Flying

Karen has written several updates recently, and this time it's my turn (Joe). I love flying airplanes and I have a lot of friends who fly and who are also passionate about aviation. So, some random thoughts on flying, things I've done and what I know so far about flying in Lesotho.  

Flying is not "just a job" for me, and it was not initially a career goal. As a kid I did look up in the sky a lot at airplanes and wish that I was flying, but due to economic constraints and  parents' concern for safety, being a pilot was not something that I perceived as in the realm of possibility. As at result I came to aviation at almost 30 years of age when I rode with my younger brother in a rented Cessna 172.  I was hooked from that point. Karen could see how interested I was and for my birthday in 2010 gave me an introductory flying lesson and a headset. I don't think she realized at that time what a large life change her act would cause. Hopefully she would do it again! 

For those of you who are not aviators, you must realize that ratings or certificates in aviation never end. I can guarantee you that the most accomplished pilot is either consciously or unconsciously yearning for the opportunity to fly a different aircraft, or even better, to earn another FAA rating or certificate. Most of the time, an aviator has a mental list of the next achievements he or she wants to attain. Sometimes these are official ratings and sometimes they are personal records or personal goals. There are practical or career reasons for these attainments, but not always. Many times an aviator will get a rating "just in case" or to qualify for an aviation job he or she is dreaming about.   

Using myself as an example, as of today, I'm an instrument qualified single and multiengine land-aircraft commercial airplane pilot as well as an instructor for single engine airplanes, including instrument instruction. I am also a airframe and powerplant mechanic.  Since I have my dream job with MAF already, I have little reason for career advancement purposes to achieve more ratings. Yet I have a list of desired ratings which I want to attain, for personal fulfillment and a sense of achievement: high altitude endorsement, tailwheel, single engine seaplane, multiengine instructor, air transport pilot (ATP), commercial rotor wing, mechanic with inspection authorization (IA). Time and expense may prevent achievement of some of the goals, but I can always dream!

Karen with my airplane the day I flew it home

Shortly after I became a private pilot seven years ago, this ratings game plus the desire to be able to use aircraft as a real transportation tool drove me to get an instrument rating (a pilot is properly trained to fly through clouds) and then a commercial certificate (so I could be paid to fly). I also began to want to fly faster aircraft than I could economically rent where I lived in Pullman, WA. So I talked myself into buying an airplane. After some research I narrowed my options down to a few different models but there was really only one option for me in my search for speed: a Mooney. I purchased a 1967 Mooney M20F in 2012 and owned it for just over 2 years. I used it for customer service for our family business and for many personal trips with Karen. The ability to go in a straight over mountains and across country at nearly 200 mph brought us to several states and many adventures. Some of the trips in the Mooney stretched my abilities as a pilot, and though I made mistakes, God kept us safe. 

Safety was actually indirectly how I got into missionary aviation. In an attempt to be a conscientious pilot, I periodically attend FAA conferences related to aviation safety. In 2013, shortly before the birth of our daughter, I attended one that turned out to be a mission aviation safety conference. Though I had previously possessed a vague awareness of mission aviation, at that conference, I had my first exposure to missionary aviators. I found out that with my degree from Moody and my commercial pilot certificate, I only needed an mechanic certificate to qualify to be a missionary pilot. Over the course of the days after that conference I began to realize that God had been preparing me all my life for mission aviation. I was overjoyed at finding a way to fulfill my call to serve God in His kingdom while helping others and engaging my passion for flying. You can read more about my passion and calling here.   

But first I had to become an aviation mechanic. It would have been nice to keep my airplane and keep flying while I studied to become a mechanic, but as always in life, there was no way to have it all. So I made the decision to quit my job in the family business, sell my airplane and go all in on an aviation career by becoming a CFI (Certificated Flight Instructor).  After several years as an amateur pilot, I was finally becoming an aviation professional.  As I studied and prepared for this role, I quickly realized that I had a long way to go and a lot to learn.  Fortunately, I had a great and patient teacher in Theresa Nelson at Aero Maintenance in Vancouver, WA, and ended up working for a very professional flight school, Hillsboro Aero Academy, in Hillsboro, OR.  Meanwhile, I attended Portland Community College to become an A&P.

I have flown a couple different models of Cessna 206.  One of them was for a technical evaluation with MAF, and is the same model that I will be flying in Lesotho with MAF, a T-206G.  Before we go to Lesotho I will have opportunity to do a few weeks of training with MAF to standardize on their SOPs and operations in this model. All MAF pilots go through this standardization and I am getting more and more excited about this training after watching several videos posted by other MAF pilots who have gone through this process. To get their pilots ready to fly in challenging mountain terrain and to give them confidence to safely land on airstrips in these mountains that are sometimes less than 1000 feet in length, the MAF standardization takes place in the mountains of Idaho near the MAF headquarters.  The terrain and mountains there are remarkably similar to those in Lesotho, where I will be operating the 206 on dirt and grass airstrips that are 6-10,000 feet above sea level.  

Mountains of Lesotho

I find aviation to be immensely satisfying, both as a commercial pilot and as an instructor.  As an instructor, it's tremendously gratifying to see a student progress and take on the role of being a pilot. 

Besotho woman with baby in MAF airplane

They may struggle but then they "get it." They have the satisfaction of having worked to overcome an obstacle to success. They learn to make smart decisions, to be disciplined, to be methodical and to not let the unexpected fluster them.  I have the privilege of guiding them in that process, and I get to learn along with them.  Often, I have to overcome my own frustration.  Many times I realize that I don't know what I need to when I have to explain or demonstrate something to a student. But the net result is that we both learn.  I also love introducing people, and especially young people, to aviation.  General aviation epitomizes the freedom and community that can be had as a result of investing concerted effort in responsible use of a shared system.  General aviation pilots in the United States have the privilege of flying almost anywhere they want and mingling in the same airspace with airliners carrying hundreds of passengers. This privilege is a result of substantial training and careful attention to safety and good judgment that the vast majority of pilots exhibit.  It's a special community of which I am humbled and happy to be a part. When I take a young person on an introductory flight and see their excitement and joy as they take the controls of the airplane, I am hoping they will catch the bug and invest the time and effort to become part of the aviation community.  I can also use the airplane as a tool to save lives and bring hope to those who have lost hope. How blessed I am to be able to do something I love to help others!