TOUCHDOWN IN LIBREVILLE!

At about 8:20pm local time (2:20pm EST), N207FD made a flawless landing on runway 1-6 at the Libreville International Airport (GABON).  After the tower controller realized that he sent John, our ferry pilot, taxiing the wrong way, the aircraft turned around and found a welcoming party of about 20 people, excited to see him and the aircraft.  Here are some images from that great occasion:

Taxiing to park at the final destination from a long, long trip!  49 flight hours over 8 days from Kansas to Gabon!

After applause from the crowd, John crawled out from the cockpit to be welcomed by me (center), and our good friend, Egmont.

Our family, plus John and Egmont.  We are so blessed by John's service to us.

I assure you that I am Alace's favorite pilot, but tonight... John was a close second!

As much as John loves to fly airplanes, he was very happy to be at his destination and be greeted by so many thankful people!  We are truly grateful for him.

One of the avionic tech's that worked on my airplane left this little gift for me in the airplane.  An inside joke about an emergency landing 20 years ago when I was a back seat passenger in a flight school airplane that ended up striking a cow in a field.

Very thoughtful Ben W.!!!

The welcoming committee was out in full force!  I'm really surprised that the airport police didn't shut us down.  We were taking so many pictures!

Here's a shot of the three guys present with "the right stuff"!

A small token of our appreciation to John for his great skill and bravery in transporting this small aircraft over oceans, deserts, and land, from one continent to another.

Another gift for John's company- Weaver Aero.  It's an "Mbigou" stone carving of our organizations logo.  This stone is from the ground, here in Gabon, and is good for carving into great shapes.  Thank you Weaver Aero for your great service to us!

When asked for a comment... I was speechless!  "Glory to God" was all that I could muster.  What a great event this evening was.

A prayer of thanksgiving and dedication.

...and a special blessing from our business agent and friend, Pastor Sangoye!  NOW we are ready to fly!

Many of you joined us as we watched the "SPOT" tracker pinpoint the aircraft's location along the journey.  We want to thank you for all your prayers, encouragement, and financial support.  This is no small effort and could not have been done without many people joining to assist in carrying their share of the load.  We thank you from the bottom of our heart.  Words can not express how much you all mean to this effort and to our program.  Merci beaucoup!  May God richly bless you.