PCM News: September 2013

25 September 2013

The Eagle Has Landed

So, after a number of blog posts that basically gave a distance, a time and a handy map, we can finally include some pictures of the Kodiak on, what is now, home soil.

Two photos taken shortly after landing at Mercy Air for the first time.

At KMIA (Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport) to clear customs and immigration. This is only 8nm from Mercy Air and where we usually start our flights into Mozambique.

Quick photo opp before landing.

Finals for 06 at the Mercy Air Farm.

Landing

Taxiing

On the apron outside the office.


Giving thanks for a safe journey.

Kodiak Ferry Flight - Day 7

Ondangwa, Namibia to Mercy Air, South Africa.

900 miles (1450 km). 6h48.


How the same route looked on the display inside the cockpit.

One of the more exciting moments of the flight was taking a whiff of oxygen. 7 hrs at 13000 ft can make you pretty tired.

Hmm!

Paul and Cathy

23 September 2013

Kodiak Ferry Flight - Day 6

Libreville, Gabon to Ondangwa, Namibia.

1260 miles (2320 km). 7h50.

Visibility was pretty poor for a lot of the flight. We were either above the cloud or in thick haze. One of the highlights was flying over Luanda airport - no, really it was!.

Sunset on the ground at Ondangwa, Namibia. Fueled and ready for the next day.

Paul and Cathy

22 September 2013

Accra, Ghana to Libreville, Gabon.

760 miles (1220 km). 4h50

John had traveled to the US a week or two earlier to prepare the plane and together with Neil, an SAA captain friend of ours, had flown it from Bangor, Maine - St. John's, Newfoundland - The Azores - The Canary Islands - Accra, Ghana. The details of that part of the trip can be found on the Mercy Air blog (www.mercyair-sa.blogspot.com) starting with 'Kodiak Ferry Flight - Planning.

The whole trip looked something like this:

Paul's involvemend started with a sceduled commercial flight up to Accra on 20th Sept where he swapped with Neil to continue the Kodiak's 5th day of flying the following morning.

The Kodiak on the apron in Accra

On our way

Almost half way across the Gulf of Guinea

Attending to a sticking weather radar in Gabon.

Thank you.

Paul and Cathy

A short history of us

Not long after we were married we felt that God had some full time work for us overseas. This initially began with a move to Sheffield in 1992 to work for a Christian management training company. Three years later we felt the Lord's prompting that another change was imminent and this led to a move to Africa where we helped set up a youth program with the Lesotho-Durham link in the capital Maseru. An initial three year commitment turned into four after which the youth work was handed over to the nationals.

Then, after feeling God was moving us into mission flying Paul enrolled at a flying school and completed his South African commercial license with an instrument rating in December 1999.

We moved from Lesotho to White River in South Africa in June of 2003 where we now work with Mercy Air. Mercy Air was borne out of Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and is a sister, although smaller organisation to the more well known Mercy Ships. We are situated near Nelspruit and provide a service to missions and the development/aid community in the southern African region but mainly serve Mozambique.

We operate four aircraft at present - a Quest Kodiak, a Cessna 310 and two Airbus 350 helicopters which are often used for the relief flights.

When not flying Paul is responsible for flight operations and is Mercy Air's Safety Officer.

Cathy, who is a registered Nurse and Midwife works part time at Africa School of Missions which is a bible college preparing missionaries for overseas service. She teaches in their School of Health and is part of a team which visits a number of rural clinics during the week. She is also helps with the hospitality ministry that Mercy Air runs.

Matthew spent four years at Rhodes University in Grahamstown where he studied photo journalism. He has now flown the nest and is living with his wife in Durban. They have a young daughter named Isabella.

PCM News