AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2018 - 69

and with the river flowing before us, we
are struck by the natural beauty.
THE PAC

The Kodiak isn't the only aircraft that
is taking on the mission of the PAC in
Colombia. From Cherokees to Caravans,
these airplanes and their pilots fly doctors, nurses, and medical supplies all over
the country. What could have been an easy
out to simply hang around the airport and
fly in this lush, mountainous country is
instead a lifeline of aid to places nearly
impossible to get to any other way.
"The PAC is an organization dedicated
to transforming lives," said Lenz. And
although he means the delivering of aid, the
transformation of the pilots' lives is remarkable, too. The challenges of flying in this
diverse country with its mountains, deserts, and ever-changing weather test skills,
demand good aeronautical decision making, and intensify the camaraderie of the
flying community. Members of this group
come from all walks of life and congregate
throughout the year to plan missions. They
range in age from nearly 80 to 20-somethings, sons and daughters of the original
group who founded the PAC in the 1970s.
Lenz says the challenges have changed
since his father flew for the PAC, especially since the violent drug years of the
1980s. But the bureaucracy remains.
When called to evacuate the young girl,
Lenz spent a tense time on his cellphone
getting through red tape. "We had to call
the vice minister just to save her," he

'COLOMBIA: WILD MAGIC'

The movie Colombia: Wild Magic is now
showing on Netflix. It plays with English
subtitles to Spanish-language audio.
Some of the rarest and most spectacular
wildlife in the world is found in Colombia. In this film, see territorial hummingbirds fight furiously, a sloth captured in
real-time slow motion, and humpback
whales swim in the Pacific Ocean. Watch
condors circle the Andean skies, jaguars
prowl through forests, and get face
to face with the world's largest, most
formidable snake (www.netflix.com/co/
title/80163974).

said. "We have a 51-year history of making things right, of saving people."
Lenz estimates that the missions PAC
undertakes cost about $30,000 per weekend. That's the costs of the medicines,
supplies, and the logistics. PAC coordinates
12 missions each year, and the doctors perform 1,200 surgical procedures and 15,000
medical attentions, he said. The doctors
and nurses are all volunteers; the fuel for
the aircraft is donated by Terpel, a major
Colombian gas company. In fact, the president of Terpel is the fiancée of one of the
pilots on this mission to El Charco.
"This gives you life," said Lenz. "Seeing
what you can do and providing just a little
help, you can change a life. It is good for
your soul."
We learn, once we are back in the
States, that the young girl survived. AOPA
EMAIL julie.walker@aopa.org

PATRULLA AÉREA CIVIL

To learn more about the work of the
Patrulla Aérea Civil in Colombia, visit the
website (bring a Spanish-speaking friend
along to help).
WEB

www.patrullaaerea.org

VILLAGERS WAIT for their turn to see one

of the doctors or nurses who flew in with
the PAC for the weekend hospital (far left).
PAC President Juan Carlos Lenz co-piloted
the Quest Kodiak on the return flight from
El Charco (above). PAC medical personnel
and villagers helped carry a sick young girl
through the jungle to the waiting aircraft.
One volunteer carried the full-size oxygen
tank for the entire trek up the river and
through the jungle (below left). This husband and wife asked to have their cataract
surgery performed together and chose
to wear their traditional clothing in fear
that they might die during the surgery,
although there was little chance for such
an event (below right).

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 69

http://www.netflix.com/co/TITLE/80163974 http://www.netflix.com/co/TITLE/80163974 http://www.patrullaaerea.org http://www.aopa.org/pilot

AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2018