The Fun From Friday

Friday afternoon for folks at MAF headquarters was spent dedicating a new airstrip that will be used for training our pilots. We have lots of great strips in the mountains here and wonderful folks who let us use them, but they are all more than an hour away. This one is only 13 miles south of our hangar so it's a great spot to have the pilots practice.

There was an opportunity for people in the office to submit their names for one of the seats on the three planes that flew out for the dedication: two of our training Cessnas, and one Kodiak, which is the type of plane we will be renewing our fleet with starting next year.

I was awarded a seat on one of the Cessnas on the flight back to the hangar after the dedication. The time leading up to the actual ceremony was a great chance to get up close to a Kodiak, which is what I am sitting in with my friend Becky in the previous post. The Kodiaks use jet fuel, which is less expensive and more widely available than aviation gas (as those of you on my mailing list who have been getting news from MAF about the worldwide av gas shortage are well aware). Kodiaks are also specifically outfitted for bush and missions and humanitarian flying, so there is stunningly little refitting that has to happen when we start to acquire them, unlike the great workhorse but refit-necessary Cessnas.

Here are some shots from the afternoon.

Pics of the Kodiak (ours will have a proper MAF red and white paint job, of course!), and Kathie and Karin and Becky outside and climbin' around inside.

Looking up the strip from about midwday. There is a flat area at the top which is where the planes are parked. The land was donated by a very generous family and many volunteers helped complete every phase, from grading to the legal work. What would normally cost about $50,000 to complete cost us about $5000 since so many volunteers and donations were part of acheiving this.

Looking down the strip from about midway. They built it with a 10% grade. No point in having people practice on flat strips for MAF flying :)

The Kodiak cresting the rise as it came in.

One of our Cessnas.

Becky and I were on the same flight home. Nice and cozy, those planes are! If you think you overflow a regular airline seat, try one of these on for size.

From the air. I circled the strip. Looks like a stick of gum, don't it? Try landing when it's got a 15% grade, it's cut into the side of a mountain, and it has a dog-leg or something else crazy in it :)

Just a pretty shot of Nampa from the air.

I thought Mom might like this one. That's the back of the pilot's seat in front, Becky behind him, and the window and tops of towers on the way into landing in between. We can see the tops so well because we are almost sideways :) I didn't lean over to the take the picture from the seat on the right; it was just my view!