Lucien starts 1st Grade

End of October Lucien turned 6 years. So, he started 1st Grade on Monday, being the forth (and luckily last) Madeleine will home school.

31 October: Lucien turns six

18 November: After a short holiday in Mt Hagen
Lucien starts with Grade One

Goodbye, Twin Otter

Last Saturday the last Twin Otter was farewelled in Telefomin. A lot of the houses with a tin roof in this area were built because this aircraft flew the necessary materials. Water tanks and saw mills were other specialities this aircraft could carry into any bush airstrip.
Because of this history of helping the remote communities it was with a sad heart that most of the people gathered to celebrate the last flight back to Mt Hagen. Some tied the plane with robes to symbolise that they would rather it stayed. Others painted themselves with mud, a cultural sign of mourning.
The the people of Telefomin are worried about their future needs in air-transportation are understandable, though unfounded. MAF does not plan to leave the village in the mountains. And by substituting the twin engine plane with two Cessna Caravans the capacity is even increased by about one forth. Moreover, having two planes will make our services more reliable as maintenance on the plane and sick pilots will not render the whole fleet useless. However, it might take a while until these facts sink in and people start realising that they are in effect better off. Like everywhere, change is only accepted unwillingly.

Thank you MAF Twin Otter,
for bringing light into our unreached world

Speeches from different organisations

Women's Fellowship sings a farewell song

Mourning the loss ...

... and welcoming the replacement: Cessna Caravan C208

Annual Pilot's Meeting

The annual MAF PNG Pilot's Meeting again took place in Mt Hagen. We went as a whole family, as Madeleine gave a talk on how to control fatigue with what you eat.

Pilot's Meeting at Kanal House, Mt Hagen