Living On The Edge...

...of the Airport!

Our home at in Dodoma is unique, even by MAF standards, as our MAF home is situated right on the edge of the runway and Dodoma's airport. Not all MAF bases have their staff housed quite so close to the aviation action! A woven-wood fence and the long, white building which is the MAF hangar are all that separate our house from the runway, where all aircraft flying into Tanzania's capital city whizz past for take-offs or landings.

We often take our unique location for granted, but this week we spent a moment appreciating the excitement of living so close to an airport. It's great that the children are able to see so many aircraft up close from the fence at the end of our MAF compound (although Joel seems more interested in all the stones he could pick up from the rocky ground!!):

 Although we live in the capital city of Tanzania, Dodoma's airport is domestic flights only. It is usually pretty quiet over at Dodoma's airport terminals: Arrivals (on the left) and Departures (on the right):

 Somewhat different from airports in other capital cities!! However, we often take a walk over there, as it's interesting for look at the airport fire-engine and to see any helicopters or planes that may be parked on the apron. Andrew knows most of the airport staff, so it's a friendly little walk as they all exchange greetings, and  it is nice to have a stroll just around the corner from our home.

Being close to the MAF hangar can also provide a bit of family entertainment. When Andrew is working on flight following in the hangar office (which overlooks our back garden and house), we can pop over to say "hi" and take him a cup of coffee:

 On quiet weekend days, Andrew can take the children to the MAF hangar to look over the plane he flies. Last Saturday, Ben was very excited to have the chance to sit in the "captain's" seat and pretend to fly the plane:

We also enjoyed showing new friends around the hangar last weekend. I took a moment to pose by the plane Andrew usually flies with my new UK friend, who has recently arrived here:

Sometimes I forget the novelty of living so close to an aviation base. It was good to take stock this week and enjoy the privilege of being part of MAF and appreciate the opportunities we have on our Dodoma doorstep! :-)