Marking the first Lady Mayor’s Show in style: Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) joined the iconic procession to welcome Dame Susan Langley as the new Mayor of London on Saturday 8 November.
Dressed to impress in aircraft costumes spanning ten metres, and capes printed with scenes from isolated communities, the MAF team marched from Mansion House to the Royal Courts of Justice to greet the newly installed Lady Mayor.
Parked outside the Royal Exchange was one of MAF’s display aircraft – a two-seater Cessna 150 – which gave the public an opportunity to explore its humanitarian work and comprehend the tiny and inaccessible airstrips which MAF pilots take off or land on every six minutes. Each MAF flight is subsidised by charitable donations, and delivers lifesaving aid, medical care, and development solutions to some of the most inaccessible communities on earth.
MAF began in the aftermath of WWII, launched initially by female pilot Betty Greene, who flew from Los Angeles in 1946 to deliver a group of Bible translators to a remote jungle camp south of Mexico City. MAF’s inaugural flight made Betty the first pilot to fly over the Peruvian Andes.
Now the world’s largest humanitarian air service, MAF wanted to mark its 80th anniversary in the city, joining in a first show for a female mayor, as well as celebrating eight decades of using aircraft to bring help to the most isolated.
Duncan Colyer, who wore an aircraft costume as part of the parade and works in MAF’s IT department said: “It was fantastic to be part of the Lady Mayor’s Show – it’s not every day you get to dress as a pilot and an aircraft whilst walking through the historic streets of London. The atmosphere was joyful, and so many people shouted encouragement or asked for photos. It was a great opportunity to share the life-saving work of MAF in a very public way.”
