Flying Frenzy

It's been a flying frenzy this week! Over the past 7 days I've flown 4 days which is way more than I am used to! One of my trips was my long cross country flight requirement for commercial training. I am required to fly a 300+nm trip with 1 leg being 250 miles and landings at 3 airports. My trip went from Bowman field to KHKY- Hickory, North Carolina, then up to 0A9- Elizabethton, Tennessee, then to KTRI- Tri-Cities Regional, Tennessee, and finally back to Bowman. I was an exciting trip but at the same time not very eventful. My first leg was 253 miles to Hickory, NC. God surely provided for me throughout my trip and the first way was through clear skies (with a few clouds below and some turbulence) and through meeting someone in KHKY. I park at the FBO (Flight Based Operations office) go in there and check the weather and then see a young guy (about my age) sitting there waiting to go flying.
I ask him, "where you flying?", he responds- "oh just around the area, doing training for my commercial."... "oh me too", I said, "so what do you want to do with flying?",... "I want to be a missionary pilot", he responds... "NO WAY!!!!! I want to do that too!!!!" I exclaim. God sure puts surprises in your path especially when you least expect it! Here is this middle of nowhere airport that I pick to go to because it is 3 miles over the 250 mile minimum and near the area I was flying to, and God puts this guy, Colt Feimster, who is my age and doing exactly the same thing as me, right in my path to meet and connect with as a missionary.

Flight plan map: Tri- cities & Elizabethton are in Tennessee just southeast of the Virginia/ Tennessee/ Kentucky border. Hickory is in North Carolina, just south of the Tennessee/ North Carolina border.

On my next leg of my trip I stopped in Elizabethton, Tennessee- a tiny town which was once the headquarters for Moody Aviation (a missionary aviation school). I met with Jon Egeler and his wife Pam who are missionaries with MSI- Mission Safety International- a group dedicated to missionary flying safety (http://www.msisafety.org/index.htm). They have traveled all over the world doing safety audits and teaching pilots about new things they can do to be more safe. I got to talking about maps with him and he put me in contact with some people who work with missionaries and map making. I am hoping to begin working on a project that allows missionary pilots to have up to date aeronautical maps of the countries they are flying in. We will see where God leads me with that.

Sunlight rays shining down on God's beautiful creation!

One of the legs I flew went well but was slow! The leg usually takes about 1 hour 45 minutes but due to a headwind it took 2 hours and 15 minutes! On another part of my trip, I had to wait for a large storm system to pass. I ended up departing at the exact right time and flew through the last bits of the storm (mostly large clouds and rain) and then was racing another severe storm system. I landed with plenty of time before the storm hit and God protected me throughout the trip in many ways! I praise Him for His guidance for my life! Another thing I learned was how to fix the plane! I had a hard landing which caused a ring in the nose wheel seal to become damaged and thus making the nose wheel strut contract. I noticed that the nose was really low and the tail was really high. When I was back in Louisville I was able to help the mechanic fix the nose wheel and change the oil as well. It was a really interesting and exciting lesson to learn how to fix the nose wheel and get some hands on experience.

Getting ready to depart just after the storm had passed.

A couple more things before this blog gets too long. Towards the end of the week I went night flying and also got to take two of my friends, Cliff and Allan, up flying. We flew up to Madison, IN (~25miles north of Louisville) and just explore the area. It was neat to take up friends and I think they had a lot of fun. I also learned a lot about weight and balance of the aircraft. I was going to take up 3 friends but with all of us in the plane and with almost full tanks of fuel we were over maximum weight. So I decided that I will take my other friend, Rachel, another time. (Stay tuned for pictures from the  flight). Also, one more important thing! I almost forgot... with all this flying I made it to 200 flight hours!!! This is a major milestone in training and once I get to 250 hours I can take my commercial rating test. So onward and upward!

The next time I write a blog will probably be halfway through my trip or at the end of my trip. On Tuesday, we (my parents and I) depart for the Netherlands and South Africa for vacation and to visit family and missionaries. We will be traveling/ visiting family in the Netherlands and then meet up with Koos in South Africa and stay with family there. We will also be traveling to the Okavango delta in Botswana which will be a wonderful time to see God's creation. My parents will depart for home on July 15th and I will go to Lesotho then and spend time with the MAF missionaries there. I am super excited to see them again and I know God will bless my time there. 

I come back on July 26th, so until then... or maybe sometime in between.
Fly with Christ,
Helen

Lots to share!!!

God is so wonderful! He has been blessing me with so many thoughts and ideas and trips that I don't know where to begin!

Else and I after running Bolder Boulder 10km

But I'll start with Colorado. I got to go to Colorado to visit my sister and also house sit for her over the past 2 weeks. It was such a great time getting to hang out with her and Norm (Brother in law) and just enjoy some hard earned vacation.While I was there I got to go hiking, running and mountain flying! Else and I ran the Bolder Boulder 10km with 43000 other people! WOW That was a fun race even when it was tough.

Flying up the valley towards Leadville

The highlight of my trip was finally getting to land at the highest airport in North America- Leadville KLXV! Sitting at 9927ft the airport is nestled in the valley between the mountains. On previous trips to Colorado I went flying with an instructor from the local airport but each time the weather or wind prevented us from landing or going over the mountains. But I guess the third time is the charm. We planned to go on a Thursday but the winds were too strong already that it was not worth it to go so we decided to go on Friday.

Leadville!

Friday was perfect! Blue skies and some wind. We checked the weather periodically and the wind was gusty but we decided to go for it and if it was too windy at Leadville we would just go to an alternate airport (Buena Vista). On our way over the mountains we kept getting stuck in downdrafts. Nothing serious, we just couldn't get to the altitude that we needed to cross over the ridges at a safe altitude. A downdraft is when the wind is pushed up one side of the mountain and then crosses over the ridge and is goes down into the valley- like as if you were driving up a hill and then went down after getting to the top. So for us we could tell we were in one because we were descending. But the good thing is that we found some updrafts (opposite effect) which helped us to get a lot of altitude quickly. In flying it is way easier to lose altitude than to gain it, so any lift you can get... take it. We got over the ridges and then flew up the valley to Leadville. The automatic weather was saying it the wind was 10kts gusting to 20kts but the wind was along the runway which is what we needed. We decided to go for it and land! When we landed the wind was not too bad and we got down just fine. We got out of the plane, took some pictures, and took off again since the office was closed.

It was quite windy in Leadville!

Takeoff was even more exciting. On one end of the runway the wind was in the direction of the runway and at the other end it was a direct crosswind! That shows how much the wind can change in just a short distance. The other crazy thing with high altitude flying is that it takes a lot longer to get airborne because there is less "air" to lift up the plane. There is also density altitude which is where the plane thinks it is at a different altitude than it really is and therefore you have to calculate how much distance you need to take off. Basically, takeoff seems very slow and it takes awhile to get more altitude.

We flew down to Buena Vista, got some lunch in town, and then headed off to home. On our way back home we circled a few times over the airport to get enough lift (like birds do when they ride thermals) to go over the mountains and then we were good to go.

Circling after taking off from Buena Vista airport.

After flying I had a few days extra in Colorado and just spent that hanging out with Else and Norm. Back in KY I've been busy flying with my friend Mike (who is a pilot and works at Air Center 1) and working at a kids camp for 3 days. Right now I am at 189 hours! In less than two weeks I get to begin my trip to Holland, South Africa, Botswana, and Lesotho! I am super excited to see family and visit the MAF missionaries in Lesotho and work with them again. I am working on and finalizing a few maps for them now which will be basic maps of where the airstrips are so that they can take it with them in the planes.

God has been so gracious to me that all I can do is praise Him. He has given me the tools to share about Him and I am learning more and more how to use them and share about how He is leading me. Stay tuned for another blog with even more updates on adoption, missionary work, school, and other exciting things!




Fly with Christ,
Helen

Long overdue!

Sorry folks for the long delay in my blog posts. All I can say is that it's been a BUSY past couple of months.

All decked out for graduation.

So where to begin?... School ended in a hectic way. Lots of studying and final projects which kept me stressed and busy. But the Lord got me through it and I was able to successfully complete my last semester at UofL. With that said, I am now proud to say I'm an official alumni of the University of Louisville. But not proud in a self-honoring way but proud that God is the one who lead me through school to get to the place I am now! I could not have done it without the support of my family for which I thank God.

Graduation event at Churchill Downs (horse races)

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies (Interdisciplinary studies) with a focus on Missionary Aviation. This major is one I was able to create and tailor specifically to me. At UofL I studied Geography, Religious studies, and Health Education, and worked/ am still working on flying through Bowman Field Airport.

God's beautiful creation on my flight with Dominique

A little update on flying: Since school was so busy I was not able to fly for a couple of weeks but finally got back in the plane a week or so ago and went flying with Dominique. It was a great flight and we worked together on radio work so that he could get better. Right now I have 184 hours, and with all the traveling I will be doing this summer my goal is to make it to 200 hours. In order to take the Commercial checkride (test) I need 250 hours. I will try and get close to it this summer but if I don't then I will continue flying at SMAT when I can.

Flying over Tampa/ Gulf of Mexico

On a much larger scale I've been doing and will do a lot of flying... that is through commercial airlines. I went and visited my friend Louise, in Tampa, FL last week and just enjoyed her company and the beach. On Wednesday I will fly to Colorado to visit and house sit for Else and Norm for a couple of weeks. I will be back in KY for 2 weeks and then we get to head off to the Netherlands, South Africa, and Lesotho between June 18th- July 26th. When I come back I will work on flying and start packing up to move to Michigan where I will attend SMAT (School of Missionary Aviation Technology) to get my airplane mechanics (A&P) license.


 

Taxing in Atlanta on my way home at sunset.

It has been and will be a wonderful summer full of travel and new things. I praise God that he has given me the opportunity to go places and proclaim his name. Pray for all the people you know who are going on mission trips or are traveling. It will be my goal this summer also to update you more often on what is going on and how God is working in my life.

Fly with Christ,
Helen

Sunset, Snoopy sandwich, stars and a sick plane.

Sunset, Snoopy sandwich, stars, and a sick plane.

Sunset over London, KY

That pretty much sums up our flight yesterday evening. I went flying with Lee (my instructor) on a 200+nm trip. The requirements are that I fly with an instructor two cross country flights with 1 leg being 100+nm, one at day and one at night with an instructor. We decided to fly to a destination, KLOZ- London, KY, 101nm from Bowman field and eat dinner at the restaurant airport and then fly back at night after the sun had set. We departed around 6:30pm and had a nice tailwind that got us there in one hour. We taxied in just as the sun was setting. For dinner, we ate at the Hangar Restaurant and I had a Snoopy sandwich (cajun chicken sandwich) which was delicious. After stuffing ourselves silly, we climbed back into the airplane and took off for KJVY (Clark County). The night sky was so beautiful with stars dimly lighting up and entire towns blanketed by white and yellow lights. Night time is my favorite time to fly.

N66198

The way back took us a little longer (about 1 hour 20) to get back because of a headwind, though it had lost some of its strength. The proposed flight plan had us getting to London in 48 minutes and from London to Clark County in 1 hour and 30 minutes! We heard on the radio on our way to Clark County that there was a disabled aircraft on the taxi way at KJVY. We found out that there was something wrong with the nose wheel of that plane and by the time we go there they were pulling it off the taxiway and to the maintenance hangar. So it was no major factor to us. We landed at KJVY and did a couple of landings so I could become night current again, fueled up, and hopped back over to Bowman.

Flying through the clouds on a trip with Dominique

A week or so ago, Dominique and I went flying again to split the cost. We flew to Lexington and back and even got to fly in, under, above, and around the clouds. It is such a spectacular sight to see- flying through all white/gray and popping out to a bright blue sky with puffy clouds all around.

God's creation is so amazing. And what is even more amazing is Easter which we celebrated this weekend. God sent his Son to die on the cross for our sins and to bear the wrath of God even though he was innocent. He was in Hell for 3 day and he overcame the Devil and the grave and is now risen and sit at God's right hand! What an amazing thing that God would do this for us, people who are not perfect and are sinners. Hallelujah, what a savior! Christ wants you to be part of His family and to be covered by what He did for us. So that we may be perfect in God's eyes. This song, Scandal of Grace, and these verses (Acts 2:22-28) sum it all up.

Fly with the risen Christ!
Helen

Update #2 the scoop on what's up!

Well... last time I wrote it was before my trip to SMAT! So here's a recap of my Spring break week.
Monday: I still had class at Boyce Bible college (New Testament 2 class) so I attended that.

Tuesday: I had 2 flights planned. My Monday flight got moved to Tuesday due to weather. The first flight was to get signed off in the Piper Arrow (I needed 10 hours). However, that got delayed due to technical issues with the lights. My second flight was to get checked out in Air Center 1's Cessna 172 for insurance purposes. I went up with a new instructor in a new plane. The check out went alright but I needed to practice slow flight and landing maneuvers since I was rusty but also due to gusty, windy weather. I had planned to fly to Ionia, MI (2.5 hour flight to there) on Wednesday but decided against flying due to weather and not being signed off to be able to rent the plane solo. Oh well.

Ionia, MI- Airport and SMAT buildings/hangars.

So... Wednesday: I got up super early (5am) and was on the road by 5:30. 6.5 hours later I arrived in Ionia, MI just in time for lunch. I then spent the afternoon with the students in their class. From 12:30-3:30 they had lecture and lab where they were working on reassembling the plane. It was really cool to meet the students and instructors and see what SMAT is like. After class Danae, one of the two girls, and I went apartment hunting/ just looking at them. We then rounded up some other students and went bowling. I got to spend the night with Danae in the house where she is staying with a family.

Thursday: We got up early again, 6 am this time. Class starts at 7am! The students had a test in the morning so I decided to drive home then. But first I explored the town a bit more and got some food for the road and such. I ended up heading out of Ionia around 8am and got home to Louisville around 2:15pm. It was a great trip and was very helpful to see how SMAT works and also hear from other students what it is like.

Sunrise in Ionia, MI- Class starts even before the sun gets up!

Now it's Friday... Today I had a lesson in the Arrow in order to get signed off and it went really well! We practiced stalls, slow flight, and landings which went better and better. I got signed off and now I can fly in the Arrow solo. :) The next step is to get signed off to rent the Cessna 172 solo and complete my long distance flights and of course build up 80 hours of flight which I plan to do with other pilots as much as possible so that the price is cut in half!

Piper PA28-200R Arrow

Spring break was not much of a break but I am definitely glad that I got to see a glimpse of what God has in store for me at SMAT.
Fly with Christ!
Helen

Overdue update and the scoop on what's up!

....And the word of the year is.....BUSY!
School has kept me busy, busy, busy! I have been in and out, here and there, and trying to get things done. Finally I have a break! This week is spring break so I have some extra time to get things done or at least do them at a slower pace and not worry about them too much! So the last time I posted it was about being accepted into SMAT! And I gave an overview of the last 5 years. Well this week I get to visit SMAT!! I know what you may think: you already decided you are going to SMAT and you didn't go see the campus first?? My answer is yes. I trust God that He will provide for me and that means trusting in Him in everything. For me seeing a campus or the buildings is not a must, but getting to know the people there is definitely helpful and seeing what the classes are like gives me a better idea of what to expect. I know God is sending me to SMAT because they are a school whose goal is to serve the Lord and equip missionaries to go out into the field! On Wednesday, I will either fly or drive up to Ionia, MI depending on the weather. I intend to spend the afternoon at SMAT in one of the classes and then look at apartments and the city after that. I will most likely stay with one of students overnight and then drive back on Thursday. I am excited to meet new people there and see what it is like.

Ok... here's a flying update:

Dominique and I

A couple weeks ago I went on a LONG cross country trip with my friend Dominque who is a pilot based out of KJVY. He picked me up at Bowman airport and then we started our flight. A lot of things went wrong on this trip but it was a valuable lesson in learning how to handle situations and know what to do better for next time. First, we had to wait awhile before getting our clearance for our first leg of the flight. For some reason it was not entered in the computer correctly or something happened when it was transferred. But we finally got off the ground and flew to Columbus, IN. Taking off was gray and dreary and the clouds were low but as soon as we got above them at about 4000 ft MSL it was the most gorgeous sight I have ever seen especially in a Cessna 172. The entire sky was bright blue above and around us and below us was a fluffy, thick carpet of white clouds for as far as the eye could see! WOW! God's creation is amazing!

Beautiful blue sky around and clouds beneath.

Ice on the strut and wheel.

On our descent to land at Columbus we encountered some icing which was a first for both of us. You can see it in the picture on the tire and wing strut. We quickly descended to get out of the clouds and landed safely. At Columbus we ate lunch as "Hangar 5" a restaurant on the airport while the plane was thawing out in a hangar. Our trip then took us west to Terre Haute, IN and south all the way to Owensboro (~100 mile leg). From Owensboro we flew back to Bowman and Dominque dropped me off and flew back to KJVY. The whole trip was 4.6 hours (engine running time) and a lot of fun! God creation was evident in our flight especially when we saw a double/ circular rainbow following us with the plane's shadow in the middle of it!

Circular rainbow with the shadow of our plane!

 
Since then, I have not flown as much mainly due to flights being canceled due to weather or other things, but I am continuing with training and such. I am 1.4 hours away from being signed off in the Piper Arrow (10 hours total needed), which means I can fly the plane solo. I have to have 250 hours before I can take the checkride (official test to get my official commercial license) and so far I have 170. I'll try and finish before I move to Michigan.

With that my summer plans come into play. I am done with school on April 29th (my Dad's birthday!) and then will go on a trip with some friends to Tampa, FL for a fun vacation at the beach and on May 11th I will graduate!After that I have the rest of may and half of June to fly and work on getting hours which I will try to do with other pilots in order to split the cost in half! On June 18th my parents and I will jump on a plane to the Netherlands and from there on to South Africa! They will come back to the States on the 16th of July but I will spend an extra week in Lesotho visiting the missionaries there and come back on July 26th. After that I have most of August to finish up flying requirements and move out! What an exciting time that God has blessed us with!

Later this week I'll update you on my trip and extra things that pop up here and there.

Flooded Ohio River after the weather cleared up on our long flight.

So until next time,
Fly with Christ,
Helen

S.M.A.T.!!!

I am now officially accepted into S.M.A.T. (School of Missionary Aviation Technology)!!!!!

God has blessed this process of applying for schools in so many ways and I praise and thank Him for everything!

SMAT is in Ionia, Michigan (just 30 miles- ~50km) from Grand Rapids and I will be moving there in August of this year. The program will allow me to get my Airframe and Powerplant Aviation Mechanics License in 1 year. The classes will be Monday through Friday from 7-3pm everyday.

School of Missionary Aviation Technology

After I graduate from SMAT I plan on moving out west, possibly to Colorado or to Nampa, Idaho to gain experience and flight hours in different terrain. If I move to Nampa I would begin training with MAF and go through their application process. However, these plans are only tentative and God will show me where He wants me to go as He has done over the past 3-4 years.

Here's a little timeline of what God has been doing in my life in the past 4-5 years.

May 2009- Graduated High School.
August 2009- Freshman (1st year) at UofL- Studies: Veterinary Track.
Spring 2010- Got a C in Biology, lost interest in Biology/ studying.
Early Summer 2010- God puts it on my heart to become a pilot while I was running one day.
June-July 2010- Worked as a camp counselor at Laurel Lake Baptist Camp.

August 2011- Sophomore (2nd year) at UofL- Studies: Transitioning to Liberal Studies Major- "Missionary Aviation"- Geography minor and concentrations in Religious studies and Health Education; Flying on the side.
September 2010- Began taking flying lessons.
April 2011- First solo flight!
June 2011- Passed my Private Pilot Checkride- Official pilot now!
June- July 2011- Mission trip to South Africa and Lesotho (worked with MAF)- God gives me a heart for Lesotho.

August 2011- Junior (3rd year) at UofL- Studies: Official Liberal Studies Major- Missionary Aviation.
June 2012- 100 flight hours!
June 2012- Began Instrument flying training.

August 2012- Senior (4th & last year) at UofL- Studies: Missionary Aviation.
August-November 2012- Searching for schools to attend for earning my aviation mechanics license.
November 2012- Passed my Instrument Checkride- Officially an Instrument rated Private pilot.
November 2012- Applied to Redstone College (aviation mechanics school) in Denver, CO.
December 2012- Accepted into Redstone; visiting Else and Norm in Colorado with the whole family and a surprise visit from Koos!
January 1-15, 2013- God puts it on my heart through the wise words of family to apply to SMAT and go there instead because it is missionary oriented, less expensive, and faster (1 year instead of 2).
January 2013- Began Commercial flying training- high powered aircraft and different maneuvers.
January 31, 2013- Officially accepted into SMAT!!!

..... Future.....
February- May 2013- Earn my commercial flying license.
February- August 2013- Find more scholarships and funding for school.
May 2013- Graduate from UofL with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
June-July 2013- Travel to Africa for vacation/ visit family.
August 2013-August 2014- Attend SMAT
September 2013-.... Fly and gain experience/ hours, work as a mechanic somewhere?, begin training with MAF, and be sent out into the mission field. God has it planned out- I know it!

The plane I am flying in now for Commercial training- Piper Cherokee Arrow 28R-200

The plane I want to be flying in one day! One of the Lesotho MAF planes. Photo form Kimberly Baker (MAF Missionary)

FLY WITH CHRIST!!!
Helen