“If you build a mile of hi-way you can go a mile – if you build a mile of runway you can go anywhere in the world”- Edward M. Bolen, President, and CEO NBAA
I recently returned from the Women In Aviation International conference. Although I have been a member almost since the start of the organization in the early 1990s, this is only the third time attending a conference. The reasons are many, but I highly recommend this gathering. It is stunningly well done!
I went as part of the Mission Aviation Fellowship Team (MAF) working at their exhibit. Wonderful opportunities to meet those who work in the aviation industry:
- commercially,
- in the military
- general aviation.
present themselves. Mechanics, pilots, dispatchers, lawyers, avionic technicians, and those aspiring to, all stop by to see what MAF is all about.
A Mission Aviation Fellowship Mile
As I happily shared the story of MAF over and again, I recalled the quote from Ed Bolen:
“If you build a mile of hi-way you can go a mile – if you build a mile of runway you can go anywhere in the world”
and what that means in the MAF world. In my mind, I could see a new Cessna Grand Caravan take off from Independence, Kansas, its birthplace. Then make its way to Nampa, ID, MAF’s headquarters where it is fitted with all that is needed for its ferry flight to Indonesia or one of the 17 other countries we serve. All from 5,280 feet or less of runway.
But in the MAF world, at the ends of the earth, it doesn’t even take a mile of runway. In many cases, less than a half mile of hand-packed hardpan makes the place where our journeys begin and end. Think about it, a mile that takes you to where no other vehicle goes, but the airplane.
As the Television premiere of MAFs 75-year documentary on PBS Kansas approaches, I am gripped by this truth: A mile of runway can take you anywhere in the world, even to the Ends Of The Earth! Watch just how far Kansas Aviation goes on PBS Kansas.
The Dates scheduled for airing are:
8-1 Monday 03/27/2023 8 PM CST
8-1 Wednesday 03/29/2023 1 PM CST
8-2 Wednesday 03/29/2023 7 PM CST
8-2 Thursday 03/30/2023 12 PM Noon