This flight was a special flight for me because for the first time I had the opportunity to fly as Pilot in Command with our Indonesian Director. We were very grateful to be able to fly together, remembering the arduous journey until we could sit in the cockpit of a Helimission helicopter as local pilots. In addition to “Pak Carter” (as we refer to our national leader), a number of key people who have gone before him were committed to finding the finances to train us as helicopter pilots. Before that we “only” had licenses to fly fixed wing aircraft.
Every minute of flying costs Helimission money, unlike commercial companies that earn money by flying. That is why we try to combine our flights. If we fly to a medevac in the bush, we take recovered patients with us on the outward flight to bring them back to their home village. Hoping that the fog would lift and the weather would improve, I made flight preparations. Thank God, after waiting for more than an hour, the skies cleared and we could fly to the village of Dombul with a patient who had recovered. After a 20-minute flight we landed and said goodbye to the grateful passenger. We then flew on to Sesepne where we picked up a woman with a festering, foul-smelling wound on her elbow. Accompanied by her husband, we flew her to the hospital in Dekai. After a half hour flight, we landed back at our base in Wamena.
Seven years after my recruitment, I am now flying solo and serving my people in Papua. Thank you for all your support so that we can continue this ministry!
Dyro, Pilot
