CEDAR FALLS - The small plane's engine roars to life.

The two men inside make final checks before maneuvering the aircraft toward the runway.

After just a few minutes they get the "all clear," and the plane begins its short trip down the concrete stretch, gathering speed before the nose lifts off the ground.

For the Rev. Mel Hemann this flight is like many others, but for his co-pilot, Jacek Rejman, it's like very few he's flown.

Hemann, 74, is one of the founding members of the National Association of Flying Priests. He's been making flights like this one to St. Louis for years, ferrying members of the clergy and himself to meetings and conventions across the state or country.

"I was stationed in Dubuque for a while, and as a rule of thumb anything west of Waterloo and I would fly (there)," Hemann said. "If you look at the priests as the CEO of a business, from a business point of view, it just makes sense. Time is money."

Rejman, 31, uses his pilot's license in a different way. The Poland, Ore., native works as a pastor and medical service pilot in the Arusha area of Tanzania, in southeastern Africa.

Most of his trips start at the Arusha Airport, but end in a remote part of Tanzania, sometimes on the side of a mountain or dirt walkway.

"When the border between Tanzania and Kenya closed, the medical situation was bad. There is about one doctor for every 23,000 people," Rejman said, adding that while most doctors are based in town, most patients are in remote areas.

Many of his "clients" are nomadic people with little money or access to medical care.

"Sometimes we have to close one airstrip because the people are no longer there," Rejman said.

Association members gather at least once a year so pilots like Rejman and Hemann can meet with other priests who use planes to keep their ministry aloft. More than 150 members, many from other countries, are on Hemann's list, with about 20 hailing from Iowa, more than any other state.

"Some are no longer flying, but I've taught most of them," he said.

For members like Rejman who have little contact with other parishes, the communication is invaluable. But it isn't just the spiritual guidance he was looking for. The instructional and practical advice is just as important.

And Hemann is full of it. After earning his wings in 1960 he went on to earn his instructor's license, which allowed him to teach other priests and friends about his passion. During his time in Ames at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Hemann has taught numerous students how to fly. But, like most college students, they were poor and often unable to pay for the tutelage.

Hemann asked for no money up front, but half kidded they could repay them after they got a real job. Many did.

"It's amazing how many people sent money back to me and said 'pass it on,'" he said. Now that he has retired from the church he is known to give lessons on an almost daily basis.

His passion for flying also introduced him to many people outside his church's reach. When Hemann was stationed near Luther College in Decorah he met a religion instructor from the college in the local hangar. They started talking and the conversation landed Hemann a job as the first Catholic priest to teach on the Lutheran school's campus.

"I think a lot of people forget we are as human as everyone else. Our interests are just as varied. Sometimes the only way you can touch someone else is by sharing a common interest," Hemann said. "You have to meet people where they are at."