Just trying to get my head out of the clouds

I am in the process of getting my life together, but will update this thing eventually with Oshkosh, life back at work, and a certain road trip from Detroit I will be making this Labor Day weekend.

Mucho Love

All in a days work

Apprehensive passengers who have stomachs full of Olive Garden.  40 pounds short of max gross with density altitude over 4000 ft.  All the mean while I got in some good pilotage work on my way back from Idaho today.  I filed IFR over to COE because I thought I would have a chance to get some good actual (flying in the clouds).  Nope.  The elusive clouds burnt off by 1300 which definitely would not have happened if I just wanted to go for a motorcycle ride or any other summer activity not requiring clouds.

Anyways, it was a good day flying 5.2 hours having to deal with passengers and all the joys they bring.  I love the fact that I flew for 5.2 and did not have to fill up.  I landed with 45 minutes of fuel which means the 206 can outlast almost every human bladder. Bottom line, I made myself a better pilotage/dead reckoning pilot today.  I am getting really good at making use of the "Pilot Isolate" button.  

Congrats!

Last Saturday my first instrument student Eric passed his check ride and is now a commercial instrument rated pilot.  The instrument rating is one of the harder ratings to get, but with all the hard work he put in the examiner said the oral exam and ride went well.

This also marks the first FAA rating acquired by a Servant Wings member who had a Servant Wings instructor.  It has been amazing to see how the Lord has blessed the organization in the last several years.  One plane, then two, and now an office at the airport which has been great for both instruction and meetings.

I apologize for no picture on this one.  I will have to get one with Eric when I finally go up in his biplane ;)

Made it home

Made it home safely.  Here are a few pictures from the quick week there in Kako.

This link tells a little bit about what Samaritans Purse is doing in Hooper Bay, one of the villages I flew into.

Coming Home

Well, it has definitely been an action packed week.  Although my time here has been cut short, I have still managed to log about 15 hours in the air.  In that time I saw uphill/downhill/tailwind landings, fires created by the lightning I managed to miss, low level river flying (which should have been filmed), the Bering Sea, lots of villages in the middle of nowhere, great people, and the Lord working in many lives.

Yesterday evening I heard the pilot who was going to come in to replace me (flys King Airs) was not approved by the insurance company either.  I have come to the conclusion that being approved by the insurance company is so subjective.  They pretty much make up requirements as they go.  Frustrating, but its in the Lord's hands so I cannot be too upset about it.  I've done things here that many pilots will never see or experience ever.

Thank you so much for all the prayers from everyone who has prayed for me.  I am so blessed to have all the things and people around me that I do.  The encouragement and support is worth a lot to me.  I continue to walk and grow everyday in Him.

This picture is from the hike I took yesterday afternoon (Yukon River and Kako in background) You can tell that the downhill approach requires a slight hugging of trees.  And when I say slight I mean major.   Anyway, never in my life have I felt like I was going to be ambushed by bears and moose like I did yesterday hiking up.  The trail leading up to the cross does not leave much room or time to react if one of those wild animals making noise in the bushes does decide to come after me.  There were fresh bear and moose tracks the whole way up.  It provided for a pretty good time;)  Even though I did not see any black bear I could hear them breathing and snorting.  Nothing a 30-06 can't take care of.

Next up...Oshkosh 2009.

Things Not Going As Planned

Monday morning I was tragically informed that somehow I was not approved on the Kako insurance to fly.  I am the first one ever who has come up to Kako with no Alaska time that has not been approved.  The insurance company wants 250 hours AK time before I can fly the kids which would make sense if I was doing it in the winter, but I'm not.  As bummed as I was it effects the whole camp.    

My first question was why did God bring me all the way here to Kako, AK?  And second of all what now?  I have had a few tempting options come up as either pilot or mechanic in other towns, but I did not come up here to get a job and just log hours.  I came to serve and it is very unfortunate especially after a week of getting to know everyone that I am going to just turn around and head back.  There is definitely something special about this place.  Everything is so different.

For instance planes and atvs are far more common than cars.  When I was being orientated to the area on Monday I would fly over a airstrip, not see an atv with kids on it so I was told to "buzz" the village and sure enough not but a minute later I would see a dust trial making its way to the gravel strip.

Yesterday I went out to Hooper Bay with another pilot and picked up a couple counselors for camp.  It was a clear day which is not very common there at the Bering Sea.  So basically I am only 242 hours away from getting approved on the insurance.  I was joking yesterday with some of the guys who are here from the North Pole doing construction that my .1 hrs taxing to the fuel pump is moving me right along to get "qualified."  It's hard not to joke when guys have come in here with less experience and been approved.

Anyways, before you all freak out about this picture I had to do this considering the name on the plane.  This was taken with one of the three planes that are in the trees at the end of the airstrip.  It was a good reminder that this place is really no joke.  In fact I kid with the other pilot Denny that if the windsocks here are pointed in the same direction at either end of the field something is wrong.

So the last few days I have basically been catching the planes up with a little maintenance considering I am the only licensed mechanic on site. Ha...yeah...Alaska.  It has forced me to work in the mud and think outside the box to get the job done.

The internet is slow so I will post more pictures later.  I tentatively plan to come home on Monday.

  

Long Day

Today I woke up after a solid five hours of sleeping in public to the sound of people going through security.  I immediately thought, wow I am not sore from this bench and I actually feel good.  I then got on my hour flight to Bethel, AK where I would wait a couple hours for the 206 to come get me.  As I was waiting there were a couple other kids there trying to figure out if the plane that was currently landing was "it."  Finally, it came and I think they were actually a little more excited than me.

After leaving Bethel I managed to work in 5.1 hours of flying.  I could really feel a wall hit me on the last leg.  Fortunately, (crazy person inside me talking) the wind was horrible so I was told on the radio I was going to have land downhill.  There really are not words.  As soon as I realized I had made it I took a deep breath and realized this is only day one.  It only gets better from here.  The people are great and the backdrop is marvelous.  I have been listening to "Captivated" by Shawn McDonald a lot lately.  Seems to be the soundtrack for this trip so far.

I also just want to say a HUGE thanks for everyone praying for me.  Its pretty overwhelming to know so many have me in their prayers.  I definitely need it along with these kids.

Above is the yellow beast.  Keep in mind I took this about a half hour ago (9pm).  Time for a shower and bed.