Latest news with #Cessna208
Epoch Times
25-04-2025
- Epoch Times
40 Years of Flying Into Danger to Save Lives
There's no such thing as a typical day at the office for pilot Marcus Grey. The Australian Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) airman has spent the past four decades flying to some of the most remote areas in Australia and the Pacific to save lives. Grey spoke exclusively to The Epoch Times during a stopover in the regional Queensland city of Bundaberg with the charity's gleaming new 10-seater Cessna 208—a plane that will allow even more assistance to reach areas like Papua New Guinea (PNG), where many locals rely on such services for medical help. Though only about four kilometres separate PNG and Australia, life on the small island nation is vastly different. Beautiful yet unforgiving, the rugged terrain of PNG—where tribes live scattered across rugged countryside and mountainous expanses—makes building roads or infrastructure nearly impossible. As a result, many villagers must trek for hours or even days to access medical help, sometimes carrying children, the elderly, or expectant mothers through harsh terrain. Related Stories 2/4/2025 12/24/2024 Tribal violence is also a challenge in PNG, with land disputes and attacks by so-called 'rascal' gangs becoming increasingly common. This violence is made worse by the proliferation of modern weaponry and the breakdown of traditional structures that once protected respected community figures such as elders. In these conditions, access to aircraft is quite literally lifesaving. The new MAF Cessna took a brief tour of parts of Australia before taking off to save lives in PNG. Crystal-Rose Jones / Epoch Times But as Grey explains, piloting in PNG presents its own unique challenges, especially due to a lack of sophisticated runways, landing areas, and reliable weather analysis. He recalled one of his most challenging flights, and the way a community came together to save a little girl's life one night. 'I had to do a night landing in Goroka in the middle of Papua New Guinea,' Grey said. 'The airstrip isn't rated for night flying, and a little girl got bitten by a death adder. I went to pick her up, but she couldn't be moved until later in the afternoon.' To complicate matters further, only one location in the entire country had the antivenin—and it was at Goroka Airport. While some airports in the region had landing lights for night flying, none had the medicine the girl needed. The pilot explained his dilemma to staff on the ground, and soon MAF workers had gathered other companies to park along the runway. 'All the people on Goroka Airport got their cars and lined the airstrip with their headlights—it's only ever been done once before,' Grey said. 'They all chipped in to help, which was really nice. It was a community effort. The doctor was at the airport to meet the little girl, gave her the antivenin in the aeroplane, and I took her home the next week. She recovered so quickly.' Grey said the experience was 'one of the hairy ones,' and working in PNG is not for the faint of heart. He began flying to the remote Arnhem Land region of the Northern Territory, an area blessed with flat land and relatively stable weather. 'I got enough hours to go to PNG, [which] is just a non-stop learning curve—learning new airstrips, new types of weather patterns,' Grey said. Courtesy of MAF From bogged-down planes to unpredictable weather, Grey says pilots who brave the Pacific island must always be ready to adapt and improve. While he's flown 'hundreds, if not thousands' of medical missions, he also helps deliver goods like produce to markets, to support local tribes economically. Since 2007, he has also flown missions in East Timor, following a request from the nation's health department. Much like PNG, East Timor's unforgiving terrain and lack of infrastructure have made medical access difficult since the departure of Indonesian forces. 'They had very old ambulances and the roads were very bad after the Indonesians left,' Grey said. 'We were replacing a six, seven-hour journey in a rickety old ambulance with a 20-30-minute flight,' he said. 'I love how we can help people in all different ways using the aircraft. We want them to know God loves them by practical means.' Grey says he loves flying, but loves even more what it allows him to do for people in need. He has also spent the past 20 years instructing at a flying school in Mareeba, North Queensland. Many of his students have gone on to work for MAF, helping provide vital flight services. The MAF charity was started by Jim Truxton in the U.S. in 1945. Just a year later, female pilot Elizabeth Everts Green made history as the first woman to cross the Andes as part of the service. Since 1981, the service has operated countless flights globally—including across PNG, remote regions in Australia, and the Pacific.
Al Jazeera
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
China says Philippines ‘illegally' flew planes over South China Sea islands
China's military said it drove away three Philippines aircraft 'illegally' flying over the disputed Spratly Islands, marking the second aerial incident this week involving Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea. A spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command, Air Force Colonel Tian Junli, said the military had chased away two small Cessna 208 planes and a light N-22 aircraft on Thursday. The Southern Theatre Command said Manila's aircraft had acted provocatively in a bid to assert the Philippines' 'illegal claims' over the small archipelago, according to Chinese state media. 'The Philippines has disregarded the facts and repeatedly stigmatised, hyped and smeared China's legitimate and lawful rights-protection actions,' the Southern Theatre Command added. The Philippines claims a northwest segment of the Spratly Islands, an archipelago of 100 islands and reefs, while China claims all of it. The incident follows an earlier close encounter on Tuesday when a Chinese military helicopter flew within 3 metres (10 feet) of a Philippines patrol plane flying over the Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcrop in the South China Sea surrounded by rich fishing grounds. While the Scarborough Shoal lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone – an area spanning 200 nautical miles (370km) from the shore – it has been controlled by Beijing since 2012, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. A 30-minute standoff between the Chinese naval helicopter and the plane was witnessed by foreign media travelling in the aircraft, which belonged to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The Associated Press reported the Chinese helicopter pilot was warned they were acting dangerously and endangering the lives of crew and passengers. Following the incident, the Southern Theatre Command accused Manila of pursuing its 'illegal sovereignty claim with military provocations and mislead[ing] the international understanding by hyping up [which] is doomed to fail'. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, placing it in regular conflict with neighbouring countries including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Since 2013, the Chinese military has built 20 outposts in the Paracel Islands, another disputed archipelago in the South China Sea, and seven outposts in the Spratly Islands, according to the Asia Maritime Initiative. Last week, China also entered Australia's exclusive economic zone, sending three Chinese warships within 150 nautical miles (278km) of Sydney. Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles, told the media the event was 'unusual but not unprecedented', while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that China had warned of potential 'live fire' naval drills in international waters off Australia's eastern coast, and commercial flights were instructed to avoid the area.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Skydive plane crashes on flight from Sebastian to Palatka; pilot dies
A plane that crashed in rural southwest Flagler County killing the pilot was being flown to Palatka from Sebastian where it had been used by a local skydive business. The pilot, who was not from the Treasure Coast, was the only person on the 10-seat capacity Cessna 208 that departed Sebastian Municipal Airport just before 6 p.m. Friday on the way to Palatka, where it was planned for use at a skydiving business, according to local and federal transportation authorities. 'We used it for the past two months,' said Brandon Radcliff, the manager of Skydive Sebastian. He said the plane operated without problems during that time. 'No issues, none,' Radcliff said. The crash was said to have occurred Feb. 15 near Lake Disston, which is just outside the town of Pierson roughly 60 miles north of Orlando and just under 40 miles south of Palatka. Radcliff said he did not know the pilot, and that he did not fly for Skydive Sebastian. The pilots for the skydive flights at Sebastian and Palatka are employed through Illinois company Eagle Air Transport Inc. The plane transfer occurred after Skydive Sebastian business hours Friday, Radcliff said. It was scheduled for use in skydiving jumps at Skydive Palatka, he said. The federal agency investigating the crash said it disappeared from radar amid a right turn and was found crashed in a heavily wooded area around 6:40 p.m. 'The wreckage has been recovered and has been transported to a secure facility in Jacksonville for further examination," according to an emailed statement from the National Transportation Safety Board. The heavily damaged remains of the aircraft were found by deputies with Flagler County Sheriff's Office who noticed a heavy smell of fuel during a search of a wooded area near Lake Disston, according to recorded news conference posted on the agency's social media page. The find was communicated to a Volusia County Sheriff's Office helicopter deputy who then spotted a tire from the plane, Sheriff Rick Staly said at the news conference. 'We had a pretty big area to search because we didn't really have an exact location,' said Staly. 'It dropped off the radar at about 900-feet high and we were told it was descending rapidly.' Staly said the plane had filled up with fuel at Sebastian. Despite what he said was a debris field, Staly said the descent appeared to be 'straight down' with little visible glide path, which led him to suspect mechanical failure or that the pilot experienced a medical problem. Attempts to reach the pilot were unscuccesful by air traffic controllers in Jacksonville calls from deputies call to a phone number believed to be the cell phone of the pilot, Staly said. Findings of an NTSB preliminary investigation are expected within 30 days of the crash, according to the agency. More: Sanctuary cities: What they are and why they're targeted in Trump's immigration crackdown More: Expensive fishing technology turns novice anglers into pros, but results in overfishing More: Are banks, schools and mail closed on Presidents Day? Here's what's open, closed Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Pilot dies in crash relocating skydive plane from Sebastian to Palatka
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Plane wreckage in Flagler County crash recovered, NTSB says
The Brief The wreckage from a plane crash in Flagler County has been recovered and taken to a facility in Jackonsville, the NTSB said. Officials have not yet identified the pilot, who is presumed dead due to the impact of the crash. The pilot and plane were flying from Sebastian, Florida, to Palatka, Florida. The plane dropped from radar and was found in a remote, wooded area. The wreckage from a deadly plane crash in Flagler County has been recovered and taken to a facility to be reviewed, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed to FOX 35 Orlando. In a statement, the NTSB said the plane wreckage has been taken to a secure facility in Jacksonville, Florida, where it would be further examined. It's unclear how long that process will take. The backstory The FAA and NTSB said the 10-seat Cessna 208 plane took off from Sebastian Airport around 5 p.m. on Friday and was expected to land at the Palatka Airport – about 160 miles or so away. The pilot, who has not been identified, was the only person onboard. Official said the plane appeared to have lost contact with air traffic control and radar – and appeared to have descended rapidly. The NTSB said the plane made a right turn during the flight and then disappeared from the radar. Flagler County deputies and Volusia Sheriff's Office's helicopter crew found the wreckage around 1 a.m. Saturday morning in a remote, wooded area near the Flagler-Volusia county lines. "Worst conditions you could imagine to find an aircraft," said Sheriff Staly, noting that it was pitch black with heavy cloud cover. He said deputies smelled fuel, which helped teams work together to keep the search to a specific area. Sheriff Staly said the pilot was presumed dead based on the debris field and how the plane appeared to have struck the ground. He said it appeared that the plane hit the ground nose first. What we don't know FCSO has not yet identified the pilot, pending family notification. FOX 35 reached out to the sheriff's office on Sunday for an update, but did not immediately hear back. What we know Rook Nelson, president of EagleAir Transport, an Illinois-based aviation company, said one of its planes was involved in the crash, but that it was leased out to another company. Sheriff Staly told reporters that the type of plane involved was typically used for skydiving missions and that he was told it was to be used for upcoming skydiving flights. What we don't know The cause of the crash is unknown. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local: Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Yahoo
Wreckage of plane in deadly Flagler County crash being transported to Jacksonville
The National Transportation Safety Board is continuing its investigation into a flight that ended with one person dead in Flagler County Friday night. The small plane, a Cessna 208, was heading to Palatka that night, but never arrived. The Flagler County Sheriff's office later found the wreckage in a heavily wooded area near Pierson. Investigators say the plane took off from the Sebastian Municipal Airport around 5:50 p.m. Friday. The pilot reportedly took a right turn during the flight and disappeared from radar. It's estimated to have hit the ground at about 6:40 p.m, killing the pilot. The pilot has yet to be identified. Read: 'Unrecognizable': New details revealed in plane crash on Flagler-Volusia line The wreckage is now heading to a secure facility in Jacksonville to be further examined by investigators. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] NTSB says the next steps include requesting radar data, weather information, maintenance records and the pilot's medical records. The organization says a preliminary report on the incident is expected within 30 days of the accident, but may not include a definite cause. A probable cause of the crash will be detailed in a final report, which NTSB says is expected within 12 to 24 months. Witnesses or anyone with video related to the crash are asked to contact NTSB at witness@ Read: 2 killed in crash of small plane near municipal airport east of Atlanta, authorities say [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
