blazing hot day – something pilots have to allow for and work around if they’ve not exited the interior early enough.
The evening saw all the international couples out at a local Chinese restaurant for dinner and then worship, prayer and Bible study (on this occasion, a filmed seminar on "Laughing Your Way to a Healthy Marriage"). This team is particularly good at an adapted ‘Mexican wave’. All was calm and merry when what someone had said was a shrew snuck out from under the air-conditioning unit. In fact it was a rat, and it proceeded to run under the chairs down one side of the table - (where probably about 10-15 people were sitting) – so started a rapid wave motion from top to bottom of the table, with much commotion. The rat is now resting in peace.
That’s all for now.
Stephanie
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