Aviation

In its global efforts to overcome barriers, MAF operates the world's largest fleet of private aircraft used for the public good.

In fiscal year 2009, the MAF fleet of 55 aircraft executed 34,436 flights, logged 2.59 million miles, transported 104,787 passengers, and delivered 9.4 million pounds of cargo all on over 1,700 rough, unimproved dirt and grass airstrips as well as waterways.

More importantly, MAF saved 60,051 days of travel time—or 248 work years—over the course of 12 months. Redeemed for productive Kingdom work, these 60,051 days exceed the equivalent of 82.7 three-year terms of missionary service!

These flights support Christian workers, evangelists, teachers, medical personnel, as well as relief and development workers. MAF planes haul food, seed, and livestock; transport the sick and injured; deliver doctors, medicine, and relief supplies; and carry the materials for a better life to people who need it most-people others cannot reach.

MAF airplanes are often the only safe and reliable means of transportation for those involved in ministry. In regions without trafficable roads, MAF typically can reduce a missionary's all-day trek by foot to a mere 20-minute flight.

Every 6 minutes, in some of the most remote places on earth, an MAF aircraft either takes off or lands.

One MAF airplane can haul a half-ton of cargo into a region that would otherwise require a train of pack animals, several guides, and weeks of grueling effort to reach by land.

In 1970, only a quarter of MAF passengers were nationals. Today, they represent the majority. Indigenous evangelists and missionary groups, who are the fruit of earlier missionary efforts, are increasingly seeking and reaching the lost and hurting in their own countries.

Passengers & Cargo

As you can imagine, every day is an adventure for MAF pilots. Straight from their logs, here's a look at some of the passengers and cargo they've carried.

Typical Passengers

• Missionaries
• Christian workers and their children
• Doctors and other medical personnel
• Patients on stretchers
• Indigenous evangelists and pastors
• Local villagers

Typical Cargo

• Bibles and books
• Medicines
• Mail
• Passenger luggage
• Sacks of cement, nails, pipes and other building supplies
• Food commodities such as flour, rice, corn, etc.
• Household goods
• Propane and butane gas cylinders
• Fuel in 55-gallon drums: aviation fuel, oil, kerosene, gasoline
• Small livestock such as chickens, turkeys, pigs, ducks, cats and dogs

Unusual Passengers

• Political refugee escaping to freedom
• Babies born in flight . . . not too unusual
• Patient with a dagger protruding from his head. The dagger couldn't be removed locally, and the patient was conscious and alert during the flight to the hospital
• Ten Pygmies: five adults and five babies -- their combined weight well below the maximum for a Cessna 206 aircraft
• A Pygmy baby with dysentery carried in an air sickness bag: the mother had died in childbirth at a clinic and the baby was returning to its home village. As a precautionary measure, the nurse had tucked the baby into the air sickness bag with its tiny head sticking over the top. That baby was the smallest human to travel on an MAF plane

Vehicles

• A complete tractor: a Cub Cadet model 185 was rolled into the plane with its back wheels removed so the plane door could be closed shut. The wheels were reattached after the flight
• World War II Jeep

Animals

• Live crocodiles, alligators and snakes for scientific research
• "Diapered" chickens, turkeys and other fowl: diapers prevent a mess in the cargo pod
• Heifers and cows: occasionally needing to be drugged for the flight
• Bee hives and honey bees: as many as 10,000 bees...and only one escapee
• Live fish: 500 tilapias to stock a pond in Congo. The MAF pilot's name? Bob Fish! A Peace Corps volunteer accompanied the fish to force oxygen into the containers from an air tube the pilot had taped to the window vent. The plane made a stop halfway to its destination so the water could be changed. Most of the fish survived the flight
• A chimpanzee going for evaluation after having bitten some children
• Live sheep, full grown -- up to 25 per trip
• Parrots and macaws
• Iguanas
• Pigs to market
• Milk goats to provide a source of fresh milk to Yanomami children in the Amazonian jungle -- it was a noisy 1.5-hour flight!

Household Goods

• Kerosene refrigerators and gas freezers: completely disassembled, sometimes even cut, then reassembled upon arrival
• Mattresses
• Woven baskets on their way to a local market, filling the plane from floor to ceiling

Scientific Specimens

• Ebola virus: the first animal biopsies of the Ebola virus were flown out of Congo by MAF. Frozen in milk containers filled with nitrogen, the samples were en route to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta and other European countries
• Time-sensitive blood and other samples destined for laboratory testing
• Human eyes to be delivered to eye clinics
• Orange tree seedlings: enough to plant an entire orchard

Equipment

• Prostheses for amputees
• Blow guns used in hunting by tribal people
• National elections ballot boxes
• Disassembled saw mill
• Disassembled bulldozer
• Dryers for cardamom seeds.

Valuables

• Copper crosses used as "bride price" in central and southern Congo
• Thousands of rare coins: on two occasions when Congo changed its currency, villagers in the interior needed to exchange old coins for new currency. The only way to the bank was via MAF
• Cargo that didn't make it: million-dollar contraband. An MAF pilot-turned-detective spotted the suspicious-looking bag of beans a local official wanted to smuggle out of the country. It contained a fortune in diamonds

Aircraft Modifications

MAF airplanes fly millions of miles each year, carry thousands of passengers and millions of pounds of cargo in rugged, isolated places that no one else can reach. Primitive, rough airstrips demand that each aircraft be maintained in top condition and equipped for utmost safety and efficiency.

Many of the required safety and efficiency features are not included as standard equipment on airplanes purchased by MAF. Before an MAF plane is dedicated for service in the field, MAF mechanics spend up to four months equipping it with the necessary modifications.

These MAF modifications increase the safety and effectiveness of each aircraft on the field:

ELT remote switch

This switch allows the pilot to check that the Emergency Locator Transmitter is working prior to making a flight.

S-Frame seats

This JAARS-designed seat frame absorbs impact force more efficiently than a stock seat frame, thus decreasing the chance of injury during emergency landings .

Seat belts and shoulder harnesses

Strong belts and full shoulder harnesses are used to provide maximum security for passengers.

Windshield V-brace & Floatplane Reinforcements

Adds rigidity to the aircraft airframe and reduces maintenance costs. This is important when operating on rough primitive airstrips, as MAF routinely does.

Fire extinguisher

All MAF aircraft carry Halon fire extinguishers for an added measure of safety.

MAF takeoff, landing, and control yoke checklists

Within easy reach, the checklist is a convenient way for the pilot to be sure that each item is accounted for, before every takeoff and landing.

MAF cargo D-ring set

D-rings are attached in the cabin area and used to tie down cargo. This measure keeps baggage and cargo securely in place in turbulence and during emergency landings.

Starter warning light

This light is used to alert the pilot in case the starter fails to disengage after starting the engine.

Cessna fuselage strut steps for refueling

These steps are mounted on the plane to make refueling possible on the high wing without the need for a ladder.

"No Smoking" signs

Onboard for obvious safety reasons, they are printed in several languages depending on which country the aircraft is operated.

Cargo pod

A convenient cargo and baggage storage area attached to the underside of the plane.

Stainless steel door sill reinforcements

These very strong metal pieces protect the sill from damage that can be caused by repeated loading of heavy cargo such as fuel drums.

Plywood floor

Wood is used instead of the usual carpet for durability, protection of the aluminum structure, and ease of maintenance.

STOL kit

STOL is short for "Short TakeOff and Landing." This modification allows safe flight at slower than normal airspeeds which is a real plus while operating on short slippery airstrips.

Slip marks on main gear tires

The slip marks give the pilot a visual indication during preflight inspection if a tire has slipped on a wheel. This can happen with heavy braking on rough airstrips.

White paint with red and blue trim

In the event of an accident, this color combination provides a good color contrast with jungle growth. It makes the plane easier to spot from the air and is the standard for painting all MAF aircraft.

Large Tires

These tires aid in operating on rough or soft airstrips by providing more flotation.

Gravel Guards

Rubber flaps that attach to the main wheels, they help prevent mud and rocks from being thrown rearwards into the tail control surfaces.

6-Point EGT/CHT gauge

Two probes are inserted into each of the engine's 6 cylinders. The pilot can then monitor the Exhaust Gas Temperature and Cylinder Heat Temperature of each cylinder.

Stabilizer Boots

These rubber strips are attached to the leading edge of the aluminum horizontal stabilizer to protect from rock damage.

Survival kit

In the event of an accident, these kits contain first aid materials and items to care for immediate needs until help arrives.

HF (High Frequency) Radio

For long-distance radio transmission.

Navigator tunnel access

Facilitates maintenance of the nose gear.

Custom propeller paint

One blade painted white for increased visibility helps prevent people from walking into the propeller.

Convex mirror on right wing

To clear propeller area at startup, and monitor the right side of the aircraft for oil and exhaust.

Strikefinder or Stormscope

Used for weather avoidance.

Tail skids

To reinforce and protect the tail during STOL operations.

Recognition light

Improves visibility during flight in high-traffic areas and during takeoff and landing on jungle airstrips.

Flint tanks

For longer flight range and increased weight capacity (by 160lbs.).

GPS-based flight information recorder

In experimental / evaluation stage.