Last week I had my first full operational day on the Cessna Caravan. This, after almost 4 months of interrupted training, marks they end of my flying days as a First Officer on the Twin Otter. Though that last flight took place 18 January already I would like to give a quick reflection on the last two month of flying this truly remarkable airplane.
First, we flew a lot of building material into a community called Wobagen. It is only about a 30-minute flight (50nm) from the next bigger town, but the terrain makes it impossible to reach any other way. The building material was bought to build a new church, as the old one is falling apart it being build (as is usually done with houses in the bush) out of material found in the surrounding countryside.
 |
| Old church built from bush materials ... |
 |
| ... and new structure with milled timber and tin roof. |
 |
| Plywood for flooring and inside walls |
Second, we flew charters for an organisation called Rotarians Against Malaria, who distributes mosquito nets to remote communities and educates them on how malaria can be prevented. Load after load of bundled up nets were brought to places where malaria is prevalent, together with workers who were to supervise the distribution and run the workshops.
 |
| Bundles of mosquito nets for Edwaki |
And thirdly, we had some medical evacuations that showed the hand of God guiding where we were unable to control. Find below an article published by MAF PNG and written by Richie Axon, my fellow pilot in Telefomin.
