At the end of the Second World War, two Christians in the RAF wondered how they could use aviation to further the gospel. Their names were Jack Hemmings (pilot) and Stuart King (engineer) from Cardiff. (I think he was from a church in Grangetown.) The idea was to fly to Africa and visit missionaries to see if airplanes could help in their work.
MAF was registered as a charity in London in 1945. They acquired a light aircraft and started planning where they would visit. From a base in Nairobi, permission had to be obtained from the governments of countries they would fly over or land in. They started making their survey trips in 1948 in very dangerous conditions. Maps were not very helpful when crossing the desert.
When they met and spoke to local missionaries they could see there was a great need because some of the mission stations took days to reach by road whereas the journey by air could be done in a couple of hours. The roads were also very dangerous; they were often merely rough tracks riddled with potholes. By using flights, patients would be able to reach hospitals much quicker and, therefore, lives could be saved. Furthermore, missionaries would be able to fly to their stations, along with any equipment and stores necessary.
Interestingly, during covid, the UK government used MAF to fly vaccinations and medical staff to distant villages.
The first program was established in the Sudan in 1950. New airstrips had to be prepared which meant finding level ground and clearing it of any shrubbery. They commenced with one small plane and experienced many hair-raising journeys.
Today, they operate in over 25 countries with 118 aircraft flying to more than 1000 destinations. Stuart King died on 30th August 2020 aged 98. Jack Hemmings went to glory this year on 24 January; he was 103 years old.
God evidently preserved their lives during the dangers of wartime because He had a work for them.
On the 3 April 2025, King Charles unveiled MAF’s latest addition to its aircraft fleet which will serve the people of Papua New Guinea.
Muriel Hewett
