SPRING 2009

Wanted: Pilots with Heart

Three Embry-Riddle Grads Talk about Flying Humanitarian Missions

DALE MALMSKOG, base manager and pilot for AirServ International, Mozambique; BS, Aeronautical Science, 1995, Prescott campus

I was a flight instructor at Embry-Riddle in Prescott, from 1996-1999, but didn’t have a strong desire to fly for the airlines. Flying in the bush seemed more exciting, more like what “real pilots” would do. When I first came to AirServ, I planned on being with them maybe two or three years max. Now coming onto 10 years, I really feel so at home here that I cannot imagine leaving anytime soon.

No two days are the same, and that’s a reason I love this job so much. We operate under a contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development, much like a corporate flight department. Our destinations and the people we fly change constantly. Most of our flights take non-governmental organization (NGO) staff from the larger cities in Moz to remote towns and villages throughout the country. Sometimes we have one-day trips and take people in the morning to a small town, where they conduct a training seminar on how to prevent HIV/AIDS or how to properly feed a child to fight malnourishment. After the seminar, we fly the group back to the city before sunset, as runways with lighting are few and far between. Other times, we will take a group of people to several remote locations over several days to visit sites where development work is going on.

We really have to rely on our training to see us through, as we all fly single-crew. Whether it is airstrip conditions or weather conditions, you learn the value of good pre-flight planning and to always have an alternative plan. Fuel is only available at a few airports, and you don’t want to be left somewhere with not enough fuel to get home. AirServ has given me the opportunity to increase my management skills. Before coming to Moz, I was getting a master’s degree in aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle, with a concentration in safety and business management, so that prepared me for some of the tasks I was faced with in my other job as program manager.

In Moz, I fly a Cessna Grand Caravan C-208B, configured to seat nine passengers. With the cargo pod, it’s easy to put baggage and other cargo away from passengers, which is handy when someone wants you to carry chickens, goats, or strange-smelling items. Our plane has the Garmin-530 with the TAWS [terrain awareness/warning system], which helps situational awareness. Weather radar and an autopilot also help with long flights in grim weather. Most of our airstrips are either packed dirt or grass, so the large tires and prop clearance of the Caravan help with safety.

I’ll never forget a flight I flew in 1999 in our C-206. I did a quick pre-flight, checking the engine oil by reaching my hand in the cowling, checking the fuel strainer, front, cowlings, and so on. After that, I boarded my only passenger, who I put in the “co-pilot” seat. We took off, and then leveled off at 4,500 feet for the 50-minute flight to Caia, a small town on the Zambezi River. About 20 minutes into the cruise, I noticed something flapping around the left side of the front engine cowling. It looked like an alternator belt had broken and was dangling from the engine intake, or perhaps the prop de-ice boot was coming off. After 20 seconds, I saw what it was – a snake! Less than five seconds later, the snake came completely out of the front cowling, with 120 knots of wind in his face, and smacked our windscreen pretty hard. Instinctively, I ducked when the snake hit. Many snakes in Moz are extremely poisonous, and this one could have been a green mamba, very dangerous. I realized that when I had put my hand in the engine cowling, that snake was already in there taking a nap. I vowed to do a better preflight next time.

Mozambicans are wonderful people, always smiling, waving, or saying hello. Kids are everywhere and always want their picture taken. Mozambicans are very sociable, and much of the time they are outside, chatting to friends and family, the opposite of the United States, where everyone is mostly inside and rarely do you see someone on the sidewalk or on their front porch. In AirServ, we have a real multicultural group, with people from the USA, Australia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, England, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Portugal and, of course, Mozambique. Most of the “expats” don’t just see their presence there as a job, but rather something deeper. Some come for religious or humanitarian reasons or, once in a while, just to leave their own country.

Fortunately, the civil war in Moz had ended before my arrival, so there wasn’t the threat of violence and safety issues you may experience in the AirServ programs in Chad and Democratic Republic of Congo. The amount of poverty and need really got to me and is something everyone deals with, even now after almost 10 years here. Being an American, you are richer than 90 percent of Mozambicans, so you are constantly being asked for money. It will never be like living in the United States, but, by forming relationships with people around you, it can be really fun and exciting.

I wanted to use the flying skills Embry-Riddle taught me in some way to bring glory to God. Being with AirServ in Mozambique, I have been able to do this on a personal level, which is very rewarding.

DAVID TURNER, lead pilot for AirServ International, Democratic Republic of Congo; BS, Professional Aeronautics, 1999, Worldwide campus, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska

After working for ExpressJet Airlines for seven years, I decided it was time to realize my dream to fly in Africa doing humanitarian work. I came to Congo in September 2007, worked for six months, and then took an opportunity to fly for United Airlines. After getting furloughed in September 2008, I was fortunate enough to work again for AirServ, and have been loving it. I have been with them for 12 months, working out of Goma in the eastern part of Congo, where I fly the Cessna Caravan and De Havilland Twin Otter.

We have contracts with humanitarian groups such as Doctors Without Borders (Medicins Sans Frontieres), Merlin, Concern, Goal, Heal Africa, Care, International Rescue Committee, Norwegian Refugee Council, and Save the Children. What makes the job so enjoyable and fulfilling is the type of work we do. A typical day can include flying food, medicines, building supplies and equipment, doctors, and aid workers into remote villages. We get to know a lot of the passengers we carry frequently, as well as some of the local village officials we pay landing fees to.

Our days can be pretty busy, flying up to seven hours with numerous stops in villages. Some of the challenges come from the lack of weather reporting, the high terrain we fly around, and airport officials who come up with extra fees for us to pay, which usually causes an animated debate. There are a few paved runways, but most are grass, dirt, and stone, and can become very muddy and rutted during the rainy season. We also land on two roads that have the traffic blocked off for us to land. Some flights can be draining emotionally, as well. We often carry victims of rape and other violence into Goma for medical attention. It’s especially heartbreaking when the victims are young children.

Eastern Congo is where most of the unrest has been. We evacuated town in early November because the CNDP (National Congress for the Defense of the People) rebels came to with just a few kilometers of town and that caused rioting because the locals were unhappy that the UN was ineffective in holding them back. We based the Otter and a Caravan in Entebbe, Uganda, and another Caravan was in Bukavu, DRC, about 60 miles south, and we flew in and out of Goma for a week and then returned after the rebels agreed to a ceasefire. We have also been operating in northeast Congo where the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) burned villages and killed 600 people on Christmas day. So we do fly into areas where there has been fighting, but will not take unnecessary chances. We fly over these areas all the time, but usually stay at a safe altitude. If there is active fighting in the area, we will not go in. Most of the trouble I’ve experienced with the soldiers, which is pretty much everywhere we go, is them asking for money.

Our time off is usually spent in town with friends from other non-governmental organizations. We usually get together for dinner and drinks, Sunday barbeques and swimming in Lake Kivu, movie nights, and even salsa lessons once a week. Due to the security situation, we cannot walk around in town and have to be driven everywhere, which can be a bit of a hassle, but we all make do. On Christmas, we had a party for 50 disabled orphans. We had Cokes, food, and a bunch of presents for them, and we all had a great time. There are many opportunities to volunteer in town, and even stopping at the orphanages to say hello can mean a lot to the kids.

I can’t express enough what a great experience this has been for me. It has made me appreciate even more what a great country the United States is, with all the freedoms and opportunities we have. It has also helped me reevaluate what I feel is important in life. I hope to do this for a bit longer, but I do look forward to returning to the States and my job at United.

MIKE VENTRE, former pilot for AirServ International, first in Sudan, later in Chad and Congo, now a pilot for Delta Air Lines; AA, Aeronautical Science, 1991, Daytona Beach campus

Flying with AirServ taught me to think on my feet and make quick effective decisions. It sharpens your mind. You learn how to think outside of the box and get the big picture view of things. Flying in Africa is nothing like flying in the U.S, where you have dependable ATC and rule books. You’re on your own in Africa. Here you can just check the weather report, but in Africa you can’t do that. Sometimes I look back and think: how did I do that?

I met my wife when she was a passenger on one of my flights. She is a Belgian who was working for a humanitarian organization that AirServ flew to certain places. When you’re doing humanitarian missions, romances tend to take on a deeper meaning. Maybe it’s because you’re both in a different place, dealing with things that make life more difficult. You see each other all the time and form an intimate bond that I have never experienced before.

I now fly international with Delta, so working with AirServ helped me to know the area better. Having lived overseas for six years, I know the regions, I know how to work with their ATC, and I know the air patterns. I was interviewed with seven other pilots. Only two of us got hired -- a retired marine helicopter pilot and me. So obviously Delta looks for pilots with a different kind of experience. Working at Delta is definitely a step up from flying a Cessna.

People at AirServ are busy changing the world. If you don’t hear back from someone right away, be persistent. Someone will return your calls and e-mails. Second, I would say don’t worry about your lack of flight hours. AirServ isn’t looking for a ton of hours. They look for people who are passionate about the humanitarian cause. People without heart don’t work out. It’s a fantastic opportunity for those who aren’t the typical pilot just looking to climb the corporate ladder of success. It is truly a life-changing experience.

Jill Fontaine is majoring in Communications in Daytona Beach.