The Mission Aviation Fellowship engineering team is well used to tackling technical challenges in remote locations with a blend of expertise, agility, and teamwork – as demonstrated by a recent avionics challenge.
When an electrical fault ‘grounded’ VH-MFD – one of Arnhem Land’s two Cessna Caravans – the skilled team ensured the aircraft was back in the air with impressive speed.
It all started late on a Friday afternoon – never the ideal time for a hiccup in operations. The MAF team in Arnhem Land, which was already relying on just one Caravan while the other was in scheduled maintenance, suddenly found their shuttle services stretched even further.
With the two Caravans sidelined, MAF’s trusty GA8 Airvans and a flexible pilot crew were able to keep flying and serving the various communities in the area, but the absence of the Caravan was felt especially on the busy Regular Public Transport (RPT) runs.
MAF’s global fleet Technical Support Engineer - Avionics Specialist, Mat Thomson, said, “I got an email saying, ‘MFD’s got an issue.’ There was a picture from the pilot saying, ‘There’s a red X on the compass headings.’”
The ‘red X’ turned out to be a minor electrical fault, but modern avionics systems are intricate, with software as likely to be the culprit as a loose wire.
“In the past, if a box failed, it was either the box or the wires,” Mat said. “Now, with digital systems and software, troubleshooting can be far more complex.”
Avionics expert Ed Hawthorn coordinated remote diagnostics from the MAF maintenance facility in Mareeba, guiding aircraft engineer Josh Flynn in Arnhem Land as they methodically worked through tests and identified the issue.
With replacement parts not immediately on hand, the team showed typical resourcefulness.
“We didn’t have any in stock, so we did a parts robbery from the other Caravan in Mareeba,” Mat said.
“Initially, I feared the worst, that it might be down for who knows how many days or weeks, and potentially that could happen. Even if you find a part in Australia, to get it to Arnhem Land can take days.”
Having engineers and avionics specialists who can deploy at short notice ensures we can get our aircraft back in the air as soon as possible, continuing our mission to bring help, hope and healing to remote communities.
With a few hours’ notice, Mat was airborne from his home in Brisbane to Cairns on a late Monday afternoon flight. An MAF engineer hand-delivered the critical component to Mat in Cairns on Tuesday morning, and by midday, Mat was on his way to Arnhem Land, some 2500 kilometres from Brisbane as the plane flies.
By 4:30 pm, the Caravan was ready to fly once again.
“Within MAF, we maintain the highest standards of safety,” added Country Director of MAF in Arnhem Land, Ben Brown. “Having engineers and avionics specialists who can deploy at short notice ensures we can get our aircraft back in the air as soon as possible, continuing our mission to bring help, hope and healing to remote communities.”
It was a textbook case of MAF’s agile response—the kind that keeps remote operations running smoothly, thanks to a dedicated, servant-hearted team ready to do what it takes, wherever they’re needed most.
