NTM Aviation to Offer Rides in New Kodiak Aircraft at Deer Valley Airport on Jan 30, 2016

(Newswire.net — January 11, 2016) McNeal, AZ — The second NTM Aviation Expo is scheduled for January 30, 2016 in the Cutter Aviation Service Hangar at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The address is 732 W. Deer Valley Rd. The display will include a new Kodiak plane, a Cessna 185, a Cessna 206, and a Robinson R44 helicopter. During the event, NTM Aviation pilots will share their firsthand experiences of flying in remote locations in Indonesia, Venezuela, Papua New Guinea, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Liberia, and Senegal. Rides will also be offered for a small fee in the new Kodiak airplane.

 

NTM Aviation came into being in 1969 to provide support to missionaries working in remote
tribal settings. Now, as then, “Part of getting the gospel out to the unreached people is getting the missionaries to them,” said NTM Aviation’s International Chief Pilot Daren Spence.

 

Cessna planes have been the workhorse on many mission fields since the late 1940’s. At this
time, 11 Cessna aircraft function in the NTM Aviation worldwide fleet in Southeast Asia, Asia
Pacific and Brazil. Two of these Cessnas operate in Arizona where trainees learn the specific
systems of the aircraft. Three trainees are now preparing for overseas service, starting in 2016.

 

Recently, after seven years of repeated delays, NTM Aviation placed a Cessna 206 into service in the isolated Acre region of Western Brazil. October 2015 marked the start of flights into the tribal areas. Besides transporting supplies and language and church planting consultants, the plane has already responded to an emergency. A missionary couple and three tribal men flew out for rabies treatment after an attack by a tapir.

 

NTM Aviation has three new Kodiaks which will eventually replace the Cessna 206 aircraft in
Papua New Guinea and allow expanded service to the many western, native, and tribal
missionaries working in remote locations. The Kodiak carries more cargo and passengers than the Cessna 206 and yet can land on the same airstrips. The Kodiak’s spacious capacity can easily handle a medical team and all needed equipment for a medevac. The 4’ x 4’ cargo door provides ample access for loading a stretcher and can still accommodate the whole medical team plus some family members. The Kodiak is a strategic tool for efficiently locating and sustaining NTM missionaries in tribal locations as they bring written language and education to the village people. Just to move into a tribe requires many flights of supplies. The Kodiak reduces the number of flights needed, freeing the missionaries to quickly begin learning the language and culture of the village. With the Garmin G1000 cockpit system, the Kodiak can maneuver around weather and terrain that might otherwise hinder flights. The large cargo and fuel capacity of the Kodiak makes longer flights possible, in some cases reducing the need to transport fuel drums as part of each load. These specifics make the Kodiak the aircraft of choice in that country.

 

The R44 used by NTM Aviation has proven to be critical in serving those who are in rugged
terrain where airstrips are not easily located. The flexibility of the R44 provides vital assistancein the Philippines. During typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, the R44 rendered invaluable support in meeting humanitarian needs as well as continuing flights to support missionaries. NTM Aviation plans to add an R66 to its Philippine fleet in the future. While the R44 helicopter has very limited range, ceiling and payload capacity, as well as operating on a gas that is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive in the Philippines, the R66 brings a whole new level of capability. Burning readily available and inexpensive Jet-A, the R66 boasts a range that will enable it to effectively serve not only Mindanao, but the surrounding islands as well. Its impressive hover ceiling and maximum altitude brings the capability of flying over the top of low-lying clouds and rugged terrain, rather than weaving through the treacherous mountain passes below. The increased payload capacity of the R66 means that for extended over-water flights, it could even be equipped with floats for added safety, as well as carrying more people and more supplies on each trip. The goal of New Tribes Mission Aviation in the Philippines is to be able to transport missionaries anywhere they need to go, anytime they need to go there, in a safe, efficient manner. The unique abilities of the Robinson R66 will enable NTM Aviation to meet that goal as never before! Flights into the Mindanao area alone have the possibility of impacting 450,000 people in 14 people groups.

 

Providing flights for national co-workers who cannot afford them has been an ongoing challenge for NTM Aviation. In a bold move, NTM Aviation recently shifted from a cost-based to an affordability-based billing system. In this new paradigm, every missionary, whether western or national, who needs flights in order to accomplish their ministry, will have aviation service, regardless of the amount they can afford to pay. This will allow westerners, nationals, and tribal missionaries to serve side by side as equal partners, not hindered from helping their team by inability to travel. The strengths of all parts of the Body of Christ will come into play to carry out NTM’s church planting strategy in least-reached people groups.

 

The expo on January 30th will include activities that will let everyone experience the daily life of an airplane pilot and a tribal missionary. Besides having their photos taken in the pilot’s seat of the aircraft on display, attendees can visit a tribal village complete with hut, village lady, fire, pig, chickens, and snake. Children will especially enjoy the jungle scavenger hunt, including finding a baby in a most unusual (but realistic) place. Experienced missionaries will be in the jungle to interpret the scene and recount authentic stories of life and ministry in remote jungle settings. Participants can enjoy virtual trips by video and virtual flights by piloting a flight simulator to a perfect landing.

For more information about this exciting adventure, please visit this Event page.

 

Founded in 1969, NTM Aviation is a branch of New Tribes Mission. Our mission is to advance
the spread of the Gospel through aviation to the least reached people groups on the earth, provide affordable air support for the missionaries who serve these isolated people groups, and provide emergency medical evacuations and relief services in times of natural disaster. NTM Aviation provides aviation support and pilot training from their headquarters in Arizona and serves in Southeast Asia, Asia-Pacific and Brazil.

 

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