About us
About the De Wit family
The whole world is within reach from the Netherlands. By bike to the shop, by car to family or by plane on holiday. An ambulance will be with you within fifteen minutes. But for many in other parts of the world, the day-to-day reality is very different. They have none of that and live isolated, far from civilization.
From childhood we both wanted to be pilots. We succeeded. Together we have more than 35 years of experience in flying large aircraft. We live in Leiden, The Netherlands with our son Naud (2014) and daughter Annemijn (2016).
Early 2021 we came into contact with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). MAF is a Christian organization whose vision is to bring help and hope to isolated people, using aircraft and technology. Since then, we have developed a rapidly growing desire to use our talents and experience for a new mission: reaching the unreached.
We believe that every person in this world is God's beloved child. Regardless of colour, background, conviction or any form of distinction. His all-encompassing love gives us this new mission. We want to take compassion to a higher level.
Ruth de Wit – van der Ploeg grew up in Leiderdorp, The Netherlands. After High School she attended commercial pilot training at OBS, The Netherlands. She obtained her pilot's license before her driver's license. After that, at the age of 21, she became the youngest flight instructor in the Netherlands, amongst others at the KLM Flight Academy. In 2008 she joined KLM as a pilot. She is currently flying as a co-pilot on the Boeing 777 and 787.
Joost de Wit grew up in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands. He started flying gliders at the age of 16. After High School he traveled and worked for a year in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. In 1998 he started commercial pilot training at the KLM Flight Academy. He has been a pilot at KLM since 2001. He is currently flying as a Boeing 737 captain.
About MAF
Mission Aviation Fellowship uses airplanes, communications, technology and specialists to reach the unreached.
More than 2000 organizations are dependent on MAF for support of humanitarian aid, development aid, medical care and missions. Every five minutes an MAF plane takes off or lands somewhere in the 26 poorest countries of the world.
To make this possible, MAF sends out pilots, maintenance technicians, IT specialists, teachers and managers, together with their families. We are one of those families.
