On Tuesday Simon was supposed to fly to Torit in the new country of the Republic of South Sudan. However, the passenger that he was to pick up had been out of communication contact so it wasn't sure if the flight was going to happen or not. However, about 9am the office got a phone call to say that the passenger had made contact and was ready to be picked up. Simon called me to say he was heading out to the airstrip to do the flight. In a moment of impulse (not usual when it comes to things like this :) ) I asked if I could join him and he said that it would be a good day to go as he was only picking up one passenger. South Sudan was the only country that I hadn't been to yet with MAF and was one of my goals before we left Uganda (if we ever leave Uganda). Simon picked me up on the way to Kajjansi and while he was pre-flighting the 206 (it wasn't going to be a fast flight) I talked with some of the team members from MAF Holland who were visiting our programme this past week.
Soon after Simon and I set off for R.O.S.S and I appreciated flying over Uganda again and seeing the changes in the landscape as we flew. On approach to Torit we crossed some rugged terrain and also dodged some weather systems. It was amazing to see the cloud formations at 10,000 ft and marvel at the size of them. It was remarkable to watch Simon navigate these clouds and find holes that I couldn't see until we were closer. I was thankful I was flying with an experienced pilot who knew his weather :)
On arriving at Torit we met with our passenger who works with Sh*lter f*r L*fe in Sudan. This organisation works with farmer and tillers of the land to help them move from just sustenance farming and to think bigger and work towards commercial farming. This organisation provides tools and seeds to the farmers to help them on their way. I am always amazed when I get to fly with Simon and meet some of the organisations that are working up country. It is fascinating to learn of the work that they are involved in and the difference they are making to peoples lifes.
It took us just over two hours to fly to Torit and we would have the same journey home. I couldn't imagine doing the journey by road and, again, it was an invaluable experience to see how MAF makes a difference in people and organisations lives.
On our approached to Entebbe Airport there was quite a bit of traffic in the air. You would think it would be quite easy to spot other planes around you but it wasn't easy at all. It makes you realise how important air traffic control is for a pilot. We landed safely at Entebbe and Simon was able to take the passenger through immigration before getting back on the plane again to fly him 6 minutes to Kajjansi.
When I told Joshua and Zara that I had got to fly with Simon they were definately jealous and would have skipped school to go to. Thankfully Joshua and Zara have both had the privilege of flying with Simon on occasions to experience more of life in Uganda. They are looking forward to their next holidays and the possible opportunity again.
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