Klazina called me late last night after I had gotten home from our MAF prayer meeting at their house, and asked if I wanted to fly with Gerrit today. Well, she was planning on going, and that is what I had counted on, but she wanted to go to the last prayer meeting of the year, so she asked if I wanted to go instead, so she didn't have to miss it. She offered to get the kids going on school, and I would not be back in time for school, so I had the day off!Yes, needless to say, I was so excited- you know how I love flying! I quickly charged my camera batteries before going to bed, and before I knew it morning came.I met with Gerrit at the office before heading to Kajjansi, with Laurie, one of the other pilots who was also flying out the same time we were planning to.
After getting to Kajjansi, Gerrit started with his pre-flight inspection, and found out our plane had an alarm bell ringing. So, the plans changed and we prepared the other plane for departure so the Engineers could ready fixt the issue. Well, we were already running late by that time, and the Engineers arrived. They decided to quickly fix the problem and again we swapped planes. Yes, it was interesting and an exciting start to the morning!!!So, Gerrit once again did his pre-flight and loaded the luggage, allowed the 4 passengers flying with us to board, prayed and we began to taxi out. It wasn't long before we were airborne and on our way. An hour later we landed in the Karamoja region, in Northern Uganda, landing in Moroto where we were greeted by the few passengers waiting to board as well as a few by-standees who ran over to see the plane. It was so special to be part of a MAF flight. It's one thing to teach, being with MAF, but to truly experience what MAF is all about was really special. After dropping a few passengers in Moroto, we took off, and landed in another airstrip about 10 minutes away. Yes, it was a short flight, but as we flew I was looking at the road, and that 40k drive would have taken over an hour, the roads are so terrible.
As we descended to land in the second village, we saw a few people on the runway. While chatting with each other on the headset, we saw the people running off the strip and a bike was left there! Yes, we landed, and the bike was out of the way enough but it added some excitement to our already exciting day! As we landed, many people came from all directions to see the plane and the Mzungu's that came out of it! It was so special to see so many of the children, and had a few pictures with them! They were so excited to see the plane and walked around it, checking it out! I had to make sure my purse was out of reach as I left the plane door open or it might have been gone!!We gathered a few more passengers and then left, heading back to Kajjansi.
As we flew, Gerrit and I chatted over the headset, and it was fun listening to the radio communication going on, and as we communicated with them. Gerrit also explained to me what the many gauges, switches and buttons meant and then left me to take over the wheel! It was pretty exciting, and I had brief thoughts about becoming a pilot- that would be so cool!! But anyway, I dismissed the thought as that would take far too much time and schooling. You know me, that's not something I enjoy, I need the hands on, get your hands dirty and get right in there kind of work!!!So, on our descent into Kajjansi, Gerrit had me flying in-between the clouds, feeling the pressure and just having a great time, as he sat back and watched, directing me when to turn and how to keep an eye on about 5 of the 30 gauges!!!
After landing in Kajjansi, I went with some passengers who were going to be staying in our MAF guesthouse, and directed the taxi driver there. Well, that was my day. It was a very nice surprise to have the day off and be able to fly, I loved it!
A great day in the life of a pilot!
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