(credit: Janne Rytkonen)

Most aircraft maintenance happens inside hangars, surrounded by tools and bright lights. For MAF engineers, this is also the case, but can take place under the wing of a Cessna Caravan parked on a dirt strip on a busy loud apron at an international airport, with the sun beating down and another life-saving flight waiting to leave.

Across the world’s most remote regions, these engineers work quietly behind the scenes to keep every aircraft safe and ready to fly. There is little glamour in the job, but immense purpose. Every bolt checked and every filter replaced helps deliver vital care: a medical evacuation, a vaccine delivery, or a flight carrying teachers and supplies to a distant village.

It is skilled, steady work carried out by a team whose focus never wavers, because every safe landing means another life touched.

Remote, Rugged, and Ready

Bush flying is a world apart from commercial aviation. MAF pilots often land on runways that are little more than dirt or grass strips, some carved from mountain slopes, others hidden among trees or swamps. With short runways, unpredictable weather and no airport infrastructure, every flight demands precision and preparation.

Out in the field, there are no repair shops, spare parts stores or hangars waiting nearby. Once an aircraft leaves the main base, it can be hundreds of miles from technical support. Every toolkit, spare part and drop of fuel must be planned, because every flight may carry a patient in need or supplies that cannot wait.

Unlike commercial operators supported by ground teams, MAF engineers work in small groups spread across various locations and countries. Often fulfilling the many roles of administration as well as physically working on the planes. Every task they complete keeps the aircraft mission-ready in places where limited support exists.

There is no waiting overnight for a delivery or calling another crew for help. Every hour lost can mean a community waiting for supplies or a patient waiting for treatment.

Engineering in Extreme Conditions

MAF operates in more than 25 countries, each with its own unique challenges. In Papua New Guinea, the humid air encourages corrosion. In South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, fine red dust seeps into every crevice, clogging filters and wearing down bearings. In Timor-Leste, constant heat and salt air place a strain on metal and wiring.

Such environments demand both technical skill and creative problem-solving. MAF engineers are trained to the same standards as those in commercial aviation, yet the conditions they face when things don’t go to plan can be different. 

In Papua New Guinea, engineers have carried full toolkits across muddy airstrips to reach stranded aircraft. In South Sudan, repairs have been completed by torchlight. These moments reveal the ingenuity and calm determination required to keep planes flying in the toughest conditions.

Even in these environments, precision never falters. Every aircraft receives the same level of care and safety as those maintained in commercial facilities. Whether adjusting engine compression or reassembling landing gear, MAF engineers carry out each task with accuracy and attention to detail, often under the watchful eyes of curious onlookers.

Maintenance Cycles and Safety Standards

Every MAF aircraft follows an approved maintenance programme (AMP). Much like those used by commercial airlines, it sets the intervals for how every part is inspected, recorded and replaced. Whether flying above Indonesia’s forests or Chad’s deserts, the same procedures ensure safety and reliability across every mission.

Routine maintenance is carried out in the hangars to keep aircraft ready for service in each country as we are able to do so. In locations where staffing is a challenge, we will often bring teams or experts from our other programs to work for a short while on a particular project or maintenance input. 

Keeping these operations running often means moving parts across continents. Some components travel through several countries and customs systems before reaching their destination. If delays occur, an aircraft may remain grounded, and for MAF, that can mean more than a cancelled flight. It could mean a patient waiting for evacuation or a community going without essential supplies. To aid with this we often hold a higher volume and level of parts than a normal operator would and with our knowledge and expertise of operating these aircraft we are able to know what we need well in advance of it failing.

The Engineers Behind the Missions

Behind every MAF flight is a dedicated team of engineers who come from many different backgrounds. Some began their careers through apprenticeships or technical training, while others bring experience from commercial aviation. What unites them is a shared purpose: keeping pilots safe, passengers secure and aircraft ready for mission.

Pilots and engineers work closely through MAF’s global maintenance network, training together each year on new systems, safety protocols and technologies. Knowledge is shared between teams across continents to ensure every aircraft meets the same high standards, no matter where it operates.

Teamwork lies at the heart of MAF’s success. Engineers, pilots and operations staff stay in constant communication, often in fast-changing environments. Before take-off, a pilot or engineer inspects and signs off the aircraft. On its return, any changes or observations are noted and discussed by the operational and maintenance team to ensure the continued availability of the aircraft for its next flight. This close coordination ensures reliability, even in places that other organisations cannot reach.

(credit: Thomas Baertschi)

Every Flight Starts with Engineering

Every MAF flight begins long before the engine starts. In hangars and offices around the world, engineers plan for work and prepare each aircraft with care and commitment, ensuring it is ready to fly safely across some of the most demanding environments on earth. Their work is often unseen, but it is what makes every MAF mission possible.

In Timor-Leste, for instance, pilot Lungpinglak “Ping” Domtta has logged more than 2,000 flight hours and carried out over 150 medical evacuations. His aircraft is often the only link between rural health posts and the Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares in Dili, which serves more than 1.3 million people.

MAF has operated Timor-Leste’s only air ambulance service since 2007, working alongside local ambulances and the Ministry of Health to reach patients in need. One of those patients was six-year-old Bendito, who required urgent evacuation after contracting severe dengue fever on Atauro Island. The fifteen-minute flight replaced a dangerous three-hour ferry journey and likely saved his life.

These lifesaving missions depend on the dedication and precision of MAF’s engineers flying in from other locations to assist with the work there. In the heat and humidity of Timor-Leste, or the rugged terrain of other mission fields, their attention to detail keeps every aircraft safe and mission-ready. Each inspection, test and adjustment contributes directly to the hope that every flight carries.

You Can Help Keep MAF Flying

MAF’s engineers work tirelessly to keep every aircraft safe and ready to serve isolated communities. Their skills and dedication ensure that each flight can bring help, hope and healing where it is needed most. Training, tools and spare parts are vital to keeping MAF flying, and they come at a cost. Your support helps our engineers maintain the aircraft that make life-saving flights possible every day.

Together, we can keep these planes mission-ready and ensure that remote families, patients and communities continue to receive the help they depend on. You can help keep MAF flying.