Aviation organisational partnerships are essential in order to ensure that mission air travel can be done safely, effectively and efficiently in Papua New Guinea.
Recently senior staff from Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF), New Tribes Mission Aviation (NTMA) and Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) Aviation converged on Ukarumpa, Eastern Highlands Province, and met for three days at the Ukarumpa Training Centre for the Mission Aviation Conference (MAC).
The conference is seen as a time to strengthen partnerships and to share aviation technology expertise. Some of the technical reports presented by members from each organisation included: Human Factors training, Incorporating Safety Management Systems, Aviation Culture in the mission context, Airstrip Maintenance, Aircraft Performance and many other related issues.
The conference is also a great time of unity building for the organisations. Time is spent worshipping and praying together over the many challenges that confront them. One participant shared, “One of the benefits of the MAC is that it allows mission aviators to fellowship together and get to know each other better.”
In the past, aviation personnel at this conference have found ways for the organisations to work together for fuel storage caches around the country and for sharing maintenance, aircraft, pilots and engineers. As a result of the conference, attendees have a greater appreciation for each organisation’s roles and operations in the country and commit to work together for the common goal of growing Christians in the outlying and remote areas of PNG.
According to Lyle Wyse, Director of SIL Aviation, “We enjoy meeting together. When we meet we have a deep sense of unity in the Lord and share a deep desire to serve the people of PNG with safe travel that encourages individual and church growth in the Lord. It is encouraging to discuss our aviation challenges together and discover how we can work together to overcome them, many times reaching solutions together that we would not have come to on our own.”
