Making Progress!

Right after passing my commercial pilots license in March, I started training to become a certified flight instructor. I did most of the training in the mornings, over lunch break, and evenings working around the 8am – 5pm aircraft mechanic apprenticeship training.

On August 26th, I had the opportunity to take the certified flight instructor check ride practical test! Passing this test and receiving the certificate is such a blessing to have completed and behind me in the process of becoming a missionary pilot and airplane mechanic!

Certified Flight Instructor Checkride Pass

With this certificate, I am currently part-time using it to teach a student pilot to get his pilot’s certificate. This allows me to teach and build my flight time from 300 hrs to 500 hrs (500 hrs is the minimum requirement to be a missionary pilot with JAARS) without needing to pay for the flight time. Rather, I’m getting paid to build the flight time. So this is a great blessing.

My First student pilot

In May, I visited JAARS (Jungle Aviation and Remote Services, which is organizationally under Wycliffe Bible Translators) at their US base in Waxhaw, NC. I was able to discover who and what JAARS is, what part they have in the Bible translation work and what serving with them in the future as pilot /mechanic looks like. At this point in seeking out God’s will, I am feeling led to serve with JAARS in the future when I meet all of their technical and experience requirements.

In the Bible translation work that is going on in the rugged mountainous areas of Papua New Guinea, JAARS has been able to build numerous airstrips in these mountainous remote areas. However, over the years they have mostly gone to the easiest to reach locations (where they could actually build airstrips). Now as time has continued and needing to reach the harder to reach locations where they cannot build airstrips due to the uneven mountainous terrain, they have begun to use more helicopters then they have in the past to be able to reach these villages where they cannot build those airstrips for airplanes, but just a clearing for a helicopter pad.

I have been praying and seeking God about transitioning from airplanes to helicopters to serve in that way. At this point, I do not have a clear direction on whether God is leading me to make the transition to helicopters to serve in that way. The cost of helicopter training is expensive and a harder road to get to the point of experience required to serve with JAARS than it is with airplanes. It would most likely take at least another 2 years from the beginning of the training to getting a job as a helicopter pilot and building my helicopter flight time up to 1,000 hours.  So I ask for your prayers in the next several weeks as “I knock on doors” that God would close and open the doors according to His will.

I am very excited that I will be (Lord willing) able to take the airplane Aircraft & Power-plant mechanic test in February 2018, which is only 3 months away! I have been in an apprenticeship for this mechanic license since August of 2015 and it’s almost here!

Praise God for

1. Completion of the Certified Flight Instructor test.
2. God has faithfully brought me this far through Aircraft & Power-plant mechanic apprenticeship.
3. The opportunity to teach a student and build flight time through it.

Prayer Requests

1.  That God would have full control of the doors that close and open for helicopter transition training. And that the Holy Spirit would lead me and that I would have complete peace in the decisions to come in the next several weeks.
2. God’s leading hand through opportunities and grace as I work with the men in the apprenticeship shop.