My brother Zach Keller and I both attended missionary aviation schools. Missionary Pilots serve around the world hauling needed supplies in and out of the most remote jungles, desserts, and mountains. Zach is currently working for New Tribes Mission Aviation, and is headed to the Philippines as a helicopter and fixed-wing pilot later this year. He started his training in 1999, and is only now getting to serve in this capacity.

Missionary aviation training is an incredibly lengthy process because of the specialized roles each person plays on the foreign field, as well as the expense involved with training. Each missionary pilot must be mechanically inclined as well as proficient with an aircraft, not to mention cultural and linguistic schooling.

Zach is in the process of gaining flight experience to fly overseas, and has been given the opportunity to fly a helicopter to Haiti. He called me yesterday to tell me that this was a possibility, and I woke up this morning with a message on my phone telling me he was taking-off. They landed in Stella Maris, Bahamas, this evening and went through customs, and they will be departing for Port-Au-Prince at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Their plan is to spend a couple of weeks flying support in Haiti.

These pictures were taken today and emailed to me this evening, but I have no descriptions with them. My brother is the guy on the left, he has a wife and three kids in Arizona. I have asked Zach to keep me posted, if time and internet access allows. I hope to post more images as the days unfold. All things are subject to change, we will see what happens. In the meantime you can keep Zach and all the surviving victims of this tragic event in your prayers.

Matthew Keller is the owner and operator of Blue Ice Aviation. He was born and raised in Alaska and his office is the cockpit of his Super Cub. His goal is to transport everyone into Alaska's vast wilderness. See more of his videos and writing here.