LAST DAY OF REPOSITION... Kinda...

Today was our FINAL and BIG day with two flights: Obo to Bangui, then Bangui to Libreville, the capital of Gabon.

I was up at 4:30am for a small bite of breakfast, instant nescafe coffee, preflight, and blast off around 5:15am with the daylight. It was a 4 hour flight from the mission base of Obo, in the far east of Central Africa Republic, to almost the opposite side of the country to the capital of Bangui.

Arrival in Bangui. The air was a bit tense- there was a referendum vote and security at the airport and in the city was ramped up. 

For the first 3 legs of the flight, since there was no AvGas available at Bangui, I had 12 jerry cans (63 gal.) along for the ride. It was nice to get the fuel out of the cockpit and up into the wing reservoirs! I was on the ground for about an hour to do the fueling and formalities. It went surprisingly smooth and I was finally launching for the FINAL LEG  of this reposition mission! 

Here's a short video on climb out from Bangui with a nice view of the Ubangi River on a southern heading. Soon I'd be turning more westerly and continuing up to 10,000 feet for about 4 and a half hours to Libreville... or so I thought...

At 10,000' I had a nice tailwind and soon I was passing the corner of Cameroon, Congo-Brazza, entering into Gabon... and then...

The "Low Voltage" light came on and, sure enough, I verified that my battery power was dropping off- typically a sure sign that I had an alternator issue. I turned off all non-essential electrical equipment but determined that, even though I was just ONE HOUR from our destination (Libreville), it'd be best to make a precautionary landing and check things out.

I communicated my intentions to the Libreville approach controllers and then landed at a nearby airport called Oyem, where I've been several times previously. It was about 4pm and I was hopeful to open the engine cowl and simply find a broken alternator belt that I could replace easily. However, the belt was fine and all the connections looked fine, so, the problem was likely internal to the alternator and we'd have to get a new one. 

Being on the "home turf" of Gabon, I was able to make a couple of phone calls and, voila!, my rescue team from the local Alliance family was there to help! The regional superintendant, Pastor MOUETA, with his wife and friend, picked me up and took me to dinner and to a nice hotel- they insisted to cover all costs! How great to be in God's family and experience such generosity!

The next day, other friends joined me on some troubleshooting efforts, but nothing worked. So, we ordered a new alternator from the US and a teammate arriving from the US to Gabon soon agreed to put it in their luggage! 

For the time being, we secured the aircraft on the ramp, put the window coverings in place, and bid "adieu" to "Seven-Bravo-Hotel". Pastor MOUETA says he'll be keeping a close eye on it for us.

    We are so blessed to have "Three-Tango-Mic" through the end of August, on loan from our key partners, SIL Cameroon. Within two days of having one airplane "grounded" (Cessna 207), I was back in the air with our loaner aircraft (Cessna 206- in this picture).

In Summary, our Cessna 207 is IN GABON! It's not exactly the way we had in mind, but soon enough, we'll have the part and be able to install it and get the aircraft to Libreville where civil aviation will inspect it and issue the permit for flying in country for the next year!

Please consider partnering with us in this important work to SHOW and TELL about God's Love. If you would like to specifically assist with one of the above needs, please let me know with an email to "Gabon.Pilot@gmail" and follow the giving instructions below. Merci Beaucoup!

OPTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE:

DONATE THROUGH the ALLIANCE (click)

PAYPAL THROUGH THINGS ABOVE PROJECT (click below)

Day 3 of Reposition Flight!

The LEAST UNEVENTFUL day of the reposition...

When I arrived at the airport in the morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a Cessna 206 had arrived. Another pilot doing relief work and church work in South Sudan. So, in this picture, you see a rare sight of a Cessna 206, 207, and 208 side by side by side!

The flight at 12,000 feet went so smooth! There was a short delay until the fog and clouds cleared at Arua, but it didn't take long and the leg to Obo, CAR took less than 3 hours.

I hugged the border between South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo until I entered the far southeast corner of the Central African Republic. It wasn't long after entering the country that I was descending for the landing.

I arrived just after a United Nations aircraft that was delivering aid as part of the World Food Program.

Soon after, an AIM AIR Cessna 206 arrived after a day of supporting local church ministries in the region.

Awesome sunset! It was a very chill flight followed by a very chill evening and overnight. It was nice to have a peaceful day in the midst of a challenging mission. The AIM AIR team once again took care of my logistics- refueling, meals, and lodging. I was so grateful.

One last day of repositioning to Gabon remains!!! To be continued...

Please consider partnering with us in this important work to SHOW and TELL about God's Love. If you would like to specifically assist with one of the above needs, please let me know with an email to "Gabon.Pilot@gmail" and follow the giving instructions below. Merci Beaucoup!

OPTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE:

DONATE THROUGH the ALLIANCE (click)

PAYPAL THROUGH THINGS ABOVE PROJECT (click below)

Detained in Uganda!

 ...continued from last post...

At the end of the 1st of 4 flight legs to reposition our Cessna 207 aircraft from Nairobi, Kenya to Libreville, Gabon, we found ourselves DETAINED at the Arua, Uganda airport. It turns out that the flight permit number that I was issued on my arrival was the identical one that another mission aircraft had used. I was not permitted to leave until the situation resolved.

Thankfully, the waiting area had a TV with the women's world cup matches and I had some snacks remaining from Kenya. I was told that people were working on a solution, but it was a Friday and I wasn't holding my breath.

One fun thing was that HUNDREDS of elementary kids were getting tours of the airport and taking pictures with the airplanes... one of them ours!

After waiting all day and hearing different versions of who was to blame for the situation, a call came at 3pm that I was RELEASED! However... it was too late to depart, so I called the hotel transport... isn't it cute!

By the way... if you find yourself in Arua, Uganda, I highly recommend spending the night at the Mission Cafe! Great people and a really sweet coffee shop!

Breakfast was outstanding!!!
After a great night rest and fueling my own tanks with the delicious food, it was now time to launch the SECOND LEG of the reposition flight towards GABON!!!

To be continued...

Please consider partnering with us in this important work to SHOW and TELL about God's Love. If you would like to specifically assist with one of the above needs, please let me know with an email to "Gabon.Pilot@gmail" and follow the giving instructions below. Merci Beaucoup!

OPTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE:

DONATE THROUGH the ALLIANCE (click)

PAYPAL THROUGH THINGS ABOVE PROJECT (click below)

FREED TO FLY!!! ...then, not so Free...

By God's grace, all the roadblocks were cleared and I was given the clearance to leave Nairobi, Kenya for the reposition flight to Libreville, Gabon!

Here are the four legs of the flight. After consulting with the AIM AIR team, we carefully choose a safe routing, with stops where we could have AvGas for refueling and overnight stays.

The AIM AIR team, which was so critical in this journey, sent me off with a time of prayer.

First leg: Nairobi to Arua, Uganda

Beautiful views of mountains as I departed Kenya.

Our Cessna 207 performed very well on this leg and I arrived in Arua, Uganda four hours and 1 minute after departure. The AIM AIR team greeted me there and rolled out the drums of AvGas to top off my tanks.

As I was securing the aircraft, my AIM AIR host informed me that there was a problem... apparently, the flight permit number that I had used to gain entry into Uganda's airspace was the same one used by a different mission aircraft the previous day. I was told I couldn't leave Uganda until this was sorted out... Needless to say, I was not too happy, but... I know it will all happen in God's good timing.

To Be Continued....

The Waiting Game (Nairobi Part Deux)

With our aircraft, N207BH, having passed the AIRWORTHINESS inspection (a VERY important detail for an flying machine!), we're eager to get on our way to operations back in Gabon, but there are roadblocks... 

ROADBLOCK #1: Clearing Customs

While Kenyan authorities figure our our Customs bill, we took the
advantage of the visit of an Avionics Pro, Joe, who had the time to
install some avionics that we planned to do sometime in the future.
So, it was necessary to pull apart the instrument panel. 

Also, while we waited on Customs, Erica, one of the Kenyan
technicians with AIM AIR, helped to repair an issue with
our co-pilot door.  

The avionics upgrade swaps out some items and makes
other items unnecessary. In the picture are some of the 
items we pulled out... the airplane lost 9 pounds!

ROADBLOCK #2: Flight Permits

Our Avionics PRO, Joe, went to GREAT lengths to 
get install our new technology (Garmin G5's)!!!
So, before we can fly the airplane, we have to get 
permits for local flights to test the airplane, then permits 
for the flight to Gabon.

Another AIM AIR all-star is Nate R.  
He's been giving great input. Here, he's checking 
the installation of a remote magnetometer (yes, 
it's right next to the Flux Capacitor). Nate has 
been a great encouragement and helped install 
some challenging rivets.

The panel was reconstructed with the new, fancy, Garmin
gadgets, and it was coming to life thanks to JOE!
While this was happening, other AIM AIR friends were working 
with civil aviation to work out our flight permits.

After the installation, Joe did calibration and testing
to make sure all was in order.

Then it was time to crank up the aircraft, taxi it to the airport's 
"compass rose" where we verified the accuracy of our compass
and the new avionics. It was the first time I've operated this 
aircraft, so I was ECSTATIC!!!
And did I mention....

ROADBLOCK #3: Local Issues...

(photo credit : Reuters)
Yep... local demonstrations have closed down the
city and impacted our progress. I've stayed in my 
apartment on at least 2 workdays, so far. Please pray
for peace here!

Please consider partnering with us in this important work to SHOW and TELL about God's Love. If you would like to specifically assist with one of the above needs, please let me know with an email to "Gabon.Pilot@gmail" and follow the giving instructions below. Merci Beaucoup!

OPTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE:

DONATE THROUGH the ALLIANCE (click)

PAYPAL THROUGH THINGS ABOVE PROJECT (click below)

AIRWORTHY!!!

 Cessna 207 Nairobi FAA Inspection Success!!!

THIS IS THE CERTIFICATE WE'VE BEEN WAITING
OVER 2 YEARS FOR!!! THANK YOU LORD!!!

...the rest of the story...

02 July Flight from Gabon to Kenya for the Inspection 
of our Cessna 207... FINALLY! We purchased this aircraft
in Zambia in 2020... now, 2 and a half years later, after LOTS
of read tape and challenges, the inspection was happening!

AIM AIR hosted our aircraft for this long journey. 
It was encouraging to see them also engaging with 
young, local believers who were on the team, using 
the tool of aviation to bless people in Jesus' name!
These two young women are aircraft technicians.

This was actually my FIRST time to be with this
aircraft! I've been blessed by great friends who have
been volunteering to help out (thank you Dan S., 
Emma L., and the whole AIM AIR team!) 
(Okay, okay... no more selfies for the rest of this blog...)

The AIM AIR guys have really prepared the aircraft well-
my new friend, Cosmos, and I spent time cleaning and 
polishing so it looked sharp for the FAA inspector. 

Finally, the day came- 07 July. There was a delay due to visa
issues, and then, the day prior, we heard of possible demonstrations
in Nairobi! We prayed harder... 

Praise God, the demonstrations in town did not impact
the FAA inspector arriving from his hotel (he's seated).
He was very kind and helpful. He reviewed log books
and only minor changes were needed in our documents.

Most of the inspection focuses on the paperwork, but there
is a need to actually look at the aircraft... so we were 
happy to have it all cleaned up and purty.

After about 3 hours of inspection, our FAA representative
announced that all was in order, he had John H., the AIM AIR
director of maintenance, and myself sign the inspection report, 
then he presented me with the Airworthiness Certificate!!!

Thanks you for your prayers and encouragement on this long journey! There were days of frustration and challenges that made me wonder if this event would ever happen.

Please consider partnering with us in this important work to SHOW and TELL about God's Love. If you would like to specifically assist with one of the above needs, please let me know with an email to "Gabon.Pilot@gmail" and follow the giving instructions below. Merci Beaucoup!

OPTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE:

DONATE THROUGH the ALLIANCE (click)

PAYPAL THROUGH THINGS ABOVE PROJECT (click below)

LeTourneau Intern... PART DEUX!

 

For the 2nd summer in a row, Chad, a student at 
LeTourneau University (my alma mater), came 
to bless us for a 4 week stay.

Chad has about 3 years to go at LeTourneau
in their mission aviation program.
He pitched in on a variety of projects-
here, helping with some rain water 
collection at our residence.

Chad was key in helping to think through the 
best way to load our Cessna 207 in the shipping
container and then execute the plan in
Cameroon.

I had budgeted a full week to the project to 
containerize the aircraft, however, with Chad's
assistance, we knocked it out in about two and
a half days of work!

Chad served many years in the military and,
prior to that, lived in Africa as a youth-
his family served in missions!

We would love to have you visit!
There are a wide variety of ways to serve here.
Visitors, like Chad, bring a new level of energy, 
encouragement, and help projects move along
at a faster pace. They also get to see the local church
in action and how Gabonese believers are living out
their faith.

Please consider partnering with us in this important work to SHOW and TELL about God's Love. If you would like to specifically assist with one of the above needs, please let me know with an email to "Gabon.Pilot@gmail" and follow the giving instructions below. Merci Beaucoup!

OPTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE:

DONATE THROUGH the ALLIANCE (click)

PAYPAL THROUGH THINGS ABOVE PROJECT (click below)