On Being Safe

Almost exactly a year and a half ago this week I was about 482 weeks pregnant with Axel and was just completing two intense weeks of training at Mission Aviation Fellowship headquarters with Matthew.   Nearly two weeks of Orientation was followed by a two and a half day seminar called “Inside Out Safety.”  It was very interesting, very informative, and really helpful to better understand how to help our team, but, to be fair, I experienced most of it while sitting or laying on the hard floor of the conference room in the hangar, because my ridiculously pregnant back was DONE.

Two days ago, three hours south of where we are currently living, Inside Out Safety would’ve been helpful.  I’m not saying Germanwings or Lufthansa didn’t practice such things, but the events that are being discovered make me so glad for the training we received in exactly this area.  We talked about how to talk to our MAF pilots before they begin their day in the air.  How are they?  How was their morning?  Even the most unrelated things can be significant when you need to keep your mind in the clouds (because, pilots…in the clouds…right?).  Was the morning at home rushed?  Were the kids a mess?  Was their mother?  Did the drive into the hangar include being stopped by the police?  Or by a kid on a bike that you almost hit with your car?  Did you get an annoying email from your aunt asking if you had malaria yet?  Did you just remember to ask your grandma how she is feeling when you heard that she was sick two weeks ago?

We, as wives and family members, were told that we also play an important part of the safety team.  Don’t drop a verbal bomb on your husband (or wife! Because MAF has female pilots, too!  Even in Congo!) just ask they walk out the door.  Don’t be like, “oh, hey, honey, tonight when you get home, can we talk about having another baby?” and expect them to drop it and focus on the plane all day.  Ha ha ha…sorry, it’s not funny, but…

But the tragedy in the Alps isn’t funny – the co-pilot had issues that needed dealt with and, in his worst moment, he took the lives of 149 others who, bad day or not, were not ready to go yet.  I know God is sovereign, and that is not my focus – I trust Him above all else.  My point is that I am grateful for MAF and their emphasis on safety.  Their recognition that safety for our families, pilots and mechanics especially, depends not only on limited flight hours and plane maintenance being performed, but also on the heart – safety is just as important on the inside.

Please pray for the families of those who were lost this week, and pray for the healing to begin.