Andrew and Liz Parker

A beautiful day in Karamoja

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 12:14:00 +0000

Karamoja collections

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 14:20:00 +0000

Another run up to Karamoja today with stops in Kotido, Kalongo, Pader and Lira. The only passenger out of Kajjansi was Benard, our Logistics Manager, but after collecting passengers at each stop I had a full aeroplane for the final leg back to Kajjansi.

Just the two of us

12 pax on the way back to Kajjansi

Moroto

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 17:52:00 +0000

And here's today's picture, the 'office' en route from Kajjansi (our home airfield) to Moroto.

Moroto is in the north east of Uganda, close to the border with Kenya, and is a regular stop on our daily Karamoja Shuttle.

Moyo and Adjumani

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 17:46:00 +0000

So, let me try to get back into this blogging habit. I'll try to start with a picture a day.

Here's a picture from yesterday, flying up to Moyo and Adjumani with our Ops director, Keith, in the co-pilot seat. We fly regular shuttles up to the north west of Uganda in support of the work being done in the many refugee camps up there. These camps host hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese refugees who've fled the violence of their home country.

And one more picture, 5X-SCO on the ground in Moyo.

12,000 solar radios for South Sudan

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 13:53:00 +0000

Yesterday I flew a ton of solar powered 'fixed tuned' radios up to South Sudan. The flight was for Every Village (http://everyvillage.org/radio), and the radios are pre-tuned to the frequency of the Every Village Christian radio stations in Mvolo, Tonj and Malualkon.

My load was made up of 56 boxes, each containing 100 radios, so in total I had 5,600 radios to deliver. Dave, another MAF Uganda pilot, was in another aircraft with a further 64 boxes of radios, and we set off from Entebbe International Airport here in Kampala soon after sunrise (having left home at 5am to prepare the aircraft before first light!). After routing through Juba we delivered the radios to each of the 3 locations mentioned and then made our way back down to Kampala, arriving late in the afternoon. It was a long day, but very rewarding to be playing a small part in the work which those radios will enable.

Each of these solar powered radios will be given to a family (averaging 7-8 people) and will mean that the whole family, whether literate or not, will be able to receive the message of the Gospel in their own language. Now that's something worth getting up early for :)

Another catchup

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 05 May 2017 13:39:00 +0000

So maybe getting two weeks behind on the blog wasn't so bad. This time it's been nearly twice that!

A quick summary of the last four weeks: four flights to South Sudan, one with an overnight in Tonj; four Karamoja shuttles; three charters within Uganda; one flight to Bunia in the DRC; one flight to Nairobi and a 6 monthly Base Check.

Good news on the licence front, I now have my Ugandan pilot licence so I can fly the MAF Uganda aircraft at last. One of the last remaining hurdles is an Instrument Rating check flight and I hope we can get that done next week...

Catch up

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 05:52:00 +0000

I've got a little behind on this blog so here's a catch up for the last two weeks. I've been up to South Sudan twice, once all the way to Yambio and once to Maridi, flown 2 Karamoja shuttles and one charter to Adjumani. Stops have been in Arua, Juba, Maridi, Yambio, Entebbe, Moroto, Kotido, Kalongo, Pakuba, Adjumani and Kaabong and passengers have been a mixture of missionaries and NGO workers.

Rainy season is definitely here and has also arrived in South Sudan, so that adds another dimension to our flying environment. Remember our colleagues up in South Sudan who not only have to deal with the thunderstorms themselves but also some very soft airstrips.

'Rescue' flight to Kaabong

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 14:30:00 +0000

Yesterday was going to be a quiet day catching up on office work, no flying because I had a head cold and wanted to give that time to clear before getting airborne again.

Plans changed just before lunch time when I received a call from Ops asking if I could do a 'rescue' flight to take an MAF engineer up to Kaabong, in the Karamoja area, where another of our Caravans had suffered a partial brake failure during landing. I changed into my uniform and headed down to the airfield at Kajjansi as soon as I could and prepared another aircraft for the flight.

It's an hour and a half flight up to Kaabong and we arrived mid-afternoon to find the pilot and 5 tired pax waiting for us at the airstrip with the aircraft. We transferred the passengers' bags to my aircraft and I took them on to their final destination, Kalongo, about half an hour away while Matt, the other pilot, and Geoff, the engineer, remained to sort out the brakes on the original aircraft.

Considering my five passengers were now about 4 hours late I wouldn't have been surprised if there were only a few people to welcome them in Kalongo, but there were hundreds of people at the airstrip and they were welcomed like celebrities! (see the video below)

Matt and Geoff were able to fix the brake problem and we all arrived back at Kajjansi at about 17:30 in the evening.

Karamoja shuttle

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 12:47:00 +0000

MAF Uganda fly a shuttle service to the Karamoja region in north eastern Uganda every weekday. This week I flew the Karamoja shuttle on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday so I have had a good introduction to MAF Uganda flying :)

During the week I've landed at Moyo, Adjumani, Gulu (twice), Pader (twice), Kaabong, Kotido (three times), Amudat, Moroto (four times) and Soroti (twice). I've carried 55 pax but I won't try to name all the customers who have been served by the shuttle since it is a rather long list, including a variety of NGOs and Christian Missions.

What a week!!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 12:18:00 +0000

Last week I spent 6 days in South Sudan with a mission group called Every Village. A team of 8 people was visiting from the USA and I accompanied them as they spent time in 3 different locations to see the work being done and to encourage their colleagues who are based out in the field.

Our first night was spent in Malualkon in the far north west of the country, followed by 2 nights in Tonj and another 2 nights in Mvolo. For 3 nights we slept out under the stars (and a mozzie net of course!) and for the 2 nights in Tonj I had the luxury of a room in a small house.

Every Village have set up Christian radio stations in each of those locations and also drill boreholes to provide water to the surrounding communities. I had the privilege of seeing how the Gospel message, broadcast on the radio, is impacting the lives of so many in those communities, as well as the difference that access to fresh water is making for the people.

Something which was particularly exciting to be a part of was when the team visited a witch-doctor with whom the missionaries had been sharing the Gospel over a period of many months. The missionaries believed that the man was almost ready to make a commitment to Christ and turn his back on his witchcraft, and while we were there he did indeed take the bold step to confess Christ as his saviour! Not only did he say that he was ready to turn his back on his old ways, but there and then all his idols and charms were brought out and burned in a fire!

It would have been quite remarkable to see that happening once, but on this trip we saw it happen again with another witch-doctor just two days later!! Please pray for these two former witch-doctors in Tonj that they will grow in their new faith and draw many others to Christ through their witness.

Moyo

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 09:01:00 +0000

Yesterday I flew my first operational flight for MAF Uganda!

Moyo is a small town in the far north of Uganda on the border with South Sudan. Recent fighting in the southern South Sudanese town of Kajo Keji has seen huge numbers of refugees fleeing to the relative safety of Uganda.

My 9 passengers from the Embassy of Ireland were visiting the area outside Moyo where various organisations are working to provide for these refugees. The flight was a day charter which meant that we flew up to Moyo in the morning and returned to Kampala in the late afternoon.

Passengers being welcomed in Moyo by WFP representatives.

Juba to collect an aeroplane

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 12:32:00 +0000

On Thursday last week I joined another MAF pilot on a flight up to Juba in order to collect one of the MAF Kenya aircraft and to bring it down to Kampala. Due to a technical snag my return was delayed until Saturday, but now I'm glad to report that I have an aeroplane to fly! Although I am still waiting for the CAA to give me an exam to get a Ugandan licence, I will now be able to play my part in the flying schedule using a Kenyan aeroplane...

To Juba, and beyond...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 18:56:00 +0000

Glad to report that I spent a couple of days flying up in South Sudan this week.

I travelled up to Juba on Thursday morning and then took a load of food, medical and building supplies up to Keew and Jaibor for CMA. The medical supplies and food went to Keew, where I collected nearly 200kg of plumpy supp which went on to Jaibor along with timber and bags of cement.

It felt like a long time since I was last there, and looking back in my logbook I see that it was 7 months ago that I last landed in Keew and Jaibor, just one week before our evacuation from Juba.

On Friday I flew a charter for Tearfund to Motot, carrying mostly food supplies. On the return leg I brought 5 Tearfund staff back down to Juba with me.

It was really good to be back in South Sudan and flying again for our partners who are still doing such good work up there.

Nairobi again!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 11:37:00 +0000

I'm glad to report that I've done 2 flight this week :)

They've not been operational flights but it has been very good to get back behind the controls again.

On Monday morning I travelled back to Nairobi in Kenya and in the afternoon I flew with another MAF pilot to 'brush up' on my rather rusty skills. On Tuesday I renewed my Medical with a visit to the doctor, and on Wednesday morning I did a flight test with an examiner in order to renew my Kenyan Instrument Rating.

With my Kenyan licence now valid for another 6 months, at least I will be able to support the South Sudan team with some flying, possibly even before I complete my Ugandan conversion...

Looks like it's time for my quarterly blog post again ;)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sun, 22 Jan 2017 17:56:00 +0000

Although very little has happened on this blog for the last 3 months, a lot has happened in our lives! When I last wrote we were based in Nairobi and I was flying for the South Sudan programme from Kenya. Since then we have accepted a position with MAF Uganda and have now moved to Kampala where we are settling in as part of the team here.

As this is a blog about my flying with MAF, posts may still be a little thin on the ground for a while, at least until I get my Ugandan pilot's licence and can fly again! Part of the process to get a licence for a new country involves writing an exam and unfortunately I haven't been able to write my exam yet. I'm hoping to get the exam done in the next few weeks, God willing. Please pray that the aviation authorities here will be helpful in that regard.

I have been in the air a few times since our arrival here, riding along with other pilots in order to get familiar with the areas I will fly to and some of the airstrips. The work here in Uganda has 3 main parts: flying into Eastern Democratic of Congo in support of the MAF Congo team; flying in South Sudan; and flying in the north eastern Karamoja area of Uganda.

As a family we feel privileged to be here in Kampala and I look forward to being able to play my part in the work soon. Let's hope it's not another 3 months before I have a flight to blog about...

It's been a while

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 06:20:00 +0000

Now that I'm flying again I think it's about time I got back to this flying blog!

We had a great time with family and friends on Home Assignment and now we are back in Nairobi again. The MAF flying in South Sudan is continuing, although at a reduced level while the pilots and their families are still based in Nairobi. I'm now doing some flights here in Kenya and spending each third or fourth week up in Juba to fly within South Sudan.

I'm not going to write about each flight individually for now but, since our return just over two weeks ago, I have done 8 days of flying which was made up of 33 legs, 24 of those up in South Sudan. In those 8 days I flew 35 hours and customers have included Dan Church Aid, AIM, ZOA, Toposa Team South Sudan, ECS, Medair, Tearfund, Sudan Evangelical Mission, Action Africa Help International, Seed Effect and International Medical Corps.

It has been great to get back to some of the familiar old airstrips and to work with the South Sudan team again, along with flying here in Kenya. South Sudan remains very tense so please pray for peace to be restored in that troubled country.

All change!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 12:11:00 +0000

Well, a lot has changed since I last blogged. Tensions in Juba had been rising and on Friday night 8th July fighting broke out in various parts of the city. On the afternoon of Saturday 9th July, by God's grace, there was a window of opportunity to get to the airport and I flew one of two MAF aircraft which evacuated all the MAF international staff families and children to Kenya, leaving only a handful of MAF staff in Juba. The remaining international staff members were successfully evacuated to Kenya the following Tuesday on another MAF flight.

We are now living temporarily in Kenya and I have been doing some flights for the MAF Kenya programme. Tomorrow we will travel to the UK for home assignment so there will be no flying blogs here for a while.

Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 13:15:00 +0000

Yesterday the weather was bad. At least that was the way the guy in the tower described it when asked on the radio by some pilots trying to come in for landing! It was a grey rainy day, which is quite unusual for Juba, and it certainly made for some challenging flying conditions.

I was booked to fly the Western Equatorial Shuttle to Kajo, Yei, Juba, Maridi, Ibba and Yambio. Due to the bad weather my departure was significantly delayed in the morning and the knock on effect of that was that Ibba and Yambio had to be cancelled later in the day. On my return to Juba after the first rotation the weather was particularly nasty and I flew the instrument approach down to minimums in cloud and heavy rain which is not something we have to do often here in Juba.

I carried 23 passengers representing ECS, AMREF, AIC, Tearfund, Carter Centre and International Medical Corps.

Food supplements for Motot

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 13:40:00 +0000

Today seemed to be a busy day in Motot. Chris, one of our other pilots, flew a double rotation to Motot and I did a third, while WFP seemed to be doing a major food distribution as there were hundreds of people gathered at the southern end of the airstrip.

I took one ton of 'supercereal' food supplement for Tearfund and brought back one passenger.

Loki shuttle and thunderstorms

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 07:58:00 +0000

Yesterday I flew the shuttle to Loki via Torit, Kimatong and Kapoeta on the way out and via Kapoeta and Torit on the way back. Passengers represented War Child Holland, ZOA South Sudan, Carter Centre, New Kush Foundation, American Refugee Committee, NIRAS Water for EES Project, UNIDO and Rural Action Against Hunger.

Apart from the passengers I also carried pipes and solar panels to Kimatong for a borehole project and 100kg of medicines from Loki back to Juba for Medair.

The weather was typical for the rainy season in Eastern Equatoria with small cumulus clouds in the morning building into thunderstorms by the afternoon. On the return legs we had thunderstorms close to Kapoeta and Torit but fortunately we were able to get in and out before the heavy rain reached the airstrips.

Loki shuttle and thunderstorms

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 07:58:00 +0000

Another 4 in 1

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 17:49:00 +0000

Well, we had an excellent 2 week break in Kenya and since getting back on Monday, have hit the ground running (or should that be flying?).

It's been a busy week with flight times averaging a bit more than 5 hours a day. I haven't managed to keep up with blogging each day so here is a break down of the week:

On Tuesday I did the run up to Renk for Medair. Four pax on the way up with 400kg of freight, empty on the way back.

On Wednesday I flew a ton of medicines to Yida, via Rumbek for fuel, for Far Reaching Ministries.

On Thursday I carried a mixture of freight and passengers for Christian Mission Aid. We stopped at Jaibor, Keew and Lankien before coming back to Juba.

Today turned out a little differently to the way it was planned but in the end I flew a double rotation for Tearfund. The first rotation was to Yuai with a ton of CSB (Corn Soya Blend) food supplement. The second was to Motot with a ton of water purification kits and dry food items.

And now it's time for a weekend...

4 in one

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 18:23:00 +0000

It's been quite a busy week so I have not managed to get around to blogging about my flights. Tonight I'll just write one blog to cover the four previous days:

On Monday I didn't actually fly the aeroplane, although I was on the shuttle as 'co-pilot' carrying out an annual proficiency check for one of our other pilots. We had stops in Kapoeta and Kimatong on the way out to Loki and Kapoeta and Torit on the way back home.

Tuesday was a busy Equatorial Shuttle with stops in Yei-Kajo-Juba-Maridi-Ibba-Mundri and home again. 23 pax in total from 10 different organisations.

Wednesday was a charter for Open Doors. The destination was Yida, with a stop for fuel in Rumbek. On the way out I carried freight only, mostly tarpaulins (!), and on the way back two passengers.

Today I flew up to Keew, Old Fangak and Jaibor for CMA (Christian Mission Aid). We had not flown for CMA for some time and it was good to meet some of the people I recognise from last year and to go back to some familiar old airstrips. It was not an easy day, with a delayed departure from Juba due to paperwork issues and a lot of weather to contend with in the vicinity of the airstrips.

It's been a tiring week and I must say I'm looking forward to a holiday :) Tomorrow morning we'll be off for a two week break so I'll be back here at the end of the month...

Motot, Mabior and Mundri

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 17:23:00 +0000

3 Ms today.

My first rotation was to Motot for Tearfund (yes, with more wood and cement) with a stop in Mabior to collect some paperwork on the way back to Juba.

The second rotation was to Mundri to collect 8 of the AIC passengers who flew out to Mundri on yesterday's shuttle.

A busy Equatorial Shuttle

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 17:23:00 +0000

Today I flew our shuttle to Central and Western Equatoria with stops in Kajo Keji, Yei, Mundri, Juba (again), Maridi and Yambio. I carried 30 passengers in total representing 12 different organisations (I'm afraid I'm too tired to type them all out though ;)

Very pleasant weather for flying again, although we really could do with some more rain in Juba.