Matt and Becki Dillingham

Flying update

Cessna 182 at Mananjary in the South East. This was the first MAF Madagascar flight.

Over the last 6 weeks I have been doing my Flight Orientation Training in Madagascar. The training covered aircraft handling, some tests on air law and weather in Madagascar and some training on how to look after passengers. It has been great to be back up in the air and to be on the final leg of the journey to becoming a MAF pilot. The first week and a half (15 hours of flying) were spent getting to know the Cessna 182. With it's diesel engine and high nose wheel it is a more challenging aircraft to land so quite a bit of time was devoted to flying into different airstrips, getting used to how it handles on finals. There were also a few MAF manuals that needed to be read so that kept me busy between flights!

Northern Madagascar

After completing a base check (where you are assessed on your ability to fly the aircraft in different situations) I moved onto LOFT (Line Orientated Flight Training) which is when I started flying with passengers on board.I learnt some of the routes and became familiar with some of the airports that I will be flying into as well as dealing with passengers, which was completely new to me. This includes loading their baggage, giving them a safety brief and conducting a safe flight. All this training was done in just 5 flights before a 'route check' assessment by the training captain to check whether I was ready to be the Pilot in Command.

Antananarivo

With the route check complete, there is a further 12 hours or 4 days flying (whichever is greater) of supervised flying. This is when I am responsible for the flight and the official Pilot in Command, but another pilot comes along for the flight to help with unfamiliar areas of the country and give assistance with weather patterns that haven't come up in the initial training. I am still doing the supervised flying and really enjoying it. I am remembering more of the check list off by heart and becoming more efficient at doing what needs to be done on the ground in preparation for the flight. This gives me more time to spend chatting with the passengers and it is uplifting to hear about the work they have done or are intending to do once they have left the MAF aircraft. One of these trips was to Toamasina, where Mercy Ships have docked but I'll save that trip for another blog very soon!