The Adventure Begins

First stop on my journey to Papua: Indiantown, Florida! A pretty random place to go first, I know, but my boss Gary was sending me to get some specialized flight training with an instructor there. I would spend three days training, take Sabbath off and then leave the country for good early Sunday morning.

My home away from home. In Indiantown, FL.

The training was quite the experience. The course was supposed to be a kind of Upset Prevention & Recovery Training (UPRT) program and I'd mentally steeled myself for the worst, i.e. using one of those barf bags for the first time following some unusual attitudes. I could have saved myself the worry, because flying through those maneuvers couldn't have been more of a blast!

My instructor, a seasoned aerobatic and tailwheel pilot, coached me through the 3 days of intensive ground and flight training. I relearned the fundamentals of turning flight and using the sight picture, how to let the airplane do the flying rather than overcontrolling, and my personal favorite: how to recover from an inverted attitude. We also practiced a bunch of tailwheel takeoffs and landings, since I'll be flying a taildragger in Papua. As we taxied back to his hangar after the last session, I felt like I'd really gotten a taste of what flying as an art form can be. It was great to be a student again and experience raw flying again.

Would have taken a dip if I didn't have to keep my clothes dry for the trip!

On Sabbath I visited Jupiter - yeah, it's a town in Florida - and had a lovely time worshiping with a very welcoming congregation at the Jupiter Adventist Church. And of course I managed to meet people who knew people that I knew! Then a long walk on the beach and finally back to the hotel room for my last night in the U.S. It was a strange feeling climbing into bed knowing that I was really going to be on my way in a few hours. I tried to relax my mind, and finally drifted into a restless sleep.

The light notes from the final movement of Mozart's piano concerto number 15 filtered into my subconscious at 2:45 a.m. and pulled me back to reality. Today was the day. I'd planned to wake up to this piece for a long time. I associate chapters of my life with certain melodies and this one just seemed to fit the mood in a way that I can't really put in words. I let the music continue playing as I climbed out of bed and dressed, the pianist and orchestra skillfully evoking a sense of poignant transition.

Opted to skip the early morning curbside fest.

After lugging my 3 heavy suitcases, 1 carry-on suitcase, jam-packed backpack and pillow down the stairs to the front lobby, I surveyed the sign posted on the inside of the entrance with some dismay: Do not open this door for anyone. This is for the safety of the inn. The inn staff had told me how to unlock the door and get back after hours, but I suddenly didn't feel quite so safe venturing out with a warning like that. Every single day of my stay in the town I'd seen police activity, and it was a little town. Oh well... I briskly stepped toward the parking lot, eyeing the bushes by the hotel, and then drove my rental car to the curb in front of the hotel entrance.

As I got out, a vehicle drove by on the main road and seemed to be slowing down. I looked up the road behind it and saw some blue and lights come on. Great. Well, at least it was comforting to have the police nearby. I quickly loaded my luggage up and then climbed in, mentally checking that I had everything - yup, I think I got it all. With no one and nothing really to say goodbye to, except 3 police cars with lights blazing a half block away, I pulled out and drove away into the night.

When Tomorrow Arrives

Somehow I managed to survive the last few hectic days before departure as I did my best to downsize all my belongings that I wasn't taking and pack up my room so everything I left behind would be portable. I didn't quite get all the things done on my to-do list as I would have liked and instead figured out quite quickly what things could be deleted without creating a hardship. Making a return at Walmart was something I could skip, but having a ravioli dinner with a friend I wouldn't see in person for months wasn't something I would trade for a world of crossed-off checklists.

The night before my departure I said my last goodbyes to friends on campus and then returned home to burn the midnight oil tying up as many loose ends as possible. I finished boxing up my room and taking out the trash and then I stopped and surveyed the empty looking room, letting out a big sigh. I glanced at my watch and saw the time: 12:30 a.m. That's when it hit me. There's a saying that tomorrow never comes. Well, this time it did. August 21 had arrived.

Two of my dearest people got up with me at the unearthly hour of 3:30 to take me to SMF airport. It was a miserable thing saying that goodbye. If only I didn't have to leave those I cared about most behind. Perhaps it's just the smallest taste of a goodbye that was infinitely more difficult, when God "gave His only begotten Son" to this dark world. I suppose if Jesus was willing enough to leave His Father's personal presence for 33 long years for my sake, shouldn't I feel it a privilege to do something so comparatively small as leave home for His sake?

The sun was just rising as my Southwest Airlines jet passed over the crest of the Sierras. I waved farewell to California and then let sleep close my exhausted, moist eyes.

Between Here and There

The road to becoming a missionary pilot is often pretty long. On the podcast Plane Faith, it was not uncommon to hear the guys sharing that it took them quite a few years to go from the first step of deciding to pursue the calling and finally reaching the mission field, as it takes time to get through all the training and life experiences on the way. I also met a missionary pilot at Oshkosh a couple years ago who told me it took him 2 years to get his visa for Indonesia. So I guess I was basically on track in pretty much every way!

Once everything aligns, though, it's a mad scramble to get all the tasks done that are necessary to finish before I can head out. After spending the last 2 1/2 years having no definite departure date, I'm suddenly realizing how little time I have to get so much done! It seems my to-do list gets longer as the days before my departure quickly evaporate.

But ready or not, I will be on my way August 21! It'll be a 3-stage trip getting to my ultimate destination. My first stop will be Indiantown, Florida where my boss is sending me to take some preliminary Upset Prevention & Recovery Training (UPRT). Then early Sunday morning, August 26, I'll start my 29-hour journey to Jakarta. After several days of paperwork in Jakarta, I'll finally catch my last flights to my new home in Sentani, Papua.
 
It's going to be an interesting journey for sure!

You really think I'm all packed already? Hehe...

Finished.

798 hours. What happens in that amount of time? Or 433 flights? And how have I impacted the 46 students whose names are written in my logbook? These kind of thoughts are floating through my mind today as I collect my last paycheck, clean out my desk, and load my car up with my office belongings. Today is my last day of work and what a mixed bag of feelings it brings. It’s been such a great journey, working as a flight instructor at EVA Flight Training Academy, and I’m honestly sad to be closing this chapter. I can’t really encapsulate all I’ve learned and experience I’ve gained while being a CFI here, but the least I can do is share some snapshots of the awesome time:

This is where it starts, seeing all those eager faces of student pilots ready to learn how to fly.

You never forget your first student. (and don't worry, I haven't forgotten the rest of you either!)

Seeing someone go from zero hours to Private Pilot and beyond is pretty cool.

These ladies will probably be flying me around one day.

And this guy too...

What a fun time I had back in February when I got to meet up with former students at the HQ in Taipei. (no, these weren't all my students, but it was great seeing them all again)

The sights you see as a pilot never get old. PC: Ann H.

And that's it folks. Last flight.

As you must have guessed by now, I am leaving my job to go overseas and start working as a missionary pilot in Papua, Indonesia. It's been quite the ride getting to this point and many times it looked like it wasn't going to happen, but 2 1/2+ years after first committing to going, I finally have my visa in hand and I'll be departing the end of August. It's exciting and daunting at the same time. The work will not be easy. But I believe it will be well worth it. And I'm encouraged by this neat verse I read a couple weeks ago. Never before has it felt so relevant and personal:

Plane Faith

Hey, this is pretty cool! I just stumbled across this podcast and have been really enjoying it. Plane Faith is a brand-new podcast hosted by a U.S. pastor/pilot who is interviewing missionary pilots from various organizations all over the world. As someone interested in eventually doing what these guys are doing, I'm finding it great to hear first-hand what the experience of everyday life is like.

Episode 1 features a mission pilot who is working in the same country that I may be heading to. Check out the website or look them up on iTunes and I'm sure they'll be thrilled for you to subscribe: https://www.planefaith.com/

Night Dreams

On climbout. My iPad camera doesn't do the scene justice

Thursday evening I got to go on a night flight with my student and we had a blast. The experience of taking a small plane up at night is especially delightful. The airport is peaceful and has a quiet charm to it as you preflight the plane and get ready to fire up. Pretty blue lights line the taxiways and the orange windsocks are illuminated and look like paper lanterns. Then as you accelerate into the sky, the bright white runway lights give way to the panorama of the lit-up city. Yes, I enjoy going aloft at night.

We toured the central valley, getting in the requisite landings at several airports: Merced, Castle, and Modesto. We had the airports all to ourselves, as often is the case at night. Then as a treat to top off the training flight, we arranged to do a couple touch-and-go landings at Sacramento International. It’s pretty cool getting to join the same lineup for a runway as the “big boys”; we followed a Delta MD-90 to Runway 16L and were told that behind us was a United 737. Fun stuff!

Yup, that's SMF from above (Yes, different airplane; had to borrow a snapshot from another flight)

With the lesson starting just after sunset and lasting 3.5 hours, it was after 1:30 a.m. before I finally got home and hit the sack. Worthwhile, and yes, tiring; I’m not a night person.

For some reason after drifting off to sleep, I dreamt I was still flying and trying unsuccessfully to stay awake while my student was getting ready to land! I guess I must have been really tired to be dreaming about sleeping, ha!

Ironically, the next morning I was reading in the book of Daniel, one of my favorite parts of the Bible, and the story happened to be about someone who also had a strange dream. As the account in Daniel chapter 2 goes, the famous Babylonian monarch Nebuchadnezzar was in a frenzy because of a dream that he apparently couldn't remember, but nonetheless felt was very important. Dreams in the ancient world were considered communications from the gods and he was anxious to know what this dream was and what it meant.

Of course the court astrologers were useless in remembering the king’s dream for him, but in the end it was a Hebrew exile named Daniel who saved the day because he had a connection with the true God who had given the dream.

It’s a remarkable account and you can read it here to get the details, but the thing that stood out to me this time reading it through was the personal interest God had in the Babylonian ruler. As Daniel recounted the details of the dream, he started out by reminding Nebuchadnezzar what he had been thinking about before dropping off to sleep and the reason why he had this dream.

“As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this”. (Daniel 2:29 NASB). Nebuchadnezzar had reached a pinnacle of glory and success that few have ever achieved, but just like any other human being, he was still wondering, What next?

The answer to that question came directly from God: “He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place.” (Daniel 2:29 NASB). The dream and its interpretation gives a fascinating outline of 2500 years of world history, all foretold accurately before it happened. At the end, the last culminating event is explained. After millennia of conquest and change, God Himself would set up a kingdom that would never end. And that was the main message He wanted Nebuchadnezzar to know. 

“Inasmuch as you saw [the object that symbolized God’s kingdom]…the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this.” (Daniel 2:45 NASB).

What a neat encounter with God! He was interested enough in a pagan king’s musings about the future to give him a glimpse of what would happen and the ultimate ending. And He was interested enough in you and me to preserve that story so we could see just how it turned out as foretold.

Just like Nebuchadnezzar, I believe God wants each of us to know what the great hereafter holds as well. All the events predicted by dream have happened except for the last one. Sometime soon it’s going to happen, all the chaos and heartache is going to end once and for all, and “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed”. (Daniel 2:44 NASB). Sound like something you’d like be a part of? I sure would!

Aloft Again

Hello folks, I think it's time for another post, wouldn't you say? Looks like it’s been a grand total of 3+ years since I’ve touched this space—woops! As you might imagine, quite a bit has happened. So let me summarize:

Spring 2015: I taught my first ground school class at Weimar Academy, my high school alma mater. Class size: 3. But what’s really great is that one of them went on to earn his wings and is a private pilot now!

A field trip to the local airfield to look at some real planes

Summer 2015: I got hired for my first ever job as a pilot! It was a summer contract flying a Cessna 172 over the Sierra Nevada mountains to spot fires and report them. It was a one-of-a-kind summer and in fact I’m going to write a book about it—stay tuned!

Using my Commercial ticket for the first time

Fall 2015: I joined the ranks of flight instructors. I learned a lot through the tough certification process and my first checkride failure; I learned even more when I started teaching people for real! I began instructing right where my own aviation journey started, at the great flight school in Auburn, California.

Another very expensive piece of paper. But, oh, the possibilities...

Winter 2015: Gary Roberts, a missionary pilot, extended the opportunity for me to join him in Papua, Indonesia. For the first time, it looked like I was going to reach that long-sought-after goal of becoming a real mission pilot. 20 months later, we’re still waiting for all the right elements to come together, one of them being a visa. I’ve been learning a lot about patience and God’s timing.

Papua, Indonesia (left half of the island): future home one day?

Summer 2016: A friend called me to ask if I could help ferry his plane from my local airport to his home in Montana. Long story short, I ended up not only helping fly the plane up, but staying the summer to train his brother-in-law for his instrument rating. To complicate things, I had yet to become a CFII (instrument instructor) myself. Want to hear about the adventure and the lessons God taught me that summer? Well that’s right…that’s going to be my second book!

On the way up to Montana; before the girls in the back started getting green

Fall 2016: Transition time. The prospect of going to Indonesia was stalled indefinitely. With business as an instructor being hit-and-miss at best, I was unsure what to do in the short-term. I nearly ended up in Tchad, Africa, then Midland, Texas (looking back, I'm glad I didn't end up doing that). Finally I stumbled into a salaried instructor job just one hour from home and signed on with EVA Flight Training Academy.

Pipepline patrol pilot interview in Midland, TX

Summer 2017: After 8 months of teaching at EVA, I still can’t believe how much God has blessed me. Though teaching wasn’t my first love, this job has fit my personality like a glove. While I wait to see how God writes the next chapter of the story, I continue to learn more about faith and flying each day. I can only hope and pray my students will eventually want to learn more about faith themselves one day—and that perhaps we could spend eternity together.

The journey continues...