Papuan airspace poses extra challenges for pilots<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jayapura<\/p>\n
Papua's unfriendly typography, old and poorly maintained aircraft
\nand fast-changing weather are the extra challenges pilots flying
\nin the province have to face and air accidents are common.<\/p>\n
Already three have taken place this year, claiming the lives
\nof 32 people with five others missing, presumed dead.<\/p>\n
In the first crash in February, 15 people died when a police
\nCassa 212 aircraft nose-dived into an estuary meters in front of
\nPapua's Sarmi airport. Two months later, 17 people were killed
\nwhen a GT Air Twin Otter aircraft crashed in remote area of
\nPanaia.<\/p>\n
In the latest accident in October, an Indonesian Air Force
\nhelicopter went missing along with its four crew and a civilian
\npassenger near Jayapura. The location of the helicopter and crew
\nstill is unknown.<\/p>\n
\"In the aviation world, Papua's geography and weather
\nconditions are considered risky and pilots must be skillful and
\nwise enough to make quick decisions,\" Papua Mission Aviation
\nFellowship (MAF) program manager, Douglas Allirch, a Christian
\nmissionary who is also a pilot, said.<\/p>\n
Safety considerations like the decision when to fly was of
\nutmost importance since passengers were at risk if pilots were
\nhasty or reckless.<\/p>\n
\"\"If pilots don't want to fly in bad weather, they are
\nconsidered professional for protecting passengers. If I look
\nbehind and see the passengers, I know their safety is in my
\nhands, so I have to be wise. If I return to base due to bad
\nweather, they would surely be disappointed, but to me they still
\nhave a future because they can continue flying the next day. The
\nimportant thing is that we're safe today,\" said the U.S. citizen.<\/p>\n
In spite of the pilots' experience, air safety is also
\nsupported by mechanics on the ground.<\/p>\n
\"The maintenance team wants us to be safe, so they won't allow
\nany faulty aircraft to fly. They continually check for flaws,
\nreplacing them with new spare parts. So, the pilots and mechanics
\nform a solid team for the sake of air safety,\" Allirch said.<\/p>\n
Like other pilots, Allirch feels worried about flying but as a
\nmissionary he puts his life in God's hands.<\/p>\n
Having worked with MAF in Indonesia for 15 years, he first
\narrived in Bandung in 1990 with his wife Karin and son Evan, who
\nwas two years old at that time. In the city, he and his family
\nlearned Indonesian for seven months before leaving to Pontianak
\nto work as a mechanic-cum-pilot for MAF.<\/p>\n
Working in Pontianak, Kalimantan, for 12 years, they moved to
\nPapua in 2002, when the MAF program was halted after 30 years in
\nthe city.<\/p>\n
MAF is an international Christian Missionary organization
\naiming to spread Christianity among tribal people in remote areas
\nwho are not able to be reached by land. If a place develops like
\nPontianak, MAF stops its operations there and moves on to other
\nareas.<\/p>\n
In Papua, MAF, with a fleet of 14 aircraft consisting of 10
\nsmall Cessnas and four Cessna Caravans, has already provided
\nservices to remote areas for 51 years.<\/p>\n
Prior to be assigned to fly in Papua, MAF pilots are required
\nto undergo special training.<\/p>\n
In his three years of flying in Papua, Allirch once had a
\nstrange experience transporting a wounded man during a tribal war
\nin the remote, mountainous area of Nalca in Bintang.<\/p>\n
At that time, MAF was requested to transport a wounded man
\nshot by an arrow to Jayapura.<\/p>\n
Confused about where to land his plane in the middle of a
\nbattle, he sent a message to ask for the clearance to land.<\/p>\n
\"The battle stopped immediately when I came down. We then
\ncarried the wounded man onto the plane. But the moment the plane
\ntook off, they resumed fighting. I was confused but at the same
\ntime felt strange facing the situation.\"<\/p>\n
Allirch has two children, Evan, 17, and Kelsey, 15.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/papuan-airspace-poses-extra-challenges-for-pilots-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }