Up to this point in my pilot experience, flying floats is the most challenging flying I have EVER done! It’s also the FUNNEST flying I have ever done.” So says Sean Cannon, a pilot for Mission Aviation Fellowship, who is based in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

The area is a study in contrasts, from swampy low-lying areas reaching 40 feet above sea level in the south, to flat spans of tropical rain forests in the middle, and mountain ranges to the north.

It’s here along a series of rivers that Cannon spends his days in the seat of a Cessna 185 floatplane — his 6 foot, 3 inch frame fitting neatly into the small plane’s cabin.
“There’s probably three rivers here each the size of the Mississippi. It’s heavily river centric, so the floatplane is the perfect fit,” said Cannon. “Of course, the farther you work up the river, the smaller the rivers get. And that’s where it gets really fun.”

Cannon flies for Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), a Christian organization that uses its fleet of 132 airplanes to share the Gospel and make life better for those living in the most remote corners of the world. They transport doctors, teachers, evangelists, medical supplies, building materials, and perform emergency medical evacuations. MAF’s airplanes are a critical link between jungle villages and the outside world.