Thanks so much! So many great ideas here, and wonderful language, too. My nasty writer's mind especially loves the idea of them all being airsick!
I've had a major rethink, though. My Saffer pilot, who was only ever a minor character, was starting to dominate the action! And you can't have that, it's always your major characters who should carry the action. So my Saffer pilot is now too drunk to fly, and I've given Kimbo, one of my major characters (who is a good guy but is on the run), a backstory where he almost qualified as a pilot but something (and I'm stll working on this) prevented him. I know that sounds a tad convenient but, trust me, it actually works really well even if it's meant some solid hours reverse-engineering what I've already written. I always loved the central premise of the TV show Doc Martin where the main character, who is a London surgeon, finds out that he faints at the sight of blood and, tail between his legs, ends up as a 'lowly' GP in a rural backwater.
So, in being forced to fly the plane, Kimbo is forced to face whatever demon prevented him from being a fully-fledged pilot in the first place. Any ideas out there?
Also I also like the idea of there being less digital and more analogue - so many plot problems these days are solved by Google.
But if that's the case - how do they navigate? So if they fly out of Buru how do they plot a course to Darwin or Timor Leste? Please be gentle, I have no background in aviation and I would love to be able to learn how this is done so I can pass it on to my readers. Personally, I love stories where I learn something.
I'm also playing around with the idea that they are forced to land on Kisar Island. I assume there would be no air traffic control on such a small place. So if they landed there would there typically be anybody around the airport at all?
Again, I can't thank you all enough for all your wonderful suggestions - my novel was stalling, but now it's soaring, taking me to unexpected, and exciting, places!
cheers, Phil