HISTORY

  • January 1956

    Edmund and Elizabeth Kalau moved to Micronesia with Liebenzell Mission.  They first serve in Palau for 3 years before they are permitted to move to Yap.

  • April 1959

    Edmund and Elizabeth Kalau finally move to Yap and start a church.

  • 1974

    After 15 years in Yap, Edmund Kalau sees the need for airplanes to medevac patients from the outer islands of Yap, and starts Pacific Missionary Aviation.  He raises enough funds to buy PMA's first aircraft;  The twin engine Evangel 4500.  Maurice Picard is loaned to PMA from MAF and becomes PMA's first pilot.

  • 1975

    PMA builds a hangar and begins operations out of the old Japanese runway on Yap 

  • April 24, 1975

    Pacific Missionary Aviation is Incorporated under the laws of Guam, USA.

  • 1976

    Peter Reichert is recruited by Edmund Kalau and begins his service by picking up PMA's second aircraft, a Donier 28 A1, from the factory in Germany and flying it across Asia to Yap, Micronesia

  • August 4, 1976

    Edmund Kalau purchases two more Dornier 28 A1 aircraft from Air America in Vietnam.  N2002F is flyable and serves PMA for 6 years.  N2001F was not airworthy and was only purchased for parts.

  • 1977

    PMA acquires N87877, a Britten-Norman Islander.

  • October 27, 1977

    Pacific Missionary Aviation receives it's FAA Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate.

  • July 24, 1978

    PMA acquires N5611D, which proves to be a workhorse for the mission and ends up serving for 25 years before being sold.

  • August 1979

    PMA acquires N1824D, a Beech 18 D18S

  • 1982

    PMA Philippines established in the Philippines as "Flying Medical Samaritans."  1983 Operations start.  The first airplane was a Piper Super Cub.

  • April 1985

    PMA acquires N46MA, a Beechcraft Queen Air and has the Excalibur STC installed as well as cargo door to load patients. Serial No. LD-413

  • 1985

    Philippines - Aero-Medical services began in Zamboanga City, as home base, servicing outlying islands including Jolo, Sulu and Basilan.  PMA plane also flew to serve a deaf school in the mountains of Cavinti, Laguna and began its flight service to Katakian, Polilio Islands.

  • 1986

    Philippines: Establishment of Manila HQ Office and medical flights to Jomalig Island, Quezon begins.  A Piper Aztec and a Piper Cherokee are aquired and begin flights.

  • January 1988

    PMA acquires N44MA, another Beechcraft Queen Air and has the Excalibur STC installed as well as cargo door to load patients.  Just so happens that this aircraft is Serial No. LD-412:  The sister of N46MA.

  • May 19, 1988

    Hangar completed in Yap at the new airport.

  • 1989

    PMA aquires RP-C393, a Cessna 182 for shorter hops in the Philippines

  • December 1990

    PMA acquires N799MT, a Britten-Norman BN-2A-21 Islander.

  • May 16, 1991

    Woleai runway opens.  Ralph Mitten flies the Beech 18 down for the inaugural flight

  • 1993

    Britten-Norman Islander RP-C809 was donated to Flying Medical Samaritans for service in Manila Philippines.

  • 1996

    N337LA, a Cessna 337, is donated to PMA.  It is not an ideal aircraft for the loads we normally carried, but it came in handy for sea searches and medical evacuations.

  • 1999

    After 25 years, Pastor Edmund Kalau passes the baton of leadership of PMA over to his son Norbert

  • November 26, 2003

    Both the Beech 18 N5611D and the Cessna 337 N337LA, are sold to a customer in the Philippines and depart Yap.  At this time, PMA had 5 aircraft and only one pilot.  The Beech 18 was becoming very labor intensive and the Cessna 337 was not being used very much.

  • April 9, 2004

    Yap Island suffers a direct hit from Super Typhoon Sudal.  More than 6 hours of 125+ MPH winds from every direction as the typhoon just churns around the island.  PMA hangar door is pushed inside against the locks and crushes the fiberglass nose of the Queen Air.  Some roofing sheets ripped off the hangar and the office totally soaked.

     

  • 2007

    Philippines: To bring the whole mission together under one name, Flying Medical Samaritans is officially changed to Pacific Missionary Aviation Philippines, Inc.

  • November 2007

    Jed Keck is passing through Yap and spots the PMA Evangel which had been unserviceable for many years.  He purchases it from PMA and ships it back to the U.S. mainland.  He ultimately donates it to the Iowa Aviation Museum.  Read all about Evangel aircraft here: http://www.evangel4500.com/

  • October 2009

    Woleai runway is closed for repair.  Unfortunately the contracts to fix are delayed and the runway becomes overgrown for the next 8 years.

  • May 2012

    Peter and Esther Reichert retire from PMA after 36 years of service and move back to Oregon.

  • September 2012

    After being invited by the Governor of Angaur to start up a flight service in Palau, construction of a temporary hangar shelter is completed.

  • October 2012

    RP-C809 is ferried over to Palau from Manila to start up the operation in Palau.  

  • November 2012

    PMA receives its first load of fuel in an 20' Isotainer.  This method ends up saving PMA over $3/gallon over the old method of drums.  It also makes for cleaner fuel.

  • January 8, 2014

    Pastor Edmund Kalau, founder of Pacific Mission Aviation passes away.  Memorial services are held in Guam, Pohnpei, Yap, and Palau.  Many people came forward to share about this great man and the impact he had in Micronesia.  Now he is gone, but his legacy lives on.

  • April 26, 2014

    RP-C809/T8A-208 is flown to Yap from Palau for heavy maintenance.  After further consideration the plane is grounded in need of overhauled engines, overhauled props, and overhauled landing gear.  To this day the aircraft sits until funding is available and the need for the aircraft increases.

  • May 15, 2014

    N799MT first flight after being a back-burner project for 17 years.

  • May 2014

    PMA acquires T8A-212, a Cessna U206C, for inter island flights at its Palau base

  • March 2015

    PMA purchases an Isotainer tank to use as storage, when it orders its next shipment.  The tank is set on blocks and becomes a storage tank to dispense fuel from.

  • March 31, 2015

    Super Typhoon Maysak destroys the outer islands of Ulithi Atoll.  PMA flies the assesment team out and then has a free shipping policy for any items that are donated to the community.  Local people bring donated food items, and then the shipping containers arrive with relief supplies.  PMA flies 3 times a day, 5 days a week for 2 weeks, and then reduces to 3 days a week.  

  • May 2015

    PMA acquires T8A-211, a second Cessna U206A, for redundancy and to meet the demand of flights in Palau.

  • October 2015

    PMA changes its name to Pacific MISSION Aviation.  With the name change comes an improved logo, the new slogan "Bringing Hope, Changing Lives" and the primary colors go from red & black to blue & teal

  • April 12. 2016

    PMA's first contract of many with the Australian Navy to do aerial surveillance in Palau.  Working together with the Palau Patrol boat PSS Remeliik the Queen Air proves to be a very capable platform for patrolling the Palau EEZ.  With 8 hours endurance, it can cover over 1000 NM of water in one sortie.  The success of these missions lead Palau to sign an MOU with PMA to be their aerial surveillance platform.  (See video on Maritime Surveillance page)

  • May 31, 2016

    PMA signs MOU with the Government of Palau to be their aerial surveillance platform as well as provide them with medevac & sea search services 

  • May 2016

    Three fisherman from Fais are lost at sea for 36 hours before PMA finds them adrift and drops food and water and a VHF radio to them.  Their location is then passed to the U.S Coast guard who come and pick them up.

  • June 2016

    PMA acquires N181PK, a Cessna TU-206G, from an MAF missionary who sells it for a bargain.  This aircraft will be for our Philippine base, once we get a pilot mechanic to manage it.

  • May 7, 2018

    PMA's first flight into Woleai after 8.5 years of being overgrown.  The president of the FSM, pushed to have the runway cleared.  

  • May 14, 2018

    BN-2A Islander N799MT is flown to Palau for Aerial Surveillance and also to be based in Palau.

  • May 25, 2018

    Surangel construction begins foundation work on PMA's new 120' X 122' Hangar on the north side of the Koror airport

  • December 15, 2018

    Hangar structure and masonry work complete.  Walls and roofing begin.

  • December 27, 2018

    Temporary shelter disassembled after 6 years and containers moved into New Hangar

  • June 8, 2019

    U.S. Coast Guard calls PMA to respond to an EPIRB emergency beacon that went off 450 NM miles NE of Yap Island. PMA prepares food and water to drop to the 3 men in a capsized canoe and flies 2.5 hours to them to give them relief. (See video on Sea Searches tab)

  • November 26, 2019

    Assembly and painting complete on N181PK. PMA sends the plane to Palau for service until a pilot in the Philippines is available.

  • November 28, 2019

    New Hangar in Palau almost finished.  Structure, roof, walls, HP Door, taxiway all finished.  Only interior walls, electrical, plumbing and finish work remain.

  • November 28, 2019

    N799MT returns to Yap from Palau for maintenance and because there is no longer a Part 135 multi-engine pilot at our Palau base.

  • November 14, 2020

    Samaritan's Purse donates two Beechcraft King Air 200's to PMA.  Part of the package includes training of three  PMA Pilots, 3 PMA Mechanics, Avionics upgrades, and an engine overhaul just to list a few.  Samaritan's Purse commits to helping PMA upgrade seamlessly.

  • May 24, 2021

    N875SP PMA's First King Air arrives in Yap after crossing the Pacific via Alaska, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Palau, and Guam

  • August 4, 2021

    N468SP, PMA's 2nd King Air arrives in Yap after crossing the Pacific via Honolulu, Majuro, and Guam.