NON-PROFIT SPOTLIGHT
“It allows us to carry more fuel so that we can go directly
to Honduras and Belize without a fuel stop, saving time and
money,” he says.
“These classic planes from the 1940s are great for us because
58
of their versatility. We can load ATVs and large animals
through the cargo doors and can configure them with no passenger
seats at all, or some seats, depending on what we need
to carry.”
The landing gear has also been specially adapted for landing
on the grass strip at Haiti’s Pignon Airport using balloon tires.
All eight of Missionary Flights’ pilots are certified mechanics,
their “A&P” designation signifying airframe and powerplant
capability. A handful of larger Christian universities
offer degrees in missionary aviation with training in both
flying and maintenance.
“Our pilots and administrative staff are missionaries
themselves, supported monthly by families, businesses, and
churches,” he says. Missionaries helping missionaries, in
other words.
“We’re limited in that we only fly on Tuesdays and Thursdays,
so if you’re taking a group to Haiti from Saturday to
Saturday, we’re not an option,” says Karabensh. “But we
fly into the grass air strip, unlike commercial airlines. From
the larger airports in Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien, it’s a
three-and-a-half-hour drive to that area on the worst roads
in the world, crossing rivers without bridges! We land at the
airports, clear everyone through customs, and get to the grass
strip in about 12 minutes.”
MFI partners with organizations that supply not only
humanitarian aid, but also spiritual aid. “An ancient saying
says, ‘An empty stomach has no ears.’ The organizations we >>
ELLEN GILLETTE
According to Karabensh, MFI gets more mail than just about anyone in the
county. Donations, packages, supplies and letters to missionaries are stored
and then dispersed as flights allow.
MFI’s DC-3s are equipped
with balloon tires that
make it possible for them
to land on the dirt and
grass airstrip at Pignon
Airport, saving incoming
passengers hours of travel
over “the worst roads in
the world.”
MISSIONARY FLIGHTS INTERNATIONAL