Pilot says his time on the road in Africa showed him the importance of connecting isolated communities.
Ulrich Muller dreams of a brighter future for the children of Liberia, because he never forgets that he was a kid with hopes and dreams.
“I once was such a kid! These kids are the future and I hope and pray, they will get the education and chances in life they need. I’m sure some of them will become engineers or pilots some day,” he says.
“I wanted to be a pilot as a little boy. I was always interested in flying things.”
Ulrich was told at an early age that he didn’t have what it takes to become a pilot, so he chose engines of a different kind by becoming a truck driver.
I wanted to be a pilot as a little boy. I was always interested in flying things.
“One day at school I told my teacher, I want to become a pilot and he just laughed and basically told me, that I am too stupid for that,” Ulrich recalls.
“Yes, I wasn’t a very brilliant kid at school. So, I kind of decided that I want to drive trucks then. I ended up being a truck driver for a mission organisation in Kenya.”
During that time on the road in Africa, Ulrich saw first-hand the challenges isolated communities face.
“There I learned how difficult it can be for people wanting to serve, to travel by road,” he says.
“That mission organisation also had a small plane and at one point I was asked to go to flight school, as there was a lack of pilots. Of course, I wanted that!
“And I discovered relatively late, that although I wasn’t the most brilliant kid at school, it worked out quite well with the flying. That’s how I traded the truck with a plane.’’
Now flying for MAF in Liberia, Ulrich uses his skills to bring help, hope and healing to isolated communities that would take days to reach by road. Weather conditions can make flying a special challenge, but Ulrich always thinks about the wellbeing of his passengers.
“What I love mostly is the interaction with the passengers and to serve those serving here in the country,” he says.
“The most important factor is passenger comfort. We don’t want our passengers to sit in a hot and humid cabin bumping around for hours. That’s why we often fly higher to be above the turbulence in smooth and cool air.”
What I love mostly is the interaction with the passengers and to serve those serving here in the country.
Ulrich values the work that MAF does with Partners in Health in Liberia. He flies medical teams and sometimes transfers patients.
“I am fortunate if I’m able to save a life with my skills! I pray for patients to get the treatment they need in Monrovia, but ultimately, God is the healer,” he says.
“I remember one young man who fell of a palm tree when getting coconuts. Sadly, he broke his back and was in a lot of pain. Imagine him in a car bumping over the dusty road for about two. I’m not so sure he would have survived the road trip.
“And I also want to mention that it is always a team effort. There are a lot of people involved, so that our planes can fly. People in the office or in the hangar or even the fuel truck driver.”