Looks like my Moody training has paid off...so far! My first week of MAF evaluation was spent in the air, performing various maneuvers, takeoffs and landings, mountain flying, and a "cross country." I was also tested on my aeronautical knowledge with several written exams and an oral exam. At the week's end, I've received the "stamp of approval" from the flight department. It was fun getting to know my instructor/evaluator during our flights, and I felt very comfortable with everything.
While I've been off flying, Joy has helped out in the MAF office wherever she's needed. She has also gotten to meet many of the MAF staff and here lots of stories about serving overseas. We are spending the evenings with long walks, reading, and relaxing in the "Treasure Valley" sunshine.
Next week starts off with a visit to the local "shrink" that will last all day Monday. We have to take a 500-something question test and individually interview with the doctor. The rest of the week will be spent in the shop, for my maintenance evaluation. All is going well so far, and we are encouraged as we go through the process that God is continually affirming His call on our lives. Thanks for the many prayers so far!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
April Showers Bring...What?
Here we are, heading full steam ahead into what's supposed to be May flowers, but the April showers are playing tricks on the vegetation here! No folks, that's not rain falling, that's called snow, and yes, it's the end of April, and this was taken in Vancouver, WA, where it's never supposed to snow. By the way, the temperature was 48 degrees. I'm not really sure what to say. I'm no stranger to snow, but this is a stretching the boundaries a little, don't you think? I've witnessed bli
zzards and late spring "NorEasters," but I've never before seen anything like this. Of course, the shower didn't amount to much, but nonetheless it was an interesting sight. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning for Nampa; everything is packed and we're excited to begin the next challenge on our journey. Blessings! And don't forget to watch for strange things falling from the sky!
zzards and late spring "NorEasters," but I've never before seen anything like this. Of course, the shower didn't amount to much, but nonetheless it was an interesting sight. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning for Nampa; everything is packed and we're excited to begin the next challenge on our journey. Blessings! And don't forget to watch for strange things falling from the sky!Monday, April 14, 2008
SHOWTIME!!
It's coming down to the wire now, Joy and I will be leaving Sunday morning for Nampa, Idaho. We hope to arrive around dinner time so we can get settled and relax before the big debut. Most everything is in order; we still have to get physical exams done today so the doctors can send in their evaluation of our health. Other than that, we got everything done on time. Now all that's left are a few landings, putting a few bandaids on a couple airplanes, and trying to convince a shrink that I'm not crazy for giving up everything I have here in the States so I can go overseas and fly over dense jungles. I'll give it a shot.
We had our monthly Servant Wings meeting on Saturday where we were "comissioned" and sent forth from yet another organization that prepares mission pilots. I was really struck though with our conversation with the treasurer of the club. I was expecting a rather large bill for all the flying I've been doing lately to pr
epare for TE, but she said that a lot of people have stepped up on our behalf to help pay for our expenses! We've found out that we probably owe about half of what we were expecting! What a relief! And thanks in advance to those who have contributed financially on our behalf; we were really wondering how we were going to pay for all these bills and still stay on track with MAF. We don't know who you are...yet, so thanks for being part of the team! Continue to pray that we will be able to pay for all the upcoming flight costs (our TE will cost about $2000).
Sunday I got a little more practice in, mainly takeoffs and landings...it's really hard to touchdown a 3500 lb
s bird in 100 feet! I was encouraged though, the practice went well. Joy was my "judge" letting me know precisely where I touched down on the runway. We treated ourselves to a little picnic lunch in Vernonia, Oregon, not too far from Portland.
Look for updates in the next few weekends for news on how our evaluation with MAF is going! We cherish your prayers.
We had our monthly Servant Wings meeting on Saturday where we were "comissioned" and sent forth from yet another organization that prepares mission pilots. I was really struck though with our conversation with the treasurer of the club. I was expecting a rather large bill for all the flying I've been doing lately to pr
epare for TE, but she said that a lot of people have stepped up on our behalf to help pay for our expenses! We've found out that we probably owe about half of what we were expecting! What a relief! And thanks in advance to those who have contributed financially on our behalf; we were really wondering how we were going to pay for all these bills and still stay on track with MAF. We don't know who you are...yet, so thanks for being part of the team! Continue to pray that we will be able to pay for all the upcoming flight costs (our TE will cost about $2000). Sunday I got a little more practice in, mainly takeoffs and landings...it's really hard to touchdown a 3500 lb
s bird in 100 feet! I was encouraged though, the practice went well. Joy was my "judge" letting me know precisely where I touched down on the runway. We treated ourselves to a little picnic lunch in Vernonia, Oregon, not too far from Portland.Look for updates in the next few weekends for news on how our evaluation with MAF is going! We cherish your prayers.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Any More Hoops?
It seems fitting for me to let anyone who reads this blog know that I have finally reached 400 hours of flight time! I have now officially met all of the requirements for attending technical evaluation. Now that I have my hours, I won't be flying much at all from here on out, mainly because it is REALLY expensive. Just about the only flights I'll be taking are one's that our corporate members in Servant Wings will be paying for. I may fly a day or two before we leave for Nampa, Idaho, just to knock any rust off. That will be the last chance I get before being evaluated by the MAF staff. Joy and I are both a little anxious about it, but we are confident that God has called us to this ministry; He has prepared us both for this challenge in more ways than we realize. I think it will be fun to finally see how MAF operates, and to be under the "wing" of some of the greatest and safest pilots in the world.
In other news: here are a few pictures of our extended cross country project at Moody. It was kind of our senior project, our mission was to navigate from Spokane, Wa, to Chandler, Az, and back. We saw a lot of God's
beautiful country from the barren deserts of Nevada to lush valleys in California and the incredible Rocky Mountain Range. This picture was taken just outside of Las Vegas, Nv, on our way to see Hoover dam and the Grand Canyon. Here's another one you might recongnize. This is part of the Golden Gate Bridge. As we were flying through some of the busiest airspace in the US, our flight instructor asked the air tra
ffic controller if we could make a little "detour" and take the scenic route around the Bay area over Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. He said sure, why not, I'll work you in, and we got some really cool pictures as we were pretty low to the ground. After our little detour, we flew down the California coastline all the way to Monterey!
beautiful country from the barren deserts of Nevada to lush valleys in California and the incredible Rocky Mountain Range. This picture was taken just outside of Las Vegas, Nv, on our way to see Hoover dam and the Grand Canyon. Here's another one you might recongnize. This is part of the Golden Gate Bridge. As we were flying through some of the busiest airspace in the US, our flight instructor asked the air tra
ffic controller if we could make a little "detour" and take the scenic route around the Bay area over Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. He said sure, why not, I'll work you in, and we got some really cool pictures as we were pretty low to the ground. After our little detour, we flew down the California coastline all the way to Monterey! Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Close, But No Cigar
This past weekend was filled with a little bit of everything: flying, maintenance, cleaning, and fun. I flew a couple days this weekend, focusing mainly on my airwork and takeoffs and landings. I'm trying to keep my 206 skills polished for TE, which is fast approaching. One of Joy's friends was up from California for the weekend, and I got the chance to take her up flying in the 206. On final approach into Vancouver's airport, we come very close to the "Interstate Bridge" as they call it around here. It's the Highway 5 bridge that crosses the Columbia River into Oregon.
Monday I was polishing up on my airwork maneuvers. The weather doesn't usually allow me enough room to practice these maneuvers so I hav
e to take advantage of it when I can. The really exciting part about it is that I have 399.3 flight hours now! Only about 40 minutes left to go! Our MAF application is also in order and will be presented to the board for evaluation. Everything seems to be in order.
e to take advantage of it when I can. The really exciting part about it is that I have 399.3 flight hours now! Only about 40 minutes left to go! Our MAF application is also in order and will be presented to the board for evaluation. Everything seems to be in order. Friday, March 21, 2008
Success!
We finally got a chance to fly back to Lynden today so we could finish up the work on our 206. We waited for a couple hours for the weather to improve before leaving. The flight up was uneventful (which is usually a good thing!). The weather was marginal, but easy to get around. Once we found a "hole" (as we call it in aviation), we were able to fly above the clouds most of the 
way. And I didn't do any of the flying this time, so I got to take a few more pictures than normal. It wasn't until we got up around Bellingham that we had to find another "hole" and fly back down under the clouds so we could land at Lynden. Overall, the trip up took us just over 2 hours, a marked improvement on Wednesday's 2.5. Once we landed in Lynden we got right to work on the 206--and then it started snowing. But it's not the kind of snow you usually think about floating out of the sky. No...this snow was like little miny ice-balls, kind of like miniature hail. Combine that with a driving wind and it really hurt! So we huddled under the wings of the 206 every now and then as these showers went by. All in all, it took another 2 and a half hours to finish up the job, but the good part is, that fixed the problem. The airplane runs like it should now! So, around 3pm David took off in the 172 for home, and I 
took off 30 minutes later. I filed for an IFR flight plan on the way back so I wouldn't have to worry about flying around, over, and underneath all the clouds. Here's what it looks like when you're flying through clouds in a small airplane. Quite a different picture from the morning. I don't know if you can tell, but the windshield (and the wings, tail, and tires) are coated with a thin layer of ice. Flying through a lot of clouds when it's cold out sometimes coats the airplane in a layer of ice, which is a potentially hazard situation if you have no way of getting out of it. 3,000 lb. ice cubes don't fly very well!
way. And I didn't do any of the flying this time, so I got to take a few more pictures than normal. It wasn't until we got up around Bellingham that we had to find another "hole" and fly back down under the clouds so we could land at Lynden. Overall, the trip up took us just over 2 hours, a marked improvement on Wednesday's 2.5. Once we landed in Lynden we got right to work on the 206--and then it started snowing. But it's not the kind of snow you usually think about floating out of the sky. No...this snow was like little miny ice-balls, kind of like miniature hail. Combine that with a driving wind and it really hurt! So we huddled under the wings of the 206 every now and then as these showers went by. All in all, it took another 2 and a half hours to finish up the job, but the good part is, that fixed the problem. The airplane runs like it should now! So, around 3pm David took off in the 172 for home, and I 
took off 30 minutes later. I filed for an IFR flight plan on the way back so I wouldn't have to worry about flying around, over, and underneath all the clouds. Here's what it looks like when you're flying through clouds in a small airplane. Quite a different picture from the morning. I don't know if you can tell, but the windshield (and the wings, tail, and tires) are coated with a thin layer of ice. Flying through a lot of clouds when it's cold out sometimes coats the airplane in a layer of ice, which is a potentially hazard situation if you have no way of getting out of it. 3,000 lb. ice cubes don't fly very well! My flight time is now 396.2; so that leaves 3.8 left in four weeks. Thanks for all your prayers and support; it is being put to good use!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands
The overhaul company seems to be dragging their feet in getting out to fix our 206, so another pilot and I decided to fly up to Lynden and fix it ourselves. We didn't have a whole lot of time, but did get the broken part off, and all we need to do now is install the new part, make sure it works, and then it will be up and running again! We're planning on flying up again tomorrrow to finish the job and ferry it back to Vancouver. The good news is that I have 394 hours, so by the end of this week I should reach my goal of 400 hours. After I get 400 hours, I probably won't fly much simply because it is so expensive. Sorry I still don't have any pictures to show, I keep forgetting my camera. I'm determined to bring it tomorrow so you can get a better understanding of the situation I've been talking about!
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