The ramp is full in front of the MAF hanger in Nampa, Idaho. Last Friday MAF took delivery on its 3rd Kodaik (#20 from the factory). Here you see 3 Kodiaks, 3 Cessna 206 and 1 Cessan 182.

The 3 C-206s are based in Nampa for training. The Kodiaks are headed for Asia and the 182 will be going to South America.

This week is Graduation week at the School of Missionary Aviation Technology (SMAT) in Ionia, Michigan. I plan to visit there tomorrow as well as be at Graduation on Friday. SMAT is one of the few schools in the country where you can obtain you A&P license in one year. Classes run August to August.

This year sixteen are graduating and next years class I am told could be as many as 20. Plans are being made to break ground on the new classroom building sometime in September.

Midwest Recruiter

Oshkosh Afterthoughts

Well EAA's AirVenture 2009 has been over 4 days now and I think I've finally recovered! I spent a few hours Sunday Night and all day Monday driving back to Blacksburg, VA. Having Pam along made the trip go much faster. It's so much nicer (especially for the recruits!) when she can travel with me.

I spent Tuesday unpacking, going over materials and business cards I'd received as well as cleaning out my inbox (it's under 500 now!).

I took Wednesday off to help move our daughter into her new apartment and today is my first day back to the daily grind. Hard to prioritize after 8 days of Airplanes! Now to fill out the forms and reports (the job's not over until the paperwork is done....)

If you get a chance, check out the International Association of Missionary Aviation (IAMA) website at www.iamanet.org. There you can find a lot of info about this year's airshow as well as a podcast featuring our flight simulator (Podcast #7).

This morning got an email from my boss asking if I want to help ferry a 182 down to Ecuador at the end of the month. I have a lot of trips planned between now and the middle of Sept. when I have to be at HQ for our semi-annual recruiting meetings so am struggling whether to go on this trip or not. I sure would hate to miss the opportunity....

If you're reading this after the Aug 10th deadline, write me and ask what I decided to do!