Interested in Hunger/Mercy/Med. Flying

[cookmg]

Can anyone provide information or an internet source about volunteer flying, delivering medicine/food internationally?

Thanks.

Mike

 

[cookmg]

Specifically, are there opportunites for full-time pilots with any organization? I have found many organizations that have wonderful opportunites for part-time volunteers. However, I am interested in flying for an organization that will fund the cost of the flights as well as provide living expenses for the pilot. Thanks.

 

[WingRider]

This is one I know of....
Air Serv International, They fly C206's, C210's, Caravans, King Air's, and Twin Otters. If you don't mind flying into Third World Countries like Afganistan or the Congo then go for it!
Sounds a little dangerous for my taste.

This is their site www.airserv.org
p.s. I don't fly for them, and don't know anything else.

Good Luck!

 

[LA Confidential]

I suggest you tread easy around some, not all but some of these organizations. While they have the noblest of intentions some will plop your big ole butt right smack in the middle of a war zone and not loose any sleep over it.

I flew for a private charity group in the mid and late 70’s in western and west central Africa. I found out real frappin quick there was a full blown war going on about two hours after I stepped foot off the plane from civilization.

Stay away from anything that will find you in Western Africa, especially the horn, Eastern Africa any country that borders on Kenya especially points north, Chad still has a civil war going on and slavery is still the prime number one income source for the local warlords, stay out of Mozambique in the south of Africa and Algeria as well.

You can find similar gigs in the South Pacific, Malaysia in particular not quite as brutal but still will cause your life insurance premiums to go up considerably. Central and South America has it’s share of mercy and relief flights even Mexico.

If you know the right folks you can pull a contract for the United Nations or the Organization of African Unity, but again you gotta know someone.

Also, some relief organizations are supported by international organizations such as the UN while some relief organizations are supported by private groups. The private organizations are often called non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Just be careful and don’t become sucked in by the supposed glamour these ops offer, most will not give you full disclosure as to exactly what it is you’ll be doing as well as exactly where you’ll be flying.

When I went in I was “signed up” to fly air ambulance missions what I found my self doing was flying 2 hours a day if I was lucky then spending 10 hours a day assisting medical staff with anything from passing out candy to kids after they were given medical treatment to digging a sewage ditch.

I don’t hate it idea of these things and looking back now I’m glad I was able to help in the greater good, but had I been told this up front then I most likely would not have gone. I could have logged far more hours stateside and in all likelihood would not have returned to the airport twice with bullet holes in my plane nor be sung to sleep each night by the sounds of small arms fire off in the distance.

Also you may want to take into account that today more than ever you (an American) are more of a target that I was during the 70’s.

Ahhh… those were indeed some trying times.

Peace and good luck

LA

 

[Brokepilot]

You might want to check out this website:

http://www.missionaviation.net

Also there are several aviation mission related websites out there. Mission Aviation Fellowship does some good work as well as AirServ International and Aviators Without Borders.

LA Confidential is right. Alot of these operate in some rough parts of the world, but those are the types of situations that cause hunger/ widespread starvation and the need for medical evacuations.


LA drop me a PM. I would like to get a little more info from you.

Brokepilot

 

[prodigal]

Might also check out JAARS. They do mission work flying Helio-Couriers in 3rd. world countries-also a bit dangerous but looks like great flying. BTW, they also want you to be an A&P and 35 or under.
Good luck.

 

[DC10]

The above post from LA Confidential is informative and honest, however his implication that most of Africa is dangerous is simply untrue. Contrary to popular belief, Africa is not a dangerous place. I am referring to the statement:

Stay away from anything that will find you in Western Africa, especially the horn, Eastern Africa any country that borders on Kenya especially points north, Chad still has a civil war going on and slavery is still the prime number one income source for the local warlords, stay out of Mozambique in the south of Africa and Algeria as well.

I have travelled extensively in Africa. In fact having been to 26 African countries I can honestly say that I've seen more of Africa than anyone I've ever met.

As far as avoiding countries that border Kenya, it's true that Somalia and southern Sudan still have problems but I have never had any trouble in Uganda or Tanzania. Even Rwanda and Burundi are relatively safe these days, although avoid the areas that border with Congo.

West Africa may have been different in the '70s when LA Confidential was there, but apart from civil strife in Liberia and the occasional problems in Sierra Leone (the 'real' war is over there and they have returned to democracy) the whole region is safe. I was in West Africa (Senegal and The Gambia) 3 weeks after September 11th as a tourist and felt completely safe. (I am a white, European, non-Moslem).

The areas to avoid in Africa are as follows (Current as of Sept,02)

Algeria - Fundamentalist rebels in the South
Central African Republic - Recent attempted coup, civil unrest
Dem. Rep. Of Congo - War zone
People's Rep. Of Congo - Political troubles, civil unrest
Southern Sudan, Somalia, Liberia, Sierra Leone - already mentioned
Zimbabwe - Political troubles
Angola - Rebel leader recently killed, democracy now but unstable

That's it - 7 out of 53 countries really isn't too bad. Even Chad has calmed down considerably and is considered safe for overland travel. I was in Mozambique recently and found no problems at all. People there are very warm and welcoming and the 17 year long civil war ended almost 10 years ago. The only danger is the 500,000 unexploded land mines still there, but these are mostly in remote areas.

I know this post is well off the topic and I apologize. The only suggestion I can give for finding work there is to go to Nairobi in person and knock on doors. Blindly sending out resumes there will get you nowhere. Also you might want to look at:
www.pprune.com
They have several message boards including ones regarding flying in obscure parts of the world.

Good Luck

 

[TurboS7]

I am a JAARS kid, my father was a dispatcher in Colombia for many years. I learned how to fly at Waxhaw, N.C. and was the first person to land on the new paved airstrip right during the prayer of dedication. I was just flying my Luscombe up from Lancaster so I could fly out of my back yard. Trained by JAARS pilots and to me they are like older brothers. I used to be with Mission Aviation Fellowship with the DC-3 program here in South Florida. I know a lot about Airserv and what they do, they are a good organization and if you want to do what you say you want to do they are the best bet for a low time pilot. I did a bunch of Bible flying into Mexico and Central America when I had my business. I formed my own 501C and used it to raise money, then I financed all the expenses. That is the legal way to get around, using Part 91, the organinzations money and airplane and you can do with it what you wish. If people give you money for transport you are stepping on the 135 issues and this becomes a real hassle. Starting your own 501C is easy and people are ready and williing to help if what you are doing is effective. Most missions have their own aircraft and fly a bunch, missionaries know that general aviation is the tool that will help them get their job finished and done safely. Good luck.