Wednesday, October 7, 2015

The Life-Saver



Would you like to be a part in making this life-saver a reality?
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Saving Lives! 
Written by DJ Knott

"So, how many hours does it take to get here from town?" we ask a village elder after arriving at the community of Ingavi, a thirty minute flight from town. "About 5 days by boat," comes the reply in indigenously accented Spanish. "You mean five hours?"… "No 5 days," the villager insists. As the man's words sank in, the thought left me stunned. Just imagine malaria, a snakebite, dengue fever, pregnancy complications… living days from help. And this is only one of dozens of villages along just one of many rivers. A common thread ran through our thoughts and conversation that afternoon. This is a place where an airplane could really save lives. So began my experience with mission aviation in 2008.

Fast-forward to 2015. Replace oppressive jungle heat with snowcapped peaks, cold winds, and thin mountain air. This time, starting without an airplane, it has been harder to find the communities that are extremely remote. A 4x4 vehicle will take you to the end of the road, but we had heard rumors of places beyond the end of the road. We had to find them. Recently some church members in a small town related how they had received requests for help from villages with foot access only, some 2-3 days walk from the nearest road. In a flurry of Providence, I was airborne in a borrowed plane over that region scarcely a week later taking GPS coordinates of those very communities.

How many people will suffer and even die in these places before we can we reach them with an airplane? On foot we will certainly find needs beyond the scope of what medical help we can bring in a backpack. Anyone who walks those miles will doubtless come to the same conclusion we came to in Ingavi seven years ago…This is a place where an airplane could save lives!

 

So here's the plan: 

While these road-less communities would be inaccessible to 4-6 seat Cessna type aircraft without significant efforts to build runways, nearly all of the ones we have seen have sufficient open space to land a Piper Super Cub.

Since its introduction in the 1950s, nothing has replaced the Super Cub as the benchmark for off-airport operations. With three seats, balloon tires, and the ability to land in small spaces, it fills the gap between helicopters and runway-dependent aircraft.

 

We are currently exploring two options: 

  1. Buying a flying Cub
  2. Assembling a kit made by Javron, Inc.

Would you like to be a part in making this

life-saving Super Cub a reality? 



 
Check or Money Order:
Gospel Mission Aviation, Inc.
PO BOX 2358
Collegedale TN, 37315
Please specify: "Airplane Fund"


OR


Donate via Credit Card or PayPal:
Click here to donate Directly
donate2gma@gmail.com

Purpose: "Airplane Fund"
Thanks so very much for your support!
DJ & Jodi Knott, Chris & Crystal Eno
A big thank you to the Lunt family for sharing Shaun's pictures! 

This project is funded entirely by donations from nice people like you. If God places it on your heart, we accept tax-deductible donations through Gospel Mission Aviation, Inc.

Donate via:
     - Link on the "Donate" page of our website
     - PayPal (donate2gma@gmail.com)
     - Check: P.O. Box 2358, Collegedale, TN 37315

100% of your donations go directly to our project.
Thanks for being the wind in our sails and the oxygen for our fire! 







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