MAF/pilot shortage

[ClearRight]

MAF requires you to raise a certain amount of support to be donated to MAF with your name on it. The money goes into their budget and out of that they pay you a salary and subsidise the flying you're doing. The support level is the same for all pilot families, however the actual amount you get as "pay" is determined by where you live. The overage goes into the operation of the organization (which includes cost of support staff, airplanes and parts, and actual flying).

At least that's how it was when I applied 6 years ago.

 

[TurboS7]

Cat Driver-If you called Miami Air and asked where the best Jet Fuel Prices are crossing the North Atlantic you would get the same type of help. If you called me a fellow pilot and asked ,I would sneak a peak at the fuel price list and forward that infomation on to you. Same principle applies at MAF, we are all human.

 

[TurboS7]

Clear right-you are right. The amount is presently at $5200.00. When I was with MAF I had to raise $4200.00, and we did it in 3 months with a lot of help from them. They do give you full health insurance, pay for housing, and also pay for your kids education. They take good care of their people. As I said earlier what is more important is the prayer support.JAARS on the other hand works diffrently. You get what you raise and you cannot go to the field until you have what they say you have to have. In my case at MAF with 5 kids at the time we couldn't survive on the quota for FLL($2200.00) per month. I don't know who put the quota together but it sure didn't make the grade for us in South Florida. But that is just the way things work, we had money from a business that we had just sold so we used it. The Lord provides one way or the other.

 

[Cat Driver]

Turbos7:

Price was not my concern, the information that I was seeking was availibility.

100LL is very hard to find in a lot of areas in Africa and parts of the middle east.

Anyhow I thought at the time that wth all the different locations that MAF has aircraft and all their contacts in Africa they just may have known about fuel that we and the company that did our overflight and landing clearances were unaware of.

So no real big deal, I just was a little disappointed in the reply that I received from a very simple question.

I have first hand knowledge of where 100LL can be had and where it canno't be found and if someone were to have contacted me I would think nothing of helping out my fellow man.....and I am not a religious person.......

Cat Driver:

 

[TurboS7]

More than likely the person you talked too didn't know. I guess due to the problems you have mentioned MAF plans to go to an all turbine fleet by 2005.

 

[A Squared]

Turbo

Your excuse for MAF rings very hollow.


True, Miami air would not be giving away it's fuel price information. Miami Air is in a competetive business and they probably spend some money researching fuel prices. As such the information represents a competetive advantage over another charter oprator who doesn't have that information. It would be entirely understandable if Miami air wouldn't give that info out.

The analogy breaks down completely when applied to MAF, which (presumably) is not a business, and is certainly not in competition with some private individual ferryng antique aircraft from Africa. Kinda hard to justify keeping such (potentially life saving) info secret in that context, especially for an organization which bills itself as humanitarian.

 

[Cat Driver]

Asquared :

Precisely.

You are bang on, money was never the issue, all I wanted was some advice regarding fuel availibility and we would gladly have paid for same.

Unless one has experienced ferrying aircraft in Africa you would not know the frustration and risk involved in that kind of flying.

Anyhow I was disappionted in attitude of the person that I spoke to on the phone........ no big deal...but it coloured my preception of MAF.

Cat

 

[ClearRight]

Cat-

It surprises me that you got such a response. Everyone I met in Redlands (HQ) was very pleasant and helpful. You may have gotten a staff member who didn't have any experience with Africa and probably dropped the ball or didn't take the time to get you in touch with someone who could help.

That's what happens when carnal man runs an eternal show!

 

[Timebuilder]

I too, am disappointed in the response you got when looking for fuel. However, Turbo's explanation about all of us being human is also "bang on."

If you expect a Christian to be immune from having a bad day, or being rude to someone looking for fuel, then you are mistaken. The people who work in ministries are often far more stressed than others, as they struggle to make their operations work every day. That isn't an excuse, it's a reality.

Every person responds to people according to the person they are, saved or not. While it is a very good idea to tune up your attitude if you follow Christ, it is not a prerequisite to being a Christian, nor does being a Christian necessarily mean that you become immune to temper, depression, or just downright cussedness. It does mean that if you partner and fellowship with other Christians, you will often be able to make significant improvements in your outlook.

In other words, you are far better off to judge Christianity by the sacrifice of Christ, compared to the personality of ANY believer.

 

[Cat Driver]

Please understand that it was not my intention to delve into the christianity issue, far from it as I have zero intrest in the subject.

I was only passing on my one short contact with MAF.

And of course I realize that everyone has bad days or whatever.

Cat