EAA AirVenture 2010 - OSHKOSH!!

How does one begin to describe the largest aviation event in the world? If you've never been here words can't do it, and if you have been you, you already understand it!

This years' AirVenture has been different than others in recent memory because of the crazy weather. On Friday, 23 Jul Oshkosh received over 5 inches of rain. That turned much of the grounds into lakes and any aircraft that had not arrived before the rains were asked to wait and come in on Sunday. Many aircraft diverted to Fond-du-lac or Appleton airports with others going to the many smaller fields that surround Whitman Field. Other folks stopped enroute or didn't even leave their home bases.

The same fate was true of heavy campers and all mobile homes. Because of the soggy conditions, anyone arriving after Friday morning was not allowed into Camp Scholler. Because of that one saw all paved roads and almost every parking lot in the area filled with folks waiting for the OK to get set up in their normal spots.

This didn't slow MAF down from setting up our display, but it did affect the airplane we were to have on display. More about that in a bit.

The main theme of this year's AirVenture is "A Salute to Veterans" and one of the events is the celebration of the 75th year of the Douglas DC-3 (the military version is known as the C-47). MAF is celebrating its 65th year and to celebrate that we went back to our roots. The very first airplane used by MAF in mission service was a cabin class Waco, flown in Southern Mexico by our first pilot, Betty Greene.

As this type of plane is actually quite rare, we began a search for an owner who would be willing to "lend" us their plane to be on display at our tent. Due to the faithful efforts of Rob and Teena Ray, who attended various Waco club functions, Terry Chastain along with his daughter Terri, flew this beautifully restored Waco (see picture above) to Oshkosh and parked it at our site.

They had originally planned on arriving on Saturday but delayed a day due to the weather. They left on Sunday as we were told that "show" planes (ones on display on the vendor sites) would be allowed to land.

After getting close and trying to come in they were told they wouldn't be allowed in so detoured to a local airport. Finally on Monday they arrived and we got them parked on our site. The picture above is of Jack Erdman (an MAF Advocate) reading about the Waco from the banner we installed in front of the plane.

There's another story about the plane having to leave early, but you'll have to contact me directly to get those details!

We continue to be amazed at the people the Lord brings by the MAF tent. We have made many great contacts and had the chance to share our faith with a few as well!

And as always, the MASA folks have done a great job of feeding and housing us. We certainly couldn't be here without their help.

So THANKS to all who have helped make this year's AirVenture another wonderful success!

Until next time,

Brian

Internships: A great opportunity for seeing MAF in action

Last week was a fun week for us in recruiting as we had 3 people to go through our Intern Orientation before heading out to the field to work with us in Indonesia. The couple is preparing to help in Kalimantan, Indonesia where he will be working as a mechanic. The single woman is going to Papua, Indonesia to help in our IT work there. Their internships are about 7 weeks overseas and then the one week here at our Nampa, ID headquarters preparing them for this experience. They had their eyes open to the work that MAF is doing around the world as well as getting some real practical cross cultural preparation which included some language training. I look forward to the time they will be making application to MAF to join as career staff.

Internships can be of varying lengths depending on what the schools may require and we are open to working with these students. It does mean having to raise your own support to do this but that is also a part of what becoming a missionary is all about. Our IT intern is already writing a daily blog and I am enjoying seeing all she is learning.

As a recruiting department, we want people to fully understand what is involved in being a missionary with MAF, the internship is a great start.

Oshkosh and other summer events

Summer is here and so are our busy schedules. Keep an eye on the calendar on our MAF website and you can find out where your local recruiter will be. Big events of this summer will be the MAF run Brigade Air camp on July 5-10, the Arlington Air Show in Arlington, WA on July 7-11, and then the Oshkosh Air Show July 26 - Aug 1st. August will also be a time when my wife and I will make a trip to visit in the San Francisco area, so let us know if you are in that area and would like a visit or MAF presentation. Pray for all the recruiters as we travel around the country on our busy schedules, for God's protection and also for God directed encounters with those that He is calling towards mission aviation service, whether it be aviation, IT, business management, LT, or volunteer work. We would love to connect with you at any of the events, or special appointments when we're in your area. God bless you all and may you find Him active around you and inviting you to engage in His work.

Ecuador Vision Trip 2010

Well we've been back for 2 weeks now and I believe I'm finally caught up. This was actually the best Vision Trip I've been on, partly due to the make up of the group and partly due to "refining" the trip from feed back from previous participants. It also helped that the WX in Shell co-operated so we could fly out to the Jungle on our first full day there. That takes a lot of pressure off since that's one of the primary things we want to accomplish. And the final reason was we had a wonderful place to stay while in Shell (thanks Tracey!!). I've actually already booked the place for next year's trip - let's hope they're still in business. :)

Of course the trip started out with a bang as both the American Airline flights from Miami to Quito were canceled due to Volcanic Activity. I later found out that neither Continental nor Delta canceled their flights so I did a bit more investigating. Come to find out that the Tungurahua Volcano did erupt and the ash all blew to the west, covering (and closing) the Guayaquil airport. Since American uses GYE as their alternate for Quito they had to cancel the flights b/c they didn't have an alternate available (check out the Instrument flight rules in the FARs regarding alternates!). Neither Continental nor Delta use GYE as their alternate so they were both OK to fly to Quito (UIO).

As I called around trying to find hotel rooms, I quickly realized this was Friday night of Memorial Day weekend. Our Travel Agent couldn't find any rooms at a hotel that had an airport shuttle either and I was beginning to wonder if I'd have to rent a van as well as get some hotel rooms.

But having been stuck overnight in Miami a few times before due to American Airlines issues, I remembered that AA put me up in the Wyndham. And one of those times I actually filled out the paperwork to become a Wyndham "By Request" partner. So I called the Wyndham (who our travel agent had already tried but was told they were sold out) explained the situation, gave them the magic number (actually they had to look it up b/c I didn't even have it with me!) and voila, 6 rooms! It's really true that hotels (and airlines) give preference to their "regular" guests!

We ate a quick (expensive) meal and got to bed early since our flight was scheduled to leave at 6am. A 4 am departure for the airport got us there in plenty of time and I learned something new....TSA doesn't open the screening lines at MIA until 4:30. At least we were near the front of the line! :)

After boarding it looked like we were all set to go. I figured we'd arrive in UIO at 9am (local) and only loose a couple of hours from the schedule I had planned for Saturday morning. But "Plan B" wasn't to be as we experienced a "bag pull".

For those of you who have never had that joy, let me explain. According to International regulations (probably due to the Pan Am Flight 103 - Lockerbie, Scotland experience) checked baggage is not allowed to travel if the passenger who checked it is not on the flight. Well 4 people had checked in Friday afternoon with checked baggage who didn't show up Saturday morning. The pilot guessed they were local Miami folks who didn't want to bother with having to get up early, etc. So we were held up until the baggage handlers (who are paid by the hour) unloaded all the bags from the holds one by one looking for the "offending" ones. The Captain (who obviously had been through this before) said it should take 30 - 45 minutes. I don't think he'd been through it before in MIA b/c our "efficient" baggage handlers took over 2 hours to find the missing bags.

Now you might have read about the new regulations concerning passengers "stuck" on the tarmac. After 1 hour the airline has to provide food and drink. So even though we were going to get breakfast once we were airborne (Internationally they still feed you!) we each were offered a granola bar and glass of water. We later were told by the cabin crew that the new regs don't apply if you're still sitting at the gate (that's how new the regs are - even the airlines aren't sure what they say!).

At sometime after 8:30 we were actually airborne and on our way. And for one of the very few times that I can remember, I slept sitting up on an airplane. I have slept a few times when I've had a front facing window, but usually have real problems if it's a side facing window. :)

We arrived in Ecuador just fine with all our luggage (but later found out that there were items missing from the luggage) and started our trip 5 hours behind the schedule. So after moving on to plan C (and D and E) it ended up being a wonderful trip.

I won't give too much detail so as to not spoil the surprises for anyone who might read this and then participate in the coming years. If you do have any interest in finding out what Missionary Aviation looks like up close and personal, consider going on one of the many Vision Trips that MAF offers each summer (we usually go to Kalimantan, Lesotho, Ecuador, and other places as well). Just contact your local recruiter or the MAF recruiting department directly at recruiting@maf.org.

To-Do List

MAF HQ is starting family conference today. That means if you need something from the office in Nampa you probably won’t be able to reach anyone before Monday. You can probably leave a message if you know the extension. :-) The recruiting extension is 1663.

One of the things that might be on the to-do list for those of you who are pilots and don’t meet the minimum requirements to schedule your technical evaluation is to find a way to build some flight time. If you have your commercial pilot’s license and the instrument rating contact me, John Lemmon, jlemmon@maf.org. MAF was donated a Mooney M20J and for the immediate future it is available to those needing to complete the requirements of 400 hours total time, including the 50 hours of high performance time. It is dual only and MAF will count up to 25 hours towards the 50 of HP time. The airplane is located with me here in Jackson, Michigan, not at MAF HQ in Nampa. Contact me if this could be of help to you.

JL

The MAF Application - from the Recruiter Side

I love it! I love reading the written application from candidates coming into MAF.
I suspect, (and recall from my own experience) that filling out the application is a long and nerve-wracking process. But, reading them is like watching 'cardboard testimonies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ - if you have seen some of those.

Each application is a story of God at work. Each candidate has learned about God's love and grace through Jesus Christ, and is living and walking with God. There are stories of how a person has changed the course of their life with God's help - walking away from patterns that would have kept them trapped. Others have grown with encouragement and support from their earliest years, and made their faith personal and are now eager to use their talents to serve God.

For me, it is a praise and worship time as I read and thank God for His amazing work, and for the people He calls to MAF. Our candidates as well as MAF will use the application process to help discern God's leading. Candidates will continue to grow and serve - and many of them through MAF - using their gifts and skills, sharing the love of Jesus Christ so that others may be physically and spiritually transformed.

Did I mention I love being in on the story?!

Should you train for a triathalon?

There I was eating some potato chips when my daughter came in from work and said she was going to start training for a marathon with a friend. I kind of laughed because I thought no way would she follow through. Then I thought about my own efforts to get into shape and how I always seemed to let it slide. I am not sure why (maybe the Lord) but into my mind popped the idea of training for a triathalon. It kind of excited me. All of a sudden I had a reason to train and get into shape. I did however have to walk out the door and go to the gym to start. I have stayed with it now for over a month and am still enjoying the training (swimming, biking, and running). The event is August 7 so hold me accountable to it.

What does this have to do with MAF and recruiting? I have talked with so many people over the years who would love to get involved with missionary aviation and MAF. The concept is great and motivation is good but the next step is doing, getting started. The requirements are not easy or simple (bible training, flight and mechanics licenses) but they are doable. You need to get started and keep the goal in mind and not just the obstacles. Myself and the other recruiters are all here to help you get to where God is wanting you to be. Why not take some bible classes to just get things started. I will be glad to start holding you accountable to what you think God may be leading you into, just let me know. The other recruiters will too, just like they will with me and the triathalon. God bless.