What does it take to become a MAF pilot? - Ep 6

P2-AFD’ – MAF’s latest addition to the fleet - is now hard at work in Papua New Guinea for. But what’s the story behind this brand-new aircraft and what does it take for a small plane to serve the world’s most isolated communities? In the latest edition of MAF’s Flying for Life podcast, Josh Carter chats to the people behind the plane – donor David Dorricott and pilot Dylan Fast who flew P2-AFD from America to Australia:  

In our special 80th anniversary edition, trustee and former pilot Max Gove and country director Lisa Blomberg - who heads up MAF’s newest programme in Guinea – turn back the clock to navigate MAF’s most memorable milestones. Standing on the shoulders of giants, they consider how MAF history inspires their work today.

Episode 10 – Free at last: Mozambican authorities drop terrorism case On 2 November 2022, MAF pilot Ryan Koher was supposed to fly supplies to an orphanage in Cabo Delgado, when he was stopped by security just for carrying vitamins. Little did Ryan know that he would end up in prison for 4.5 months for a crime he didn’t commit. What started as a misunderstanding soon escalated to suspected terrorism. Ryan and his wife Annabel share their ordeal.

Episode 9 – 40th anniversary of the Ethiopian famine In 1984, Sir Bob Geldof saw the BBC’s ‘Biblical famine’ report from Ethiopia, which sparked ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas?’ and ‘Live Aid’. MAF’s Keith Ketchum recalls how he flew in hundreds of tons of food and enabled the BBC to capture that devastating footage. Sam Baguma from MAF’s disaster response team compares how MAF tackles disasters today.

Episode 8 - Brazilian floods – aviation & the environment When floods hit Rio Grande do Sul and made 600,000 people homeless, pilot Jacob Anderson from MAF affiliate Asas de Socorro flew in to help. Jacob and Caroline Pomeroy from Climate Stewards discuss the causes of southern Brazil’s worst ever climate disaster and explore the relationship between aviation and the environment.

Episode 7 – Staying safe in PNG Given PNG’s recent fuel crisis and escalating civil unrest, how do you stay safe in such a volatile country? Pilot Andrew Symmonds, who was caught up in the riots, and Andy Hedley-Smith - MAF International’s head of security and former close protection manager at the Metropolitan Police - share their top tips.

Episode 6 – What does it take to become a MAF pilot? 21-year-old James Gullett - MAF UK’s youngest pilot - has just graduated from MAF’s Future Pilot Programme – a new scheme, which supports upcoming British mission pilots with the cost of their training. James and Marco Koffeman - Director of the Mission Aviation Training Centre where James completed his training - share their highs and lows of learning to fly.

Episode 5 – Happy Birthday MAF Arnhem Land! For half a century, MAF’s been serving the Yolngu people who live in the vast, isolated wilderness of Australia’s Arnhem Land. We hear from MAF Arnhem Land’s country director Matt Henderson and MAF partner Natalie Morreau who manages Miyalk Domestic & Family Violence Shelter, which has been empowering women for decades.

Episode 4 – Navigating Haiti: With gang violence on the rise, we hear from MAF pilot Eric Fagerland who’s overseeing a skeleton crew in the capital Port-Au-Prince, and MAF frequent flyer Dr Janice Cotrone – founder and dean of the Wesleyan University’s Haiti School of Nursing who narrowly missed a bullet and survived armed robbery.

MAF Timor-Leste pilot Ping Domtta, Dr Zwijnenburg from PNG’s Kompiam District Hospital and Maud Kells OBE – former midwife / nurse, trainer, author and founder of Mulita Hospital / Mulita Primary School in the DRC, all share their experience of MAF’s lifesaving medevacs (medical evacuations).