“Can you do a flight from Pa’Upan to Bawan?” the airstrip agent asked me. Our Caravan had just been in there, but because of the soft airstrip condition, it couldn’t carry the full load they had expected it to carry. So, three ladies and a baby would be left behind. They were to go to a women’s church conference in nearby Long Bawan.

“I’ll be there around 2:30 p.m.,” I told the agent. I would have to cancel another flight, but I felt bad for the ladies being left behind. I am flying in the Krayan region of Borneo, about an hour from where we live on the coast. Most of the villages I’m flying into are relatively close together from my point of view—10-15 minutes flying time— but an arduous trek through dense jungle and over steep mountains for the villagers on the ground.

Ladies from a village not far from the one talked about in the story

As I approach my next stop, I look over toward Pa’Upan and notice the weather isn’t looking great. I return to Long Bawan, put on extra fuel in case I can’t make it into Pa’Upan, and quickly takeoff again to pick up the ladies there. Though I dodge a few rain showers along the way, getting into Pa’Upan is relatively uneventful. Besides, rain showers are the norm this time of day. After loading up the ladies, I point the nose of the Cessna 206 back toward Long Bawan for the 13-minute flight, but I can tell I’m going to have to skirt around this weather, which is quickly deteriorating. Just as I’m deciding which path I’m going to take, a bolt of lightning flashes and strikes the ground just a couple miles ahead! The women all jump (and so do I!), and I immediately bank the wings right and return to Pa’Upan. What was just a rain shower before has turned into a thunderstorm.

Thankfully, I was able to go back in the next day and pick up the ladies and take them to their conference in Long Bawan. The weather was beautiful the second time around!