29 March 2018
One of the founders of the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), 96-year-old Stuart King, returned to Duxford recently for the launch of MAF’s latest addition to its fleet, an amphibious Cessna Caravan 208 which will serve in Bangladesh.
Stuart was based at RAF Duxford at the end of WWII as a Flight Lieutenant and Chief Technical Officer. It was then that he and other RAF personnel founded MAF, now the world’s largest humanitarian airline. Born from a desire to use aircraft for the good of those in great need, today MAF flies to over 1,500 remote locations across 26 developing countries, delivering vital aid to locations only accessible by air.
Stuart said, “My memories of Duxford are fond ones, and it’s a pleasure to return to this important, historic place to reflect on past times and celebrate the future of what we can achieve through aviation.
“MAF has been a huge and vital part of my life, and I am grateful to God for how my skills – together with many inspiring men and women – have been used for good around the world. This new MAF floatplane will enable more lifesaving flights to help those in desperate need in Bangladesh long into the future, and my prayer is that their lives would be transformed.”
MAF’s new Cessna Caravan floaplane making its first water landing at Calshot, near Southampton.
The Cessna floatplane was visiting the UK for a short time before it starts its lifesaving humanitarian work, and made its first ever water landing at Calshot, Southampton.
The Cessna’s pilot, Chad Tilley, flew the aircraft in the UK for this special event. He said, “When we announced that MAF was getting a new aircraft in Bangladesh, a room full of our partners gave a standing ovation!
“We all know how important the aircraft is as a tool to reach the most isolated areas of Bangladesh. Normally we see planes on land, but this will give people in the UK an opportunity to see what seaplane flying all about.”
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF)
