Launching our newest pilot

Thank you for launching AIM AIR’s newest pilot-

(No, not the duck). Meet Phil, sporting the yellow helmet, and hailing from Down under

We were still climbing out from the beautiful grass airstrip behind us. The rain had ended, and the skies parted. The airplane strained for every one hundred foot of altitude in the thin air. Phil strained to keep the nose precisely on the horizon for the best angle for a maximum climb…

“63 …. 65 …. still a little slow.”

I watched the altimeter to tell him when our “imaginary” obstacle was well below us and he could relax. I was also focused on something else.

Below us, closer to the lake shore, was an old runway. Phil already noticed it on our way in. Would he remember where it was?

The engine manifold pressure began to drop. We could hear the engine’s roar die down, and felt the airplane begin to settle.

I saw Phil’s head began to look around. He had noticed. He said, “There was an airstrip over here somewhere.” Simultaneously he began to lower the nose, and configure the airplane for an off airport landing.

“I have your power” I told him – thinking it is  best to overcommunicate in these moments.

I had reduced his throttle to simulate an engine about to die.

“There it is!” Phil replied.

He pointed the airplane towards the other airstrip.

As we flew closer, I noticed the specs on the runway were actually moving. There was about fifty zebra and warthogs all enjoying the prime grazing on the runway.

“I have control!” I said. Then, as gently as the broiling air let us, I stopped our descent and leveled off, adding power as we floated above the runway. Below us we could see the wildlife reluctantly clearing the runway.

In a real emergency we would have landed. With that many animals, I doubt the airplane would still look as pretty!

This flight was the fourth and final flight I spent training Phil last week. This week he takes his practical flight test as the last step in converting his license to a Kenyan Commercial Pilot’s license.

Phil’s road to AIM AIR has been longer than most of us. He is our first Australian pilot- so he had the extra steps of converting his Australian license to an FAA license (since we have a couple US registered airplanes), getting a visa to do his Technical Evaluation  and then several months of training at JAARS.

The whole of last week I set aside the usual joys of my AIM AIR Manager role – interviews, budget meetings, and the untamable e-mail monster. I briefly got up away from the desk and slid into the right seat of a Cessna 206.

Phil and I flew together for about 6 hours. This allowed Phil to brush some rust off after his past months at language orientation and settling into their near house. It also allowed him to work on the biggest challenge our new pilots face as they adjust to flying out here- the accent, terminology on the radio-and the local procedures for operations.

After our time together this week, he is ready to take his practical test. This is the last step (after a grueling written test that covers everything from in depth medical theory to memorizing North Atlantic Great Circle navigation) to converting his license to a Kenyan one. Oh he also had to pass an English proficiency test. That had nothing to do with the fact that he is Australian! In fact, all of us pilots have to go through that step before we can have a Kenyan license.

 To my knowledge, Phil is AIM AIR’s first Australian pilot. That means before he started this process of converting his license over to Kenya, he had to first convert his Australian license to a US license so he could go through the evaluation process, there, which included visas, and travel before they even came to Kenya!

All that to say, whenever I see our new missionary pilots go through this complex process, I give thanks to God for continuing to guide brilliant and capable people to AIM AIR who also have a patient servants heart!

Thank you for your support and prayers for our family. Because of you, we are able to not only fly missionaries to difficult and dangerous places, but we are able to train new pilots to share in the work, and expand His Kingdom so more people can hear the Good News!