By CHRIS BURGESS

The Cessna 206 soared past the ridge and immediately plunged into a narrow canyon. Rocks melded into a reddish blur as the pilot-in-training aimed for a thin grass strip tucked amid the canyon walls. He relayed a mock mayday message into the radio before zooming past the airstrip and out of the ravine.

This simulated engine failure is one of many exercises a prospective pilot performs in the Idaho backcountry before serving overseas with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). But there are other steps a pilot must complete before even arriving at the non-profit organization’s headquarters in Nampa, Idaho.

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By DAVE FORNEY

On Nov. 22, Dave Forney, a Mission Aviation Fellowship pilot/mechanic serving in Kalimantan, Indonesia, took these photos and filed this report from the Philippines, where he is assisting in the relief efforts:

“Yesterday I went out on the helicopter, first flight of the day, to the small islands in the little Quiniluban Archipelago. I spent the day going from island to island, overseeing the safe off-loading of food and relief supplies from the helicopter into the hands of hungry villagers.

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Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) recently dedicated a Cessna Caravan aircraft for service in Haiti.

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