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Mission Aviation Fellowship is set to tour its latest aircraft around Australia before it begins service in Papua New Guinea.
The charity, which uses planes to help those in isolated communities, said its new Cessna 208 Caravan would give flight simulations to schoolchildren in Redcliffe, Queensland, before continuing around the country.
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Its aircraft currently serve more than 50 community airstrips in the region.
“We’re delighted to have this opportunity to share the work of MAF with people here in Australia,” Chris Barnes, chief executive of Mission Aviation Fellowship, said.
“Due to the size of our country, Australians already understand isolation through distance, but this aircraft will bring education, healthcare and essential supplies to some of the world’s most hard-to-reach locations.
“MAF’s team in PNG, where this plane will operate, includes international staff from Australia who have chosen to use their skills to make a difference in communities that are often inaccessible by road.”
The charity also flies in East Arnhem Land, where MAF has operated for over 50 years, connecting indigenous homelands to vital services.
Globally, it operates 117 aircraft, with more than 40 Cessna 208 Caravans.
“The majority of MAF’s C208s are the ‘stretched’ Grand Caravan variant (208B), which can carry 13 passengers or up to a tonne of cargo,” the charity sa.
“With large loading doors at the rear of the cabin, bulky items such as building materials, small vehicles or even stretchers can be loaded and flown over large distances.
“In PNG, the Caravans deliver tons of raw coffee beans from highland villages to the coast for processing, affording the village their only source of much-needed hard currency.
“MAF’s Caravans are modified to make them more suitable for continual use on unprepared airstrips and withstand some of the most challenging flying conditions in the world.
“Strengthened axles with larger wheels and tyres are fitted; mudguards and tyre scrapers are added; the nose-wheel leg is lengthened to improve propeller clearance on uneven ground and the cargo door frame is reinforced with stainless steel strips. It is known as MAF’s workhorse of the skies.”
MAF believes it flies to more destinations than any other commercial airline, with one of its aircraft taking off or landing roughly every six minutes somewhere in the world.
