MAF Above and Beyond book preview

A N D

E

ABOVE

PL

BEYOND

SA M

THE ILLUSTRATED STORY OF MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP

In memory of Stuart King 1922 – 2020

Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us — to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (CSB)

JUNGLE PILOT The story of MAF Pilot Nate Saint and his colleagues is one that continues to fuel our mission today; many of our staff cite Nate’s life as an inspiration.

Below, right: Nate Saint in Ecuador with the Piper

SA M

Opposite, top - bottom: Nate Saint with a member of the Waodani tribe; The PA-14 takes off

42

warm invitation for the visitors to join them for food. After a few minutes, all were relaxed and the little group ate hamburgers and drank lemonade.

When their visitors finally disappeared back into the forest, the five friends could barely contain their excitement. This meeting was the one thing they had longed and prayed for.

Two days later, Nate’s final call to his wife Marjorie said, ‘Pray for us. This is the day!’

At 12 minutes past 3 on Sunday 8 January 1956, Nate’s wristwatch was suddenly smashed against a stone. The hands stopped moving.

This is believed to be the moment he and his friends lost their lives to Waodani spears.

Their sudden deaths shocked the world; however, far from

PL

Below, left: Nate and Marj Saint with their children Steve and Kathy, circa 1954

The Waodani had never been contacted by the outside world so it was very exciting.

The tribe not only received their gifts but gradually became more and more accustomed to the arrival of the plane. By the sixth week, tribesmen even attached a beautifully-feathered crown as a return gesture. From then on, gifts were exchanged back and forth until Nate made plans to land.

The group landed on a sandy area they had termed ‘Palm Beach’ on 3 January 1956, setting up camp on the fringes of Waodani territory, waiting for an encounter.

After three days a group of Waodani appeared on the bank of the river opposite Palm Beach. Jim Elliot waded towards them, his open hand offering a

E

I

n the mid-1950s Nate Saint and four American missionary friends felt called to share the Gospel with the Waodani people in Ecuador, an isolated tribe known for their violence against both their own people and outsiders who entered their territory.

Nate and his fellow missionaries – Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully and Roger Youderian – made first contact with the widely-feared tribe deep in the Ecuadorian rainforest in 1955. Lowering down gifts in a bucket from the plane, every week for 13 weeks, the missionaries hoped to show love and peace to people renowned for violence.

Above and Beyond

COLUMBIA

E

Palm Beach

PL

ECUADOR

PERU

tribe members; numbers were already very low as a result of ‘revenge killing’ sprees and there was a possibility that the Waodani may have wiped out their entire population, if not for the outside influence.

At the time of his death, Nate’s son Steve was not quite five years old. As he grew up, he spent summers living with his aunt in the jungle where he, too, developed friendships with many members of the tribe. In 1965, he was baptised by two of his father’s killers, in the river in which his father had been killed.

SA M

being the end of the story, this was just the beginning of their legacy.

Nate’s sister, Rachel Saint and Elisabeth Elliot, the wife of Jim, vowed to continue the work that had been started. They were able to make peaceful contact with the men who had killed their brother and husband. Eventually the women went to live with them in the jungle bringing them God’s Word, teaching them to forgive fearlessly and love tremendously – transforming their way of life forever.

As a result of their work there was a decline in violence among

The 1950s

People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries.

They forget that they, too, are expending their lives... and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.”

Nate Saint MAF Pilot

43

COUNTRY PROFILE:

SOUTH SUDAN W

SA M

PL

E

ith a harsh, tropical climate and world’s worst humanitarian crises of our only a handful of passable roads, it time.’ A third of the population have been was the River Nile that pointed Stuart King forced to flee from their homes, many and Jack Hemmings to seeking safety in vast refugee land in Sudan – the heart settlements in neighbouring of Africa – in 1948. Using Uganda. Almost five million Since carving out the little more than a flimsy, people are in urgent need post-war Miles Gemini of help including over a first MAF airstrip in aircraft, a map and a million children suffering 1950, MAF planes compass, acute malnutrition. Amid have been serving the pair reports of widespread Sudan’s poorest people began to looting, sexual violence unlock the and recruitment of child ever since. unseen soldiers, it’s thought that needs of some of Africa’s close to 400,000 people have been killed in forgotten people. the recent conflict.

Since carving out the first Intensive efforts by aid agencies have MAF airstrip in 1950, MAF so far prevented hunger from turning planes have been serving to famine but, in a country awash with Sudan’s poorest people ever weapons from decades of war, these since, with only a few years workers are frequently attacked while during the late 1960s and early trying to deliver relief by road. For many, 1970s when MAF operations MAF is the only way to travel in safety. were forced to cease due to MAF multiplies the effectiveness of those civil war. it flies, reducing days of overland travel The bloody divide between to just a few hours. Non-governmental the Islamic/Arabic north and organisations (NGOs) bring the Christian/animist south aid, development, has spanned the second half basic healthcare of the Twentieth Century and a message and cost millions of lives. of Christian In January 2011, a peaceful compassion to referendum backed full independence. those in acute need, Six months later, South Sudan became the benefitting tens of world’s newest nation. thousands of people.

After just two years, ethnic and political For over 70 years, differences, which South Sudanese tribes MAF’s mission stays put aside in the struggle for independence, unchanged – to rapidly reappeared. Ferocious civil reach South Sudan’s war erupted in 2013 and international remotest and poorest mediation efforts have yet to deliver a communities with universally acceptable ceasefire. the help, hope and In 2016, the United Nations (UN) called healing they need to the situation in South Sudan ‘one of the survive.

Main: Lohutok, South Sudan Above: 5X-MON

Right: A view of the Medair clinic surrounded

by Yusuf Batil refugee camp in Maban

Opposite: Sabet Kuj, In Deed and Truth Ministries

46

Above and Beyond

COUNTRY STATS SUDAN

CLIMATE

POPULATION 10.2m (excluding 2.3 refugees abroad)

LIFE EXPECTANCY

CAPITAL Juba

English, Arabic + 60 indigenous languages

57

MAF PARTNERS

ROADS

DRC

FLEET

2 x Cessna 182 SMA 2 x Cessna 208

PL

4,350 miles, mostly unpaved (245,000 in the UK)

Juba

200+ organisations

UGANDA

TIMELINE

1948 First MAF survey flight touches down in Sudan

SA M

SOUTH SUDAN

57 years

MAF AIRSTRIPS

LANGUAGES

Tropical: hot all year round; rains from May to November

E

MAF’s north-eastern weekly shuttle is a huge blessing. Before, we had to drive for hours on a risky road where people get ambushed and shot at. On top of being more secure, we benefit from the fact that it only takes five minutes to drive to our local airstrip.”

1950 First regular operations begin from Malakal 1956 Independence from Britain 1964 Expulsion of missionaries and closure of MAF programme 1977 Respite in civil war; programme restarts 1983 Operations relocate to Lokichoggio, Kenya due to government restrictions 1992 Relief flights into Sudan continue from Kenya 2003 Relief flights into Sudan from Uganda 2006 New MAF base established in Juba 2008 First pilot family for 25 years arrives 2011 South Sudan becomes the world’s newest nation 2015 Cessna 182 SMA joins the fleet 2019 Two additional Cessna Caravans join the fleet; South Sudan becomes MAF’s busiest African programme

Sabet Kuj CEO, In Deed and Truth Ministries

The 1950s

47

THE FLEET:

CESSNA 208 CARAVAN First flown in 1982, the turbine-powered Cessna 208 Caravan family of utility aircraft is widely recognised as one of the most versatile and adaptable ever produced.

The Caravan’s cabin can be easily and quickly converted to accommodate passengers, freight, or a mixture of the two.

Large loading doors at the rear of the cabin allow bulky items, such as building materials or small vehicles, to be loaded.

The majority of MAF’s C208s are the ‘stretched’ Grand Caravan variant, which can carry a maximum of 13 passengers, or up to 1,587kg of cargo. In most regards, the Grand Caravan is the same as the original Caravan design; the key difference is that the fuselage has been extended in length by 1.21m, allowing extra carrying capacity – particularly for bulky items. The longer fuselage also allows a bigger cargo pod to be fitted, further increasing the aircraft’s load capacity.

MAF also operates the

SA M

MAF Caravans are modified to make them more suitable for continual use on unprepared airstrips: strengthened axles, with larger wheels and tyres are fitted; mud-guards and tyrescrapers are added; the nose-wheel leg is replaced with a longer item, to improve propeller clearance on uneven ground; and the cargo door frame is reinforced with stainless steel strips, reducing the chance of accidental damage during loading and unloading of the aircraft.

154

‘Amphibian’ Caravan model, designed to be operated from both land and water. Based upon the standard short Caravan, the main physical difference is the addition of Wipairemanufactured floats, which feature retractable wheels and water-rudders. The aircraft’s tail unit is features secondary vertical stabilisers, to improve directional stability when fitted with floats. While the amphibious version of the Caravan can still carry nine passengers, the extra drag created by the amphibious conversion has a detrimental impact on the aircraft’s range and speed. However, in water-logged countries like Bangladesh, the ability to land almost anywhere on the river network hugely outweighs any minor penalty in performance.

E

ore than 2,600 Caravans have been built, and the aircraft is still being produced in an updated form today.

Cessna Caravans are a very important part of MAF’s fleet, with more than 30 currently in service around the world.

PL

Below: Ian Purdey unloading RPT cargo at Milingimbi, off the coast of Arnhem Land

M

Above and Beyond

Crew one Capacity nine passengers Length 11.46m (37ft 7in)

Empty weight 2,145kg (4,730lb)

Gross weight 3,629kg (8,000lb)

Powerplant one Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A turboprop (503kW/675shp)

SA M

Wingspan 15.87m (52ft 1in) Height 4.53m (14ft 11in)

Wing area 25.96m2 (279sq. ft)

PERFORMANCE

PL

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

E

FACTFILE

Propeller three-bladed McCauley constant-speed, full feathering, reversible pitch

Cruise speed 186kn (344km/h, 214mph) true air speed Stall speed 61kn (113km/h, 70mph) calibrated air speed Range 1,070nmi (1,982km, 1,232mi) Service ceiling 25,000ft Rate of climb 1,234ft/min

WHAT THE PILOT SAYS ‘The C208 is a reliable, robust aircraft that is ideal for the airstrips we fly to. It gives us the opportunity to fly to remote airstrips as well as across international borders to serve our partners and bridge the gap to isolated, remote communities.

As we operate regular shuttles, the C208 is economical and ideal for our partners to book a single seat rather than chartering the whole plane.’ Lungpinglak Domtta MAF Pilot, Uganda

The 1980s

155

DISASTER RESPONSE:

BOXING DAY TSUNAMI ‘The river is coming, the river is coming!’

Several relief organisations asked MAF to lead the co-ordination of the multi-agency response.

Immediately, two MAF aircraft based in Indonesia, a Cessna Caravan from Papua and a Cessna 206 from Kalimantan, were deployed to Sibolga where 40 tonnes of urgent supplies awaited transport to survivors.

The Caravan made daily flights carrying emergency food and water from Medan on the east coast of North Sumatra to Meulaboh on the west coast of Aceh. From there the smaller Cessna 206 ferried aid to remote villages, often landing on narrow sections of road, cleared by villagers.

These aircraft were soon joined by MAF’s amphibious In the first seven weeks, de Havilland MAF distributed supplies Turbo Beaver to some 60,000 victims, plane, loaned from Bangladesh, which by making 1,114 relay could land in river flights and transporting inlets and even 176 tonnes of food. in the sea, with emergency food boxes for communities totally cut off from help. As the plane landed, locals waded into the water forming a chain

SA M

PL

hese were the terrifying words reaching Supardika on Boxing Day, 2004 as he worked near his home. He grabbed his granddaughter and ran for the trees, but other members of his family, including his wife and grandson, were carried away by the rising waters.

The Boxing Day Tsunami in Indonesia was We saw horrific things. the result of an Whole towns had been earthquake off the coast of Sumatra’s swept away and only Aceh province, debris left. killing over 170,000 people and destroying the homes of 550,000 others.

Main: Cessna Relief efforts were hampered, as bridges and 206 lands on a roads were destroyed or covered with debris, narrow road to making ground travel almost impossible. deliver supplies MAF had been working in Indonesia since Opposite, top the 1950s and was one of the first responders, to bottom: carrying out survey flights and delivering Mammoth urgent food and medical supplies. waves caused The devastation was summed up by MAF widespread pilot Marco Koffeman: ‘We saw horrific devastation and things. Whole towns had been swept away destroyed the and only debris left’. infrastructure; The amphibious Beaver aircraft lands at a village north of Calang, Aceh province, on a daily relief flight carrying over 100 boxes of emergency food supplies

E

T

198

Above and Beyond

SA M

PL

E

to pass food boxes to the shore. An MAF GA-8 Airvan from Australia also flew in to join the relief effort.

As so much of the communications infrastructure was also destroyed, MAF established communication centres or ‘Internet cafes’ in Meulaboh and Banda Aceh so that relief workers could communicate with their main offices.

After this, the focus of work shifted towards rehabilitation and rebuilding. MAF aircraft began carrying building equipment and mosquito nets to communities along the coast. It also flew teams with water pumps into remote villages to pump wells and provide clean water. One of those who benefited was Supardika.

Rehabilitation work included clearing debris, building fish farms, planting rice, constructing homes and schools, digging wells, building boats and helping small businesses get back on their feet.

Throughout this time, MAF consistently provided transportation, communications, and logistical help.

The 2000s

It’s great to see how MAF is contributing to the rebuilding. I have flown dentists, builders and many others… there is still a long way to go but the smiles are back on people’s faces!”

Rune Karlsson Pilot

199