Cessna Seaplane Pilots Save Lives in Papua New Guinea

Samaritan Aviation seaplane medevac service helps save thousands of lives in Papua New Guinea.

Tuesday, August 02, 2022 at 09:22 AM ET

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Samaritan Aviation’s Mark Palm pilots the non-profit’s recently acquired Cessna 206 during last week’s EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. [Photo: Thom Patterson]

Key Takeaways:

Samaritan Aviation provides critical medical and healthcare services to 120 remote villages in Papua New Guinea using a fleet of modified Cessna 206 seaplanes.
For 13 years, the Christian nonprofit has conducted thousands of emergency flights, dramatically reducing hospital travel times and saving countless lives despite challenging environmental conditions.
Pilots undergo intensive bush flying training to navigate extreme hazards like fluctuating rivers, dense rainforests, and tropical weather, while their aircraft feature specialized modifications for these demanding operations.
Co-founder Mark Palm was motivated by his faith and a personal commitment to address the lack of timely medical access in Papua New Guinea, relying on fundraising and partnerships to sustain their life-saving missions.

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The EAA Seaplane Base on Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, is far from the remote rainforest of Papua New Guinea, where a pilot and an airplane can mean the difference between life and death.

But that’s where FLYING found Mark Palm, CEO and co-founder of Samaritan Aviation, whose tiny fleet of Cessna 206 seaplanes and staff—including six pilots—serve as a medical and healthcare lifeline for 120 villages in the nation located north of Australia.