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After 217 aid trips, one of Samaritan’s Purse‘s busiest workers is saying goodbye.
Friday, the aid organization retired its DC-8 aircraft.
Capt. Andrew Klischer piloted Samaritan’s Purse’s DC-8 on missions around the world including Africa, Poland and Jamaica.
“Some of the most memorable things, going into Beirut right after the silo exploded. Approaching Beirut and seeing a 25-kilometer circle around the harbor that had been affected by the shockwave from this huge explosion, and, you know, landing in Ethiopia in Mek’ele high up and seeing 25,000, 30,000 people outside the fence in the airport who were refugees looking for a safe haven,” Klischer reflected while aboard the DC-8, the aircraft a majority of his flights were taken on.
The airplane can carry 76,000 pounds of cargo, along with 32 crew members.
“I just married my daughter. This is almost as bad. It’s very difficult to just think that, I might have one or two more trips on this thing, and that’s it. We carry 32 passengers, and we carry flight attendants. It’s the relationships, that’s going to be a thing that will be sorely missed,” Klischer said.
Samaritan’s Purse is now turning to a new Boeing 767.
It’s already made trips to Israel and Jamaica.
“It gives us an opportunity to increase our lift capability and not only lift capability but distance-wise. So we get to take a lot more humanitarian aid a longer distance,” Klischer said.
The 767 can carry three times the cargo, including a full emergency field hospital.
After flying professionally for nearly three decades, Klischer said it’s a blessing to be putting his skills in the cockpit to use for a good cause.
“We’re using big airplanes to do more than just go from A to B and take somebody from, you know, Phoenix to Charlotte. We use big airplanes for a purpose that has an impact on personal lives,” Klischer said.
Samaritan’s Purse will use its new Boeing in its next trip to Jamaica on Sunday.
The retired DC-8 has an uncertain future.
It’ll either be sent for scrap or to Liberty University to serve as an aviation museum.
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Sasha Strong
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