If you visited the hangar at NTM Aviation headquarters in McNeal, AZ, it would seem a little empty these days. For the first time since June 6, 2014, there is no Kodiak in residence.
Friday, April 1st, the third and last Kodiak destined for Papua New Guinea took off for Wichita, KS, to undergo the final outfitting for its trans-Pacific ferry flight. It was a bittersweet parting as NTM Aviation staff took their last photos with this God-given airplane and prayed it on its way.
Before Kodiak N118 departed, Director of Operations Tim Hughes highlighted God’s incredible work in providing three Kodiaks in about one and a half years. Two of them are already working almost non-stop in Papua New Guinea. Tim quoted from mechanic specialist Eric Zimmerman on location in PNG: “[The Kodiaks] are flying so much, we hardly see them except when we put them to bed for the night.”
Missionaries and tribal folks alike are glad for all the activity. They are seeing the answer to their prayers as the Kodiaks fly in to supply their remote locations. When the Kodiak landed for the first time in the Dinangat tribe, the believers even brought a gift of vegetables to pilots John Mark Estelle and John Meerstra to show their joy in God’s gracious provision of this new airplane.
I certainly hope that you are rejoicing in these answers to prayer also. Thank you for being a part of the unfolding Kodiak story by your partnership over the years.
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