Jack Hemmings, founder of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and a World War II veteran, passed away last month at 103.
His aviation career began at 19, volunteering as an air crewman in 1940. Stationed in British India, he fought against Imperial Japan and earned the Air Force Cross for gallantry while flying.
After the war, Hemmings co-founded MAF with fellow RAF veteran Stuart King. In 1948, they flew a Miles Gemini over Central Africa for six months, assessing local needs. Their mission ended abruptly when their plane crashed into a mountain, though they both survived. MAF grew into one of the world's largest aerial aid organisations, now operating 120 aircraft in Africa.
"We were all of one mind; namely that wartime had given us a skill that we wanted to offer to God. There was much prayer. And Stuart and I, well, we just went. I was delighted to do it," he told Premier Christianity Magazine.
Hemmings once called MAF "the international Good Samaritan of the air," delivering aid across the continent.
Tributes poured in from family and aviation figures. His wife, Kate, remembered him as "Lovely Jack," noting his drive to provide hope and ease suffering. "The world will be strange without you, but you've made it better with 103 years of love," she said.
MAF UK CEO Donovan Palmer praised Hemmings' humility and commitment to isolated communities, while Dr Giles Legood, Chaplain-in-Chief at the RAF, hailed his life-changing humanitarian work.
Hemmings is also thought to be the oldest man ever to fly a Spitfire, taking to the skies in the iconic aircraft just last year. His son-in-law described the cockpit as his "home environment."