New Aussie Aircraft for Papua New Guinea mission
MAF Pilot Clint Smith with the GA8 Turbo Airvan in Toowoomba
Toowoomba’s airfield received a special stopover from an aircraft on a mission yesterday. A newly developed turbo charged airvan or GA8, designed and manufactured in Gippsland, Victoria, was on its way to Papua New Guinea to take on the world’s most difficult flying conditions.
The plane was built for Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to carry out medical and missionary work in developing PNG. MAF pilot chief Clint Smith said PNG was a country of difficult terrain with few sound roads.
“PNG is a struggling, developing nation hindered by isolating terrain and there are places where there are no roads or where the roads can only be used for a few months each year,” Mr Smith said.
“Some of the airstrips are shocking and weather patterns can be really, really unpredictable.”
The $775,000 plane will take pride of place in MAF’s PNG fleet alongside 15 other aircraft. The big difference with this latest edition is the addition of a turbo-charger that will allow the plane to soar to greater heights faster. Mr Smith said a United States military assessment of flying conditions worldwide found the standards required to fly safely in PNG are the highest in the world.
Ths is a great effort by MAF. Thank you for doing so much for the rural communities in Papua Gew Guinea.
Many of the rural communities cannot thank the MAF and the missionaries and local church workers enough for the services they provide. They don;t know how to say thank you in English or even in tok pisin, their beaming faces and smiles mean much.
Has the latest aircraft arrived in PNG yet? Where will it be based and operate from – in Hagen, Port Moresby or Lae?
yehiura hriehwzi
journalist for The National newspaper in PNG
The GA8 Airvan will probably get to Papua New Guinea in the next few weeks. It’s not confirmed yet where it will be based. Mission Aviation Fellowship has bases in Goroka, Mt Hagen, Telefomin, Rumginae, Madang and Wewak. In 2009 MAF PNG made an average of 54 flights per day and landed at 272 airstrips across the country!
Thank you Mr Smythe, do you have an email address I could communicate with you on? my email is: yehiura@gmail.com
Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!