When Bad Weather Meets Demands

I was out in Telefomin again for a week doing some training with a pilot when a request came in pick up a young man in a remote village who has broken his leg and needed some professional attention. As Telefomin has a Hospital (even though without a doctor) this was the obvious place to take him to.

We already had a busy schedule on that day and as it was "only" a broken leg we suggested to do the flight on the following day. However, the weather turned bad on us about mid-day and we reckoned that instead of throwing in the towel or hang around for an indefinite time we might as well go to Miyanmin and pick up that patient and see if the weather changed in the meantime. 

The village was happy to see us coming already and the patient was, too. And by the time we made it back to Telefomin the clouds and rain to the south had cleared as well and we were able to continue with what has been planned initially.

Strapping in the patient before loading the other passengers

P2-AHP, Arrival of a New Plane

MAF Papua New Guinea got a new airplane. This is the 10th aircraft added to our fleet of Cessna Caravans, C208. The registration AHP is witness to its origin and purpose: to fly medical patrols in the Western Province (Aerial Health Patrol).

Roughly double the size of Switzerland the Western Province only has 5 hospitals, 2 of which have a doctor on a permanent basis. That is why the vast majority of people living in the Western Province do not have any access to health services. Several years ago, MAF started an initiative to fly a team of medical personell to a remote village where they attend to the sick and provide health education. Looking for a sponsor MAF partnered with Sustainable Development Programme (SDP). In the meantime this organisation has taken over the whole project and with AHP has already donated the second aircraft for MAF PNG.

Dedication of P2-AHP from MAF PNG on Vimeo.

Arrival of P2-AHP in Mt Hagen

AHP Team in Habi, Western Province

Dr John doing a check-up on an infant

Move to Ukarumpa

This week we finally made it: We have arrived in Ukarumpa, our new home for 1 year. After having packed for several weeks, we loaded up our Cara-van (aka moving van) and flew, with a 4-day layover in Mt Hagen, Eastbound past Goroka to Ukarumpa in the Eastern Highlands. Here Niklas will visit 3 years of High School and hopefully Joelle will join him next year. 

We now stay in a ex MAF hostel (boarding home) with 11 rooms looking after our kids and a friend's teenager, hoping that the newly hired dorm parents will arrive Q2 2022 so that we can move on.

Steven giving Lucien a briefing

Moving with a plane: Cara-van

Fully loaded cabin

Ukarumpa

Bischoffs and Sachh in front of the hostel

70th Anniversary: MAF Papua New Guinea

On 7 May MAF celebrates its 70th anniversary of operating in the country of Papua New Guinea. This makes it the longest continues air service in this nation.

Back in Telefomin

Today we finally made it: after 11 months we are back at our Telefomin base. What was supposed to be a 5-month trip to Switzerland turned into a double-the-time journey due to COVID delays. Now, we are glad to settle in our own house again and stop living out of suitcases.  

Welcome party in Telefomin: MAF Staff

Departure for Papua New Guinea

After a 2-month delay we are now on our way to Papua New Guinea. We were fortunate enough to catch a ride with a World Food Programme Charter from Kuala Lumpur to Port Moresby. 

Waiting for departure in Zürich

En-route to Doha - Kuala Lumpur - Port Moreseby

Tobogganing

When we left PNG end of June and arrived in Switzerland in the heat of the summer we never thought it might end like this:

It was a Wednesday when we pooled all our winter clothes, mittens, and toque, hopped in the car and drove to Meiringen in the Bernese Alps (past Interlaken at the other side of Lake Brienz). We bought a day pass and took the cable car to Hasliberg, where we rented four toboggans. Despite initial moaning about being cold it was only several rides later that we actually stopped as mum and dad, being utterly exhausted, had to call it quits. 

A day to remember: tobogganing in Switzerland

O Christmas Tree

Our kids waited 9 years to do this: cut a Christmas Tree in the forest, set it up in the living room, and decorate it. Christmas is a-coming!!

Picking a Christmas Tree ...

... and then decorating it.

Silver Wedding Anniversary

25 years ago Madeleine and I made our marriage vows in the Reformed Church of Bolligen. Today, we revisited some of the locations of that well remembered day.

As we decided to celebrate this milestone together with our children we first visited the Hallwyl castel. Then we ate a splendid lunch at the same restaurant we had our reception at. The room we used then is still the same – as, according to Madeleine, is the carpet.

Time did not allow to go on a boat trip on the lake of Hallwil, however, we payed a visit to the church in Bolligen on our way back home. It was a beautiful, sunny fall day making the colours of the trees shine as they did 25 years ago.

1995: after the church service

Beinwil am See where we held our reception

Reformed Church of Bolligen

Switzerland – at last

After the three-month wait in Mt Hagen we have finally made it to Switzerland. Eventually, we did not travel on our booked route through Singapore, but with Qatar Air via Doha with layovers in Port Moresby (for the night) and Brisbane (12 hrs waiting). Despite having to wear a face mask for 21 hours straight, the travelling was pleasant enough. Now we enjoy Switzerland and our current home.

Boarding in Mt Hagen

On the Grimsel pass

Our house in Switzerland

Stuck in Mt Hagen

April 6th we were supposed to depart Papua New Guinea for Switzerland. However, due to a nationwide travel restriction and a major lockdown of airports along our intended route of travel, we never made it out of Telefomin. Only on April 10th did we leave Telefomin for Mt Hagen, but again it was not by our choice. With all international air travel still impossible we thought of staying in our home in Telefomin until things calmed down and we could journey to Switzerland. However, the PNG government decided to isolate the border provinces to Indonesia, which would have made it impossible for us to leave later on. So, Mt Hagen was a saver place to wait.
And now, 6 weeks later, we still are in Mt Hagen, with no prospect of leaving soon. Living out of a 23kg suitcase each we stay in an empty house at the Kagamuga compound close to the airport. Markus is working in his role as Crew Training Manager in the office, doing the occasional, State-of-Emergency approved flight, while Madeleine has resumed her role as a Family Manager, schooling the children and making sure we can survive on the few things we brought along. The kids are doing great, finding and making new toys (we had no space to pack any) with stuff they find in the surrounding gardens. As there is no complete lockdown, we can actually move about and had the chance to visit a nearby cafe a few times. Also, there is quite a bit of interaction going on on the compound itself, with Bibel study, morning/evening workout, and volley ball being just a few.
All in all we are doing well and hope to resume our travelling in June. By that time, most of Switzerland will be opened up again, too, so that we can actually do our home assignment as planned, including public speaking engagements.

Homeschooling for Joelle

Making friends with the compound guard

Niklas doing exercise with colleagues ...

... and Lucien joins in as well

Homechurch during lockdown

Building a plane with dad

Mission Aviation Fellowship, 75-Year Anniversary

This year MAF International celebrates its 75-year anniversary. For this occasion a video clip was produced. Most scenes were filmed in Lapalama, a village close to Mt Hagen, headquarter in MAF Papua New Guinea.

If you would like to read more about how MAF came to be, here is a short history:

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

Redbird Flight Simulator

With the change to an all Cessna Caravan fleet MAF will be operating nine of these aircraft in PNG. In addition we also try to get approval for transporting passengers in these single engine aircraft while flying IFR. In order to minimise training costs we bought a Caravan specific flight simulator from Redbird.
Mid July Markus went to Hagen as a technician from Redbird came to assemble what is called an Advanced Aviation Training Device. It took two days and three people, but then we were flying circuits in Tari with severe turbulence and 20 knots cross-wind.

Knitting, Women's Conference, and Rumginae

These three events were the highlights of last month:

• Madeleine finished her second knitting course for the women in Telefomin. Five women learned different patterns in order to knit simple items they can sell at the local market.

Showing how it's done

Concentration is paramount

• Markus picked up several airplane loads of ladies in the surrounding villages. The Baptist Union held a Women's Conference in nearby Tifalmin (5 min flight from Telefomin, 2 days walk).

Celebration in Tifalmin

• Currently there is no pilot stationed at Rumginae. Therefore, we as a family had the chance of revisiting our old home. Especially the kids were all exited. Unfortunately, the weather did not play along and so it was only on Sunday that we could go for a short swim in rather cold water. Towards the end of our stay we were joined by a new pilot couple from Switzerland, who will be living in Rumginae for the next six weeks.

Where there used to be an Airvan there is now a Caravan

With the Romingers in front of our old house