MAF History
| Go to: 1940s
| 1950s | 1960s | 1970s
| 1980s | 1990s | Present
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| 1943
Autumn |
 |
Three World War II pilots begin meeting for
prayer, Bible study and discussion of missionary aviation. |
| 1944
Easter |
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One of those pilots is moved to
establish an organization as soon as possible so that missionary
aviation can begin when the war ends. |
| 1945
May 20 |
|
Later to become Mission Aviation Fellowship,
the Christian Airmen's Missionary Fellowship (CAMF) is launched.
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| 1946
Feb. 14 |
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The first MAF aircraft is purchased: a 1933,
four-place cabin, red Waco biplane with a new 220-horsepower
Continental engine. |
| 1946
Feb. 23 |
|
Betty Greene flies MAF's new plane on its inaugural
flight. She pilots two Wycliffe workers to a remote jungle location
in Mexico. |
| 1950s | |
For countless missionaries, the
shortwave radios installed and serviced by MAF are the only
way to communicate with the outside world. |
| 1950
Aug. |
|
Hobey Lowrance flies a Piper Clipper to conduct
surveys over Honduras and Venezuela to help missionaries prepare
for work there. He flies 115 hours over 110,000 square miles
of territory. |
| 1954
Jan. 1 |
|
A Piper
Pacer equipped to land on water or land launches MAF's program
in New Guinea. MAF also begins work in Indonesia. |
| 1956
Jan. 3 |
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Nate Saint and four missionary companions land
on "Palm Beach" near Ecuador's Curaray River to reach the Auca
Indians, a tribe infamous for their violence. |
| 1956
Jan. 5 |
|
 Nate
Saint and his companions make the first personal contact with
the Auca Indians. They believe the Indians are friendly. |
| 1956
Jan. 8 |
|
Nate Saint is martyred by Auca Indians on "Palm
Beach." Killed along with Nate are Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian,
Pete Fleming, and Ed McCully. Seven-of-nine of the killers .
. . and many others from the tribe eventually come to Christ.
Tens of thousands of people around the world hear the story
and volunteer to take their place. |
| 1959
Sep. 9 |
|
Paul Pontier flies the first Indonesian national
missionaries. They witness for three days and 1,000
tribespeople commit their lives to Christ. |
| 1961
Jan. |
|
MAF introduces the Missavia transistorized radio,
providing a light, low-power way to communicate over long distances.
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| 1964
Mar. |
|
MAF conducts rescue operations in Zaire during
a sequel to the Congo rebellion. Many missionaries are killed
or displaced. |
| 1965
Oct. |
|
Queen Juliana of the Netherlands personally
dedicates the MAF-US C-185 "Flying Dutchman," partially funded
by the Dutch government because of MAF's pioneering work in
Dutch colonies. |
| 1970
Sep. |
|
Using a plane with retractable skis, Don and
Phyllis Beiter launch a program in Afghanistan, later forced
to close. |
| 1981 | |
MAF initiates relief flights in Ethiopia in
support of famine intervention efforts. |
| 1991
Jan. |
|
The Helicopter Association International awards
"Pilot of the Year" to Dave Marfleet and Mike Meeuwse for their
humanitarian efforts in Indonesia following a devastating earthquake.
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1992
Apr. |
|
Bob Gordon initiates a communications and logistics support ministry in Russia soon after the communist government crumbles. |
| 1993 | |
MAF completes installation of Global Positioning
Systems (GPS) receivers on all aircraft. Using satellites, the
GPS allows pinpoint location to within 50 feet anywhere in the
world. |
| 1994 | |
MAF staffer, Rob Taylor, installs the first
satellite communications link in Goma, Zaire (now Congo DRC),
enabling mission and relief groups to communicate directly to
the U.S. as well as with one another in the field. |
| 1994
Jun. |
|
 The lost MAF-US plane piloted by Nate Saint is recovered. Nate, and four other missionaries, was martyred by Waodani (Auca) Indians on "Palm Beach" in Ecuador. The remains of the plane are displayed in a diorama at MAF headquarters in the U.S.. |
| 1995
Jan. 1 |
|
MAF begins a floatplane operation in Central Kalimantan to focus on church and mission outreach. |
| 1998
|
|
The Mali Programs launches a well digging project. Hand dug by MAF staff, the project provides opportunities to share the Gospel. In its first 18 months, the well digging project would plant more than 20 churches. |
| 1998
|
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In the wake of Hurricane Mitch, MAF conducts relief flights in the Mosquitia region of Honduras. |
| 1998
Mar. |
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Due to the El Nino weather pattern which brought severe drought conditions to Indonesia, MAF sends a fleet of planes and one helicopter for relief flying. |
| 2000
Feb./Mar. |
|
MAF flies hundreds of flights to support flood
relief efforts in Mozambique after hundreds of thousands of
people are left homeless. |
| 2001
Oct. |
|
MAF launches Operation ACCESS! under the direction of Ghislaine Benny. Completed in 2006, this landmark project would survey 364 isolated areas in 64 countries. The purpose of Operation ACCESS! is to identify and survey areas of the world where transportation, communications, and technology barriers prevent or impede people's access to the Gospel and to sustained resources that advace God's Kingdom. The research focuses on countries with pockets of people who are either forgotten or unreached. Such groups have little or no access to Gospel ministry, resources for spiritual nurture, or basic services to improve their quality of life. |
| 2003
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MAF Learning Technologies publishes the Bibliologia. Complete on one CD, this pastor's reference library in Russion contains 19 Bible translations and 125 Christian books. The Bibliologia was downloaded more that 50,000 times from the Internet during its first year with more than 6,000 copies distributed initially. |
| 2005 Jan. |
|
Following a series of earthquakes and a devastating tsunami, MAF is the first onsite in Meulaboh, Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. In the first seven weeks, MAF distributed relief supplies to some 60,000 victims by conducting 1,114 relay flights and transporting 387,743 lbs. of food. |
| 2005 | |
MAF celebrates its 60th anniversary. |
| 2006 Sep. |
|
Idaho ground breaking |
| 2006 Mar. |
|
MAF releases the results of Operation Access! A landmark research project that surveyed 364 isolated areas in 64 countries. |
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