'Dad I want a job like yours where I don't have to work for a living.'

Some years ago my son looked up with his usual grin and said in all seriousness, 'When I'm older Dad I want a job like yours, you know, where I don't have to work for a living!'

I guess one is apt to groan at the work word but equally if for whatever reason there is no work the groan then penetrates the very heart but I guess the term paid employment & no choice perhaps have something to do with our general dislike of the word.

I think I can safely say I have the best work/job/employment in the world, after all they give me a working aircraft  and a tank of fuel and say go do something useful - actually those are my words.  Apart from when I have to fulfil the occasional paperwork requirement from a ground based office somewhere or other - now that is work, I have loved doing/living it for the last 21 years. 

Generally I have a paper free office, though the old joke about aircraft can only fly when the weight of the paperwork equals the weight of the aircraft still exists. My offices have been able to look after between 3-12 passengers, cruise at between 100-150kts and at various times been able to operate on land and sea and all with one engine.  

There have been times when I have groaned at the occasional 0400 wake-up call from the alarm in Chad, the prospect of fitting what looks like a 1000kg of freight into a space built for only a smidgen over 500, the fitful nights sleep in the tropical heat whilst camped out in the back of my 208, the shiver of cold water trickling down my back on the cool rainy season pre-flight in Uganda and my helplessness sometimes in the face of hopelessness.

The mobility of my office is second to none!

But when the truth is told, this is work as it was meant to be, a delight.  Ah you see there is nothing quite like an early morning departure, the smells and sounds of the African dawn still lingering in ones memory as the airfield boundary slips away behind you; a bumpy approach in a stiff cross-wind, ones dancing on the rudder pedals caressing 4 tonnes of slippery Alumium and people into a shortish rough dirt strip on a wet day in Karamoja; or the delight at seeing missionary youngster (MK) throwing his arms around his mum's neck when he's returned home from boarding school. Umm.... memories, so many.

Sometimes 3hrs into a long flight the desire for leg stretch become almost over whelming; equally 4hrs on, on a day full of very unhappy weather with another 7hrs more to be added to it, you think being somewhere else might be nice. But as the days events roll on, you realise where else do you get a chance to give a gift of a blessing to your passengers, put a reasuring hand on a medi-vac patient before departure or spend an hour, a day, a night, with some amazing people, doing some incredible stuff in some unbelievably remote places?
Perhaps it is only when your work takes you to to some sad sad places, you realise how privileged you are, doing something you want to do, are called to do, can do, then do do and do with a passion.

I was amazed to see there are over 50 jobs going around the world in Mission Aviation Fellowship. I cannot believe we have so many gaps for numerous managers of all types, about 5 accountants - there cannot possibly be a shortage of accountants can there, suspect we would consume all the engineers (aircraft) we could find, and as for christian avionics engineers they are almost almost as rare as a few grains of Astatine!

My bonus is I get to then talk about my work to pilots, rotarians, school children, non MAF people, MAF supporters, actually any one who asks me and anyone who will listen!

Contact bryan.pill@maf.org.

Also on Face Book and just about on twitter!

 ...the life of a bush pilot the last great truly civilised job in the world!

All for One and One for All

A wave of water envelopes the windscreen.... Richard gives me the thumbs up through the clearing deluge, this ‘flood’ was a simple way of seeing off the morning dew to give a clear view for the days work. Checks completed, battery on, starter engaged, engine spools up. The propellor starts to turn in time to the beautiful musical whine of Pratt & Whitney’s ever popular opening number. Blades gain momentum, whirling dervish-like, soon blurring into an almost invisible wall  of aluminium; turbine going up the scale & soon to be in full voice, ready for adventures new.

Refuelling in Moroto in NE Uganda - a new refuelling depot

‘See you then this afternoon,’ an enquiry fielded has turned into an office visit, coffee offered, plans discussed, times and cost decided, tickets printed.

Luc scratches his head, manuals, scattered across the work top, the fault identified & failed part removed. Already stores have managed to find a spare. This component rarely fails so the nearest ‘easily available replacement’ is only 5000 miles away. Already it is heading out with Fed-Ex, to start its new life on the equator. Routine checks are completed, parts installed, aircraft checked, paperwork written up. The Chief Engineer double checks both, another essay is written in the technical log book and all signed and counter signed .

The cleaner's daughter is seriously ill and the PM (Programme manager) arranges for her to go to hospital before he goes up to the Civil Aviation Authority to meet with some officials to chat over some thoughts on airfield security; face to face visits are the only way to encourage trust and friendship.  E mails from MAF International in Ashford, the latest updates to the manuals, a request for information from a board member will all need to be answered this afternoon, as will a letter from a new supporter wondering if they can have a picture of his family. The IT manager sticks his head into the office to say that the server is down again due to a power outage but ‘all should be well soon,’ he advises with a grin.

Passengers and baggage are weighed, tickets checked, seat removed and freight tied down. Aircraft fueled, water put on board and passengers walked down to aircraft.

I collect my paperwork, half a rain forest neatly printed out. I carry the 90kg of boxes neatly labelled for a variety of destinations into the back of my Toyota. I note it has a new front tyre, glad ‘Little Richard,’ who does our vehicle maintenance was onto that when I got in last night, despite being a bit late. The weather in South Sudan, according to the satellite photo, does not look so good; had a chat with Achim, another pilot and we decide going to the west looks the best route, the base radio operator says he will call the destination once I am airborne to get an update.  

Route is checked and weight and balanced confirmed. The aircraft is inspected and oil and fuel double checked. Text arrives from friend, supporter, sister, team member,  'praying for you.' 

                            There is only one pilot to keep an aircraft flying but there are 40 others who get it off the ground. 

Join the team.....  check out just some of the country groups, to sign up for their magazines and feeds MAF-UK, MAF US, MAF Canada, MAF Australia, MAF New Zealand, MAF Sweden, MAF Holland, MAF South Africa

Add a comment. Do you enjoy being part of the MAF Team?

The best part of flying has to be ...

       ... the 4 stripes on the shoulders, the way they call you Commander in Franco-phone countries, definitely the difference you can make to a  lot of people using a large piece of noisy aluminum, being part of a team that extends from supporters in Guernsey, Jersey, Sark, Alderney, UK, New Zealand, Australia and a few other places to the front left seat and everyone in between, possibly the fact that every one looks up at you (pun intended), fulfilling a boy hood dream or answering a call to fulfil your dream from the King of Kings - actually I'll go for all 7!

What is the best the best part of flying def...has to be the landing .... Here are a few African ones that I have filmed over the last few years, which you may find of interest? 

You can also find more on bigglesgsy on youtube.

Trust for sale only US$7,945

... was doing another Flight review a couple of days ago and it got me thinking.

Did you know you can buy piece of mind and absolute trust for just US$ $7, 945, it is available to everyone regardless of race and nationality. Perhaps I should explain, but first have you ever wondered when it is cold and grey outside, why many birds prefer to point beak into wind and hunker down staying nice and ‘comfortable’ on terra firma?
Cold and grey means lots of cloud... tests show that a pilot untrained in instrument flying (flying in cloud), will on entering this ‘solid’ fluffy stuff, so they can no longer see the ground or sky, will loose control of their aircraft within approx 90 -120 seconds with alarming results!

To survive they must switch their attention from their senses - which will almost certainly be saying, ‘all is well’, as they watch greyness flashing past their windscreen, to the aircraft instrument called the artificial horizon. This piece of kit is found right in front of the pilot at the centre of the aircraft ‘dashboard’, it is exactly what the name says it is, as it shows you where the horizon would be if there was no cloud i.e which way is up.  The trained pilot is taught to trust what it says with his life. The information it provides you see, is honest and true, it tells you if the aircraft is flying straight and level and shows you what to do if it is not. So even when your body and mind tell you otherwise, follow its advice, as trust it you must.  

They are very reliable instruments yet... I had one go very sick whilst flying way up in Sudan just before Christmas but no problem for the trained (training training training) aviator.

I always think your trust is one of the greatest gifts you can give to anyone and one we need to learn to give freely but wisely, however when receiving someone else’s trust, boy do we need to treat it with care, as if we break it, spending another US$7, 945US  will not guarantee a replacement. 
For that I am afraid you are going to have to receive forgiveness and another consequence can be that which is broken in a minute, can take many years to repair.