The Flying For Life Podcast

Episode 7 – Staying safe in PNG Given PNG’s recent fuel crisis and escalating civil unrest, how do you stay safe in such a volatile country? Pilot Andrew Symmonds, who was caught up in the riots, and Andy Hedley-Smith - MAF International’s head of security and former close protection manager at the Metropolitan Police - share their top tips.

Episode 6 – What does it take to become a MAF pilot? 21-year-old James Gullett - MAF UK’s youngest pilot - has just graduated from MAF’s Future Pilot Programme – a new scheme, which supports upcoming British mission pilots with the cost of their training. James and Marco Koffeman - Director of the Mission Aviation Training Centre where James completed his training - share their highs and lows of learning to fly.

Episode 5 – Happy Birthday MAF Arnhem Land! For half a century, MAF’s been serving the Yolngu people who live in the vast, isolated wilderness of Australia’s Arnhem Land. We hear from MAF Arnhem Land’s country director Matt Henderson and MAF partner Natalie Morreau who manages Miyalk Domestic & Family Violence Shelter, which has been empowering women for decades.

Episode 4 – Navigating Haiti: With gang violence on the rise, we hear from MAF pilot Eric Fagerland who’s overseeing a skeleton crew in the capital Port-Au-Prince, and MAF frequent flyer Dr Janice Cotrone – founder and dean of the Wesleyan University’s Haiti School of Nursing who narrowly missed a bullet and survived armed robbery.

MAF Timor-Leste pilot Ping Domtta, Dr Zwijnenburg from PNG’s Kompiam District Hospital and Maud Kells OBE – former midwife / nurse, trainer, author and founder of Mulita Hospital / Mulita Primary School in the DRC, all share their experience of MAF’s lifesaving medevacs (medical evacuations).

John Feil - Operations Manager for MAF South Sudan, Peter Claver - Head of Programmes at health charity AMREF and the Rev Bernard Suwa of Grace Community Church in Juba, share how they’re tackling poverty in South Sudan – MAF’s oldest African programme.

Join Sally Lloyd - Director of Strickland Bosavi Foundation, Maika Yabua - a science teacher at Nomad Mougulu High School and Steven Biggs - MAF Liberia’s Deputy Chief Pilot as they discuss access to education in Papua New Guinea and Liberia.