Today was quite the day. My husband spent a good portion of his childhood living in a small, mountainous village called Langda, which is in the interior of our island. My in-laws have dedicated many years translating God's precious Word into the language of the Una people. When our family went to visit the village last January (an hour plane ride from the town we live in), one of the main questions we were asked was: "When will K be
the pilot to fly into Langda?" They consider him to be a "son of Langda" (depending on who is talking to him, they will call him "brother" or "son"). You can sense the great pride in their
son, who has trained to be a pilot and chosen to return to his
homeland. At that point in time, we told them (and truly thought) it would still be several years before this milestone was reached. It feels like a milestone for multiple reasons. One reason is that ever since K was a little boy, traveling in and out of Langda in small airplanes with his family, he wanted to become a pilot one day. Langda is truly the
birthplace of his dream to one day be a pilot. It is also a milestone, because the airstrip in Langda is notorious for being one of the most challenging airstrips in the mountains here. With drop-offs on both ends of the runway, a major cliff less than a hundred meters on one side and on the other side a mountain rising another 3,000 feet, it has been compared to landing on an aircraft carrier. Added to this is the challenge of the weather. Weather in Langda can literally change in less than a minute. Clear, blue skies can quickly transform into solid fog with less than 5 feet of visibility. Clouds can be seen rolling over the mountains and creeping up the cliffs. It is amazing thing to witness in person, but not very desirable for a pilot needing to take-off or land an airplane. It is not uncommon for a pilot to overnight in Langda, simply because the weather did not permit him to leave.
So, despite our personal prediction of K not flying into Langda alone for several more years, TODAY was the day for him to be checked out (this means another experienced pilot flies in with him, allowing him practice taking off and landing a few times, until he feels comfortable to complete the flight on his own). It was a success! I really wish our family could have been there to witness the momentous occasion. The day included a celebratory ceremony on the ground, complete with speeches and gifts. Here are some pictures from the day.
 |
| Landga from the air |
 |
| Langda with some clouds |
 |
| Speeches and gifts were given by significant people |
 |
K and his check-out pilot returned with gifts
(including hand-made string bags, traditional stone axes, fresh produce and...) |
 |
| ....a live pig |
 |
| Dinner |
 |
| Prepping the bow and arrow to butcher the pig |
 |
| The pilot being congratulated by Langda guys who live in town |
 |
| Preparation of the meat |
 |
Photo from January when we visited Langda
(airstrip is behind the boys...the cliff is just past those buildings where darker green starts) |
 |
| Walking the Langda airstrip with fog in the distance |
