Relief bush pilot on the Amazon jungle... Today, there is so much need for transportation of Doctors/Teachers/Helpers within villages in the Jungle. Unfortunately most of the obstacles to achieving this are purely political/Bureaucratic.
In the Peruvian Amazon, the restrictions put on aviation because of the "war on drugs" have effectively crippled any private/small commercial aviation activity.
Some examples:
It is illegal to transport or sell aviation grade fuel without an (impossible to get ) permit.
The bureaucratic (permits/certifications/plain corruption) obstacles to operate an aircraft makes it to expensive to operate. To certify a pilot or an aircraft takes at least a year.. including flying an inspector to the US to inspect the aircraft before it can fly into the country.
Depends on the country, but I've heard of several areas (in Africa and Asia) where they're looking for pilots to serve remote areas. They have trouble finding them because it's one of the most dangerous jobs you can do (landing on a runway isn't fun when animals start crossing it) and many people quit after realizing that.
Here the usual risks apply, but it is mostly short flights between small villages next to amazon rivers. A 15 minutes flight is equivalent to a 3 hours boat ride on the river.. Imagine the increase in coverage a vaccination nurse can do with a small ultralight seaplane. http://www.aircam.com/
There are several Christian groups that do this. They deliver missionaries into isolated areas but they also bring supplies, doctors, etc. I know some people who are involved and it's pretty cool.
