FLIGHTWATCH
WINGS OF HOPE:
CELEBRATING 80 YEARS OF MAF
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
“For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Psalm 100:5 (NIV)
As I reflect on Mission Aviation Fellowship’s 80th anniversary, gratitude fills my heart.
I am grateful for the Christ-centered commitment of MAF’s founders to take the good news of Jesus Christ to every tongue, tribe, and nation.
One of MAF’s core values is “We Follow Jesus,” and we can trace this value back to men and women who came out of World War II on fire for the Lord, seeking to use their talents to serve Him.
Since its beginning, MAF has partnered with hundreds of mission organizations, churches, and NGOs to bring help, hope, and healing to the isolated.
It was something that MAF’s first pilot, Betty Greene, said was important to her, and it continues to be at the heart of MAF—serving together with many for the sake of the gospel.
I am grateful as well for the vision of MAF’s founders to use small airplanes to serve people in remote parts of the world. Throughout eight decades, MAF has stayed faithful to our name and core skill— providing transportation for kingdom work.
Flying and maintaining aircraft in challenging locations demands excellence. I am thankful for the committed men and women of MAF who strive for that excellence as they serve the Lord.
But they couldn't do it without committed friends like you. From the very beginning, MAF’s ministry has benefited from people who believed in our mission and gave generously to it. That has continued uninterrupted through our 80 yeas of ministry. You, faithful reader, hold MAF up with your gifts and prayers, and I thank you.
As you read this special edition of FlightWatch, I pray that you will rejoice with me, giving thanks to the Lord not only for how He has sustained MAF in the past, but also for how He will be with us in the future.
Serving together,
David Holsten President and CEO
THANK YOU
For contributing to MAF’s legacy in 2024 For your faithfulness in giving For your persistence in praying
These numbers are part of your legacy and reflect countless lives that have been changed and communities strengthened when they received timely help and the love of Jesus Christ.
We praise God for you!
Flights
16,477 46,096
Passengers Organizations served Nautical miles flown
285
1,180,282 4,326,684
Pounds of cargo delivered
THEN NOW
George and Elisabeth Raney left for Manila, Philippines, on an American cargo ship in mid-1967. The trip took 19 days with stops in Honolulu and Tokyo. They traveled with their three children, multiple suitcases, and four crates. On the way they hit typhoon weather, and everyone in the family except Elisabeth was seasick. When the Raneys arrived in Manila, George left the family sitting atop their mound of luggage while he arranged transportation.
Retired MAF missionary Lynn Jordan recalls rushing to respond to the small radio in her kitchen in Shell, Ecuador, on the days she was flight following in the 1980s. At regular intervals, the pilot would call in his coordinates, and the flight follower would write them down. “I didn’t mind it, but it was sometimes hard if you had your hands in a sink full of soapy water or you were changing a diaper,” Lynn remembers.
In the cockpit of MAF’s first airplane-a 1933 Waco biplanepilots relied on basic instruments like a compass and altimeter, braving the elements while navigating through visual cues, physical maps, and fervent prayers. Weather information was scarce, communication limited, and survival depended heavily on the pilot’s skill and experience in reading the skies above and terrain below.
A few months ago, a new MAF family, Benjamin and Sarah Porch, traveled to Indonesia, with their three children. The flight from Minneapolis took two days to reach Jakarta, with a stop in Doha, Qatar. The Porches had a car seat, a baby carrier backpack, a wagon for littles, assorted carry-ons and 16 pieces of checked baggage. When they arrived, only one piece of luggage was missing. The Porch family is serving in Papua.
Today, MAF planes use a satellite tracking system that allows for two-way communication. Flight plans, paths, altitude, and other data are captured electronically, though there is still a human flight follower involved. However, instead of an MAF wife, flight following is done almost exclusively by national staff now.
MAF was incorporated on May 20, 1945
1946
First airplane purchased Inaugural flight by MAF pilot Betty Greene to Mexico
1948
MAF launches program in Ecuador
Today's Kodiak 100 was designed specifically for mission aviation. Pilots operate in a cockpit equipped with the Garmin G1000 integrated flight deck, providing precise GPS navigation, real-time weather radar, and terrain awareness systems. This sophisticated avionics suite makes MAF flights significantly safer for reaching isolated communities.
1952
Aerial survey of Dutch New Guinea (DNG; now Papua, Indonesia)
LOGBOOK LEGACIES LOGBOOK LEGACIES
Pilot logbooks reflect decades of faithful ministry | by Natalie
Holsten
Since 1945, MAF has existed to bring the life-changing hope of the gospel to people in hard-to-reach places.
A brief look through the logbooks of three MAF pilots reveals their support of several generations of a missionary family in the mountains of Papua, Indonesia.
In and of itself, a pilot’s logbook is nothing remarkable. Just simple books used for recording dates, flight times, and destinations.
What is remarkable, however, are the stories behind the flight stats and how they testify to an MAF pilot’s years of faithful ministry.
1954
MAF floatplane begins serving DNG and expands evangelization to remote tribes
1956
Nate Saint & four other missionaries are martyred on “Palm Beach” in Ecuador
1958
MAF launches in Oaxaca, Mexico & Boa Vista, Brazil
1959
MAF delivers Dani missionaries to enemy tribe—1,000 accept Christ in DNG
Photo by Heather Marx
1960s—Betty Greene and the early ministry to the Moni
On December 22, 1960, MAF pilot Betty Greene recorded in her logbook—in tiny, neat script—that one of her flights that day was into Hitadipa, a remote Papuan village populated by the Moni people group. Her passenger was Johnny, age 8, returning from boarding school for the Christmas holidays.
“Johnny” was John Cutts, son of missionaries Bill and Grace Cutts, who began serving the Moni people in 1950. After a decade of difficult ministry, there was a small but growing group of baptized believers.
A few months before that December flight, Betty, along with missionary Leona St. John, hiked three days through rugged terrain from a neighboring village to check out the newly constructed Hitadipa airstrip, ensuring it was ready for an MAF plane to land.
On the trail, Betty witnessed tribal warfare and later wrote in her autobiography Flying High, “The people really were trapped in a darkness they couldn’t see. I realized again the importance of bringing the message of the gospel that gives hope and life to people who are lost.”
Betty knew the Hitadipa airstrip would be a tremendous help to the Cutts and their ministry. “Every time a new landing strip was opened, another valley was made more accessible to the gospel,” she wrote.
Her logbook recorded dozens of other flights into Moni territory, where Betty, as a female pilot, was an anomaly. John Cutts remembers the impact she made on the Papuans who met her.
“The Moni, like many Papuan tribes in the early days, had little respect for women, and felt their only value was tending gardens, pigs, and children, and caring for the men folk,” John shared. “Betty Greene shook up the tribe, men and women alike, because here was a woman flying a plane! She set a new, high bar for the girls and women who watched this phenomenon in action.”
John said Betty and the other MAF pilots were a lifeline for their family, supporting them with supply flights and medevacs as they did the hard work of translation, teaching, and providing basic medical care for the Moni.
1961
MAF establishes a program in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo - DRC)
1964
MAF conducts rescue operations in Zaire during a time of anarchy and violence
1969 1976
MAF launches a program in Kalimantan, Indonesia
MAF leads relief and evacuation flights after an earthquake in Papua
Young Johnny Cutts sits in the co-pilot's seat of an MAF plane. Photo courtesy of John Cutts
Betty Greene with the MAF plane she flew in Papua. Credit: MAF archives
1978
MAF conducts emergency food relief flights in Lesotho, leading to the establishment of a program there
1981
MAF partners with World Vision to deliver famine relief in Ethiopia 1984
MAF establishes a program in Mali
Betty Greene's logbooks and passports testify to her years of service with MAF.
The first Cessna Caravans are introduced to the fleet
1980s—Dave Rask serves the next generation of Cutts
For MAF pilot Dave Rask, one flight in the service of the Cutts family is forever etched in his memory.
“December 27, 1985,” Dave said, pointing to the entry in his logbook. “Karubaga to Mulia to Hitadipa to Mulia. I was pre-flighting the plane when the flight follower came on the radio and said John Cutts had an emergency and needed a medevac.”
John Cutts was now married to his wife, Joy, and serving as a second-generation missionary to the Moni. Together they were continuing the work started by his parents. The church was growing, schools were opening, and the Moni Bible translation was progressing.
But conflict had been brewing between violent separatists and the military. John got caught in the crossfire and took a bullet to the shoulder, leaving a four-inch hole. Joy tended to him as best as she could, but he needed to get to a hospital ASAP.
“I left immediately, and on my way landed in Mulia to pick up Dr. Powell,” Dave recalls. “It was a good thing, because John had lost a lot of blood.”
The flight saved John’s life.
While the medevac was dramatic, Dave’s logbook also records many ordinary days of flying, supporting the work of missionaries like the Cutts. Looking back, Dave reflected, “You think of the people you served, and the impact MAF had is very clear.”
Dave Rask does paperwork before a flight in the Papuan highlands, circa 1980s. Photo courtesy of Dave Rask
MAF launches a program in Haiti
MAF launches a program in Albania
1994
MAF communications services and flights support Rwandan genocide crisis relief
MAF launches a program in Central Asia
Left: John and Joy Cutts in Pogapa, circa 1980s. Photo courtesy of John Cutts
Middle: Bill Cutts and Otto work on translating the Bible into Moni. Photo courtesy of John Cutts
Bottom: John Cutts (left) and Dave Rask reunite at MAF headquarters in February 2025. Rasks served with MAF 44 years.
1999 2000 2004 2005
MAF launches in Mozambique and later responds after Cyclones Eline & Gloria
MAF launches Operation ACCESS, a five-year global research project
MAF begins teaching Aviation English to future pilots in Southeast Asia
MAF among the first to respond after the tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia
2000s—Brian Marx and current ministry to the Moni
Today, there are more than 150 Moni churches in Papua, all led by indigenous pastors. Much of MAF’s flying in recent years for the Moni has been in support of the church.
As a current MAF pilot in Papua, Brian Marx has flown a few hundred flights into the Moni village of Pogapa, carrying pastors, evangelists, and Bible translation teams. Occasionally he also gets to fly a load of school kids.
Brian recorded a memorable flight in his logbook on August 9, 2019. That was the day he flew seven Moni children to the city of Sentani, where they would begin as first graders at Papua Hope School, a school started by an MAF missionary to raise up the next generation of Christian leaders.
Also on the flight were John’s daughter, Jaime Cutts Shust, and her daughter, Alina. Jaime is the third generation of the Cutts family to serve the Moni. She works primarily with Village Heartbeat, the foundation started by John and Joy to help the Moni with education, healthcare, and leadership.
Drawing on her own experience as a child going away to school, Jaime helped the Moni students adjust to life in the city. Jaime says that while they're getting a solid Christian education, "It's important the kids return back to their villages for school breaks, to stay connected to their culture and family.”
To that end, MAF regularly flies the Moni students in and out of their home villages during school breaks. “Those flights are fun!” Brian says.
But recently those flights, as well as the ones for church and translation work, have been severely limited.
The armed separatist movement—the same one that resulted in John getting shot in 1985—continues. In recent years the conflict has caused significant suffering for the Moni people and ongoing challenges for the Cutts’ ministry. Many Moni have fled the dangers they face in their villages—assault, theft, burning of churches and schools—for the relative safety of cities on the coast.
As seen in the logbooks of Betty, Dave, and Brian, many aspects of MAF’s work in Indonesia and around the MAF world are timeless, like weighing and loading cargo, maneuvering around bad weather, and delivering missionaries to remote locations.
But the logbooks also reflect the growing complexities—like rebel conflict and political instability—that MAF and its ministry partners face as they serve in difficult places.
The heart of MAF is to continue serving Pogapa, as it’s a key location for the health of the Moni church. We ask that you join the legacy of prayer that has encircled MAF for 80 years and pray for peace to return to the Moni villages, and in all of the volatile places where MAF serves.
2006
MAF headquarters relocates from Redlands, CA, to Nampa, ID
2008 2010
Papua Hope School opened by MAF staff provides Christian education to village children
2009
The first Kodiak aircraft is added to the MAF fleet
MAF provides support after earthquake strikes Haiti
Top: Jaime Cutts Shust and John Cutts with a group of Moni children headed to school via MAF. Courtesy of Jaime
MAF opens a hospital guest house, Rumah Singgah, in Kalimantan, Indonesia
2014 Hupla Bible dedication in Papua, Indonesia
2013 2015 2016
MAF coordinates helicopter response following two earthquakes in Nepal
Hurricane Matthew relief flights in Haiti Three New Testament dedications in DRC
Cutts Shust
Bottom: Pilot Brian Marx reviews his logbook. Photo by Heather Marx.
LOOKING FORWARD LOOKING FORWARD
Looking back over the history of MAF, what stands out to you as the ministry celebrates its 80th anniversary?
I’m grateful to be part of an organization that I think has done a really good job of staying true to its roots, its spiritual foundation of why we do what we do. We continue to be about aviation, which makes our ministry unique and allows us to serve other organizations in their work and help spread the love of Jesus.
What is the biggest change you have seen at MAF since you started in 2000?
It is noticeable that fewer western missionaries are going overseas. Local churches in the countries where we serve are stepping up and reaching out to their own isolated people, and we have formed many partnerships to help them do that. It is exciting to see their desire to share the gospel in the farthest reaches of their country. We’ve also seen the complexity of aviation regulations sharply rise in the countries where we serve.
Are there opportunities for MAF to expand into new countries?
We are always on the lookout for new ministry opportunities and remaining open to God’s leading. There is a mission hospital in Nigeria that would like us to serve there, and we have had some visits with the civil aviation authority in the country. They are very interested in having MAF start a commercial service there. It is a long process but we are planning to serve in Nigeria in the future.
With the changing regulatory environment, we’ve also had some smaller aviation ministries reach out to see if MAF might be interested in taking on their work. That would potentially bring us into other countries and it is something we are looking into. We have faith that if God wants us in these places, he will open doors for us.
2018 2019 2021
MAF provides aid for families displaced by violence in eastern DRC
MAF establishes Lesotho Flying Pastors to reach remote villages
2020
First Papua Hope School graduation MAF continues serving during COVID-19 despite major disruptions and government restrictions
MAF Mozambique evacuates people fleeing extremist group East DRC base relocated due to rebel violence
What are some of the challenges MAF is facing today?
One of the challenges we face is the growing regulatory complexities. When I landed in Kalimantan about 25 years ago and started operating as a pilot, we hardly talked about regulatory issues. They were there, but they were pretty basic. That started to change as the information age allowed developing countries to have a more global perspective.
Now the challenge is countries-like Haiti for example-want to regulate how we operate, but they don’t necessarily have the underlying framework to do so. This creates lengthier timeframes to either bring in a new airplane or change some aspects of our operations. There is certainly a spiritual calling of why we do what we do. These regulatory changes often make others without a similar calling just walk away from doing it. But we seek to persevere.
What does the future look like for continuing the use of airplanes?
Aviation will continue to be our ministry platform. It’s a unique platform, but aviation is also an industry and it is ubiquitous—found everywhere. While it is not a typical ministry platform, serving people with an airplane truly benefits them. It has opened doors for us to serve in places a normal ministry could not go into.
The airplanes we use now are bigger and utilize more sophisticated equipment. We mostly operate turbine engines instead of piston engines due to fuel availability and cost. We do keep an eye on the development of alternative fuels and UAVs— unmanned aerial vehicles. Nothing is imminent as far as their use, but we are always asking ourselves, ‘‘Are we still flying the right equipment for the environment that we are in?’’ Not being prepared for change could be an existential threat to our ministry work.
Anarchy and violence in Haiti. MAF flights continue. MAF US partners with MAF International to open Guinea program
Helicopters—it’s a question we keep in front of us as we look at opportunities. MAF used them in the past, but they are more expensive to operate and complex to maintain and not as efficient as fixed-wing aircraft. But you can get into places with a helicopter that you will never be able to with an airplane.
Whatever the changes might be, I want the generations who come after us to be thankful for the work that we are striving hard to get right and to see that we were dependent on the Lord and sought His leading.
Four NT translations dedicated in DRC MAF Haiti operations suspended after violence escalates
MAF missionaries return to Haiti First baptisms in the Papuan village of Esrotnamba
MAF celebrates its 80th anniversary
David Holsten speaks with Ajang, a longtime friend of MAF, in North Kalimantan, Indonesia. Photo by Philip Limawan
NEWS
HAITI RETURN UPDATE
The MAF base was moved from Port-auPrince to a new base in Pignon. They moved 14 truckloads of staff belongings and 11 vehicles, relocated and set up a parts inventory, established families in local rental homes, purchased land, dug a well, and began construction on permanent housing. The team has persevered under a heavy load, wrote country director Dave Simon.
PRAYER
STRENGTHENING STAFF CAPACITY IN INDONESIA
Three of our office and hangar staff in Papua, Indonesia, had a chance to take their first MAF flight to a remote village. Staff from maintenance, flight operations, and finance said they were impressed with the pilot’s skill landing on the rough airstrips. They also saw how their work was crucial to ensuring MAF service could continue to help more people.
L to R: Duanne, a partner missionary, MAF staff Charles, and nurse Fanda from Siloam Clinic.
Pray for more staff to serve with MAF in Lesotho. Several staff members have departed in the past year. As of this month, the Lesotho program is operating with just three missionary families. “Please pray for the right people who are called by God for work in Lesotho,” country director Joe Adams writes.
Pray for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There's been an increase of violence in the east and protests in the west.
Pray for new pilots who are working on getting licensed and completing other formalities in the countries where they serve.
MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT
AARON & SARAH KRAMER MAKING DISCPLES AROUND THE WORLD
When Aaron and Sarah Kramer joined MAF in 2012 with their young daughters, they embarked on a journey that would change their lives forever. What started as providing air ambulance flights in a creative access province later morphed into discipleship training in the United States and now has the Kramers writing a new chapter in South Africa. Their story perfectly exemplifies how God uses willing hearts to reach the unreached through cutting-edge aviation and close relationships.
“When we were first exploring missions, MAF was the only one that didn’t require me to have an official job title,” Sarah reflects. “This gave me freedom to be faithful in all seasons of life—raising kids, homeschooling, etc.—to see where I could best join Jesus, fit in, and serve. Now I look forward to how He wants to use me as we enter a new area.”
After experiencing what Jesus can do through real discipleship overseas, in 2018 the Kramers returned to the U.S. where they settled near Moody Aviation. There, they eagerly poured into students through Bible studies and discipleship training. In mid-2023, Aaron felt led to sharpen his technical skills by returning to work as a pilot and aircraft technician while simultaneously continuing their ministry of discipleship.
The path hasn’t been without challenges. They are starting at square one as they once again raise support for their ministry. Aaron has also wrestled with deep questions while preparing for their new role in South Africa. “How is real transformation possible in a place with so much history of brokenness?” he wonders. Yet through Scripture and fellowship, he is reminded that the power of the gospel makes all things possible.
Now seconded from MAF-US to Mercy Air as director of operations and MAF ambassador, Aaron sees the bigger picture. “The mission of Jesus never changes. But as the world evolves, how we pursue mission opportunities can evolve, too. MAF uses aviation as a creative and practical platform to demonstrate and proclaim the good news to those who have not heard, and to equip those who have responded for faithful work in the Lord.”
The Kramer’s journey showcases how God weaves together technical expertise, relational ministry, and unwavering faith to reach the unreached. Although their roles have changed dramatically from when they first stepped into ministry, Aaron and Sarah continue to demonstrate how making disciples and transforming lives in Christ’s power can take place anytime and anywhere, whether in the air or on the ground.
If you would like to partner with the Kramer family through MAF, please visit www.maf.org/kramer
Imagine using your unique talents and skills to propel Great Commission work.
Bring help, hope, and healing to isolated people by serving as a teacher, pilot, mechanic, or IT specialist with Mission Aviation Fellowship.
Scan the QR code or visit maf.org/serve for current opportunities.
None of the stories you have read would be possible without the support of people like you. It is our pleasure to show how you are making it possible for the gospel to transform the lives of isolated people around the world. Your prayers, your gifts, and your time are key to MAF’s ministry. Thank you for sharing the love of Jesus at the ends of the earth! Every gift you send, every prayer you offer for MAF, helps change lives through aviation. We enjoy hearing from you! Please send comments and questions to maf-us@maf.org.
Front Cover: Photo taken by Bridget Ingham in Papua New Guinea