FROM THE FLIGHT DECK WITH MAF’S MISSIONAL PILOT, MARK LIPRINI

The past five to six weeks have flown by for MAF pilot, Mark Liprini, packed with near non-stop flying and training. It took quite an effort to get him to change gears from the cockpit to storytelling, but he’s finally taken a moment to share some of the most interesting incidents from his recent flights. So sit back, grab a coffee, and journey with Mark and Lorraine Liprini through his logbook from the past two weeks!

Once a month, we position an aircraft 45 minutes up the Rift valley from Arusha, to a wee village called Malambo, on a plateau on the Western shores of Lake Natron. Based in Malambo is Pastor Elisha, a Masaai pastor and evangelist who has been partnering with MAF for over 40 years, sharing the Gospel with the Masaai peoples of that region of northern Tanzania.

On the Monday, we take young trainee evangelists from the bible school in Malambo, and veteran evangelists from the town, out to even more remote villages by aircraft. Some of these villages are only accessible by air or by foot, no vehicular access at all. Some are totally cut off in the rainy season by rivers.

We leave these young men and women there and return on the Friday of the same week to return them back to Malambo.

However, we do return to Malambo on the Thursday to pick up a medical team from “Help For the Masaai”, based in Malambo, and we fly them up to the remote village of Olimilei, on top of the mountain to run a day long clinic for this little village and the surrounding areas.

The pilot then spends the night down in Malambo, and the next day he will fly around to the other remote villages collecting the evangelists, before hopefully returning home to Arusha on Friday evening.

One Monday, 2 weeks ago, I did a run up to Olimilei with three evangelists on board. You get airborne from Malambo at 3950’ elevation, and start an immediate climb to circuit altitude of 6500’ for Olimilei which is only 10km away. The procedure is to arrive overhead the airfield to announce your arrival, to check the wind direction on top of the sheer sided mountain, ensure the runway is clear, and then start your circuit and landing on this technically challenging airstrip.

It is tucked in close to a ridge, with a sloping runway starting on the foothills of the ridge, so your approach is very unusual in that you fly out over the chasm of the rift valley, complete checklists, configure the aircraft, and then turn inbound to fly close to, and just below the ridge crest, starting a shallow (because you are very close to the tree tops) left hand turn onto final approach, flying down the ridge slope and onto your downward sloping landing area between the trees.

As I popped up from the valley and joined overhead the runway, I could see with amusement that we had some challenges. Due to rains the whole area is a lush green

with some of the most succulent grazing being our airstrip. Three quarters of the way down the airstrip was a HUGE flock of goats, with one poor child trying his hardest to chase them off the runway.

They were having none of that, leave such awesome grazing??... you must be kidding!!!... and the noise of the aircraft was scattering them even more as this kid was running back and forth like a demented cricket, desperately trying to herd his goats off into the bushes on the side.

As I headed away, preparing for the landing, I realised I might have to give it away, but decided to try for the landing anyways, even if it was just a good practice run.

Checklists complete, Aircraft configured, tidy approach, on speed, on profile, controlled descent, centreline - continue WAIT.... a large herd of donkeys ambled out of the bushes from the right hand side almost exactly where I was planning on touching down at about 60 knots ... 110 km per hour!!

Full power, Flaps to 20, Cowl flaps open... time to give that one up for sure... Donkeys do NOT scare easily. ... and at the far end, our young champion was still herding goats ... or were they just evading him?

Full power, Flaps to 20, Cowl flaps open... time to give that one up for sure... Donkeys do NOT scare easily. ... and at the far end, our young champion was still herding goats ... or were they just evading him?

Climbing up to 500 ft above the airfield and circling overhead I could see frantic activity as more youngsters were dispatched to deal with goats at the far end, and others dispatched to deal with the donkeys at the touch down end. The second landing was quite uneventful, with the village pastor profusely apologetic about the shambles.

“Hamna Shida (no worries) my friend, this very seldom happens at Olimilei.”

Th is same pastor was getting ordained that same weekend, with the service on the Sunday and the feasting and celebration on the Monday, so on the Friday before the weekend, when I flew up to Olimilei to collect the evangelists, I had a FULL aircraft.

2 40 bottles of soda, catering equipment, pots, blankets, table clothes.. the works. At least, if I did crash I would have enough liquid to keep me going ‘til I was rescued.

Next leg on Friday was to collect two evangelists, an older guy and younger guy from a tiny strip on the very shores of Lake Natron, called Pinyin.

It’s tiny, narrow, sandy, rough and unbearably hot, and I have the highest respect for these men who serve the Lord there. Pax about to be loaded, and the young evangelist shyly, but excitedly shows me a face peeking out of the folds of his blanket ... a wee puppy he had obtained in Pinyin. We carefully strapped the young man in, and he made a safe pocket in his blanket on his lap for the puppy.

Puppy was initially unimpressed at the racket from a 300hp Continental engine at full cry on take-off, but quickly settled into the flight, peering out of the window on take-off, then crawling back into the pocket of the blanket, emerging only once we reached Malambo 20 minutes later.

Lorraine: Then on Monday this week, you were doing some very different flights for the Bible College in Malabo, with Pastor Elisha. Who were you flying, and why were you flying them up to Olimilei?

The Monday of the celebrations, I was back at Malambo again, this time to ferry about 10 Pastors and guests up to Olimilei for the celebrations.

As described already, Olimilei is NOT an airstrip you take lightly, and each approach and landing is treated with utmost care. That day we had some hairy winds gusting up the mountain side and blowing strongly crosswind for the approach and landing. Just made an already challenging landing a few tads more so.

Due to the large group I had to make three trips to ferry them all up there. Once they were all there, I was able to relax for a few hours while the party was in full swing at the village about 300m away.

I elected to remain with the aircraft, as the donkeys had taken up residence on the airstrip after I landed.

Donkeys in heat, donkeys trying to protect their females .. means lots of donkey fights... and an aircraft is by comparison quite a fragile thing against rambunctious donkeys. However a large stick, a few well aimed small stones, lots of arm waving and some shouting and my aircraft was kept intact the few times the battling beasts ventured too close.

After a while, one of the young men came trotting down from the party with some Chakula (Food).

Nyama, Nyama and more Nyama... meat, meat and more meat. Goat, pork and beef, roasted and fried, with some watermelon and a local orange perched on top.

They couldn’t figure out why this mzungu didn’t want the WHOLE plate of meat, and he and his friends happily polished off three quarters of the plate while I worked my way through a large portion in its own right.

As I belched my way through the three ferry flights down later that day, and then down to Haydom that evening, wearing the ornamental bead cross I was given in appreciation for just being there, I realised that Olimilei now had a full time pastor living up there, ministering to the small community in that village and the surrounding areas, which is excellent news.

This was only half the ‘fun’ (hard work) of the past two weeks.