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In Africa and many other corners of the world, the few roads that exist are rugged and riddled with bandits. "The back country is incredibly unsafe," he says. "We hear horror stories about killings, lootings, rapes, and robberies."

So, on one level, traditional mission aviation—taking up where the highways left off—is becoming less frequent. But the need for viable, safe, and expeditious transportation of mission personnel remains acute. And the approximately 600 pilots now serving mission agencies worldwide must adapt to a new world.

Terrorist activity, drug trafficking, religious persecution, and political instability complicate the picture. Says former Moody flight instructor Larry Tierney, "Today you might be living in Zaire and tomorrow it's the Democratic Republic of Congo. You may have to evacuate two or three times." JAARS (formerly Jungle Aviation and Research Service) closed its aviation program in Colombia in 1998 because of safety concerns, the first such closing in its history. JAARS pilot Mark Borland served there for ten years, transporting team members from Wycliffe Bible Translators. The civil war made flying extremely unpredictable and risky. Political groups on both ends of the spectrum, leftist rebels and right-wing paramilitaries, supported their efforts through kidnaping, extortion, and drug running.

"They were looking for airplanes and people to kidnap and ransom. It was very common to kill the operators to get the airplanes," Borland says. He and his fellow Wycliffe pilots had an advantage: they flew Helio Couriers, which have the reputation of being difficult to fly. "Our airplanes weren't as valuable because they knew they'd have to kidnap a pilot to go along with it." Still, the dangers were ever present. He would communicate over the radio in code and look to trusted friends on the ground to signal when it was safe to land. "We did depend upon the Lord's security there," he says.

Jonathan Egeler serves with aim Air (Africa Inland Mission) and lived in Kenya and Tanzania for eight years before coming to Moody, where he teaches maintenance. "When I started with aim Air, we weren't operating in any war zones. Now we're operating in two or three at a time. You have to sign a waiver because insurance won't cover operating in war zones." I asked him what the greatest risks were for today's missionary pilot: Getting shot down? Hijacked? Kidnaped?

"All of the above," Egeler says. He has flown over southern Sudan where, he says, there's "always a chance of getting shot down. We don't have permission from the Khartoum government to fly into southern Sudan. It is held by rebels whom they're actively fighting. But we have permission from the rebel forces to support their people there.

"I don't think I ever heard it mentioned during my training that you might get shot at," he says. "The thought was so remote, nobody had heard of it happening. But when I talk with students here, I do mention that they will probably have to fly somewhere wondering if they're going to be shot at. That should be something they come to terms with on this end. That is where things are headed. We're seeing more insecurity throughout the world, and mission aviation is part of that."

"What does a pilot do if he or she is shot at?" I ask.

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February 4 2002, Vol. 46, No. 2