MIKE ALPHA OSCAR’S SUCCESSOR: It’s time. ONE AMPHIB FOR A RIVER OF NEEDS The South Coast region of Papua is saturated with impenetrable swamplands. Here, an intricate and pervasive web of interlinked rivers effectively isolates untold numbers of villagers from the rest of the world. In all of this region, there is only one floatplane: The MAF amphibious Cessna Caravan PK-MAO, affectionately known as Mike Alpha Oscar. This aircraft brings the love of Jesus to isolated people who … • Comprise • Face
an average life expectancy of 40 to 50 years.
• Belong • Are
the poorest sector of Indonesian society.
to a society crippled by social prejudice, corruption, and alcoholism.
heavily influenced by centuries of traditional animism and a rapidly-growing influx of Islam.
Many of these villagers have no access to a road or an airstrip. Without an MAF amphibious airplane, they would not be served at all. But Mike Alpha Oscar no longer can keep pace with the accelerating ministry needs of Papua. At almost 28 years old and 20,000 flight hours, it is one of the oldest and most-utilized airplanes in the MAF fleet. Maintaining this well-worn airplane has become costly and timeconsuming.
THE HIGH COST OF MAINTAINING AN OLD AIRPLANE At 20,000 hours, Cessna requires an extensive NDT (Nondestructive Testing) inspection: • First
the wings, struts, engine mounts, tail surfaces, and floats are removed.
• Then • The
a testing specialist is flown in from the United States.
plane is grounded for 1-2 months.
After this, extensive NDTs are required every 5,000 hours. As planes age, maintenance and repairs increase because parts wear down, corrosion worsens, and cracks start to appear. Planes often stay grounded while waiting for hard-to-get replacement parts.
“The MAF amphib is the ONLY plane that can land in our village. Very often it’s not flying because of maintenance. It’s good to hear that a new amphib may be coming soon!” —Peter Jan de Vries, Missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators