September's Over Already??

The last weekend of August I was at a retreat for the board of directors of the International Association of Missionary Aviation.  A storm passed through Coshocton the first evening I was away and blew down part of one of our apple trees which was heavily-laden with fruit.  Co-workers came for the downed apples at Rena's invitation and I had a clean-up job waiting upon my return.

I took off the little branches with a pruning shear, then used a chain saw for the rest of the fallen tree.

Since mid-July I'd tried to schedule with a seaplane rated pilot with the right kind of experience to come do return-to-service flights for a Cessna 206 we've prepared for Asas de Socorro in Brazil.  Everything came together early this week as an AIMAIR pilot, Jim Streit, came to MMS Aviation to help us.  The only fly in the ointment was that the new engine's fuel pump wouldn't produce enough pressure for full power operation.  A new engine driven fuel pump was ordered and hopefully the flights will resume by the middle of next week.

After two short flights the plane taxied in and the fuel pressure troubleshooting began.

 

September flew by this year.  All month it seemed there was more things to do than there was time in which to do them.  I have an idea October might be like that too.  This morning I "pinch hit" for one of the MMS mechanics who is out of town.  The Boy Scouts in the Troop that meets at the church he attends are working on the aviation merit badge.  It was a lot of fun working with the boys, especially trying to teach them the aviation term "aileron".

 

A Day in the Life of a Mission Pilot | JAARS

Paul Westlund, a missionary pilot in Papua lost his life in a plane crash on September 22. While Dwight had met him once, we did not know him personally. The loss, however, is tremendous and the whole missionary aviation community feels the ripple effect. Please pray for his family and coworkers in Papua.  Below is a link written by Paul of a typical day in the life of a missionary pilot.

A Day in the Life of a Mission Pilot | JAARS

Gospel Carrier

Carrying the Gospel to the lost by airplane is the mission of Gospel Carrier International.We at MMS Aviation see to it that this ministry's airplanes are well maintained and ready to do the job. The GCI outreach to the Chinese population in the USA and Canada has Evangelistic teams that use their airplanes to transport them and ministry materials around the country. In addition, their discipleship follow up, includes a lot of travel. It is an exciting work and well worth your investigation.

New Home

Two of the nine man loading crew from their church

A truck with a volunteer driver

My parents have a new home very near us. We are pleased with their decision to move 400 miles to Coshocton to be closer to us. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren are enthused about seeing them more often and so are we. Dwight and I went to PA a week ago to where my folks lived near Reading. He returned home on Labor Day and I remained for the final packing and to help with the driving to Ohio on Friday the 9th.

The Lord provided help in so many areas of the move and we're grateful. Some brought in meals or invited them to their homes for a meal, others helped pack or move furniture. One lady who stopped by, even volunteered to give Dad a haircut, which she did. The church deacons and others came to load the truck. A friend and fellow believer in Christ, whom Dad led to the Lord and discipled, is a U-Haul dealer and wanted to drive the truck for us.

The Lord gave us safety (many were praying) in spite of areas of flooding along and heavy rain on along the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-70. We would appreciate your prayers for my parents amid all the adjustments and settling in.

Is it all going to fit in?

Bill and Mae watch the unloading from the porch of their new apartment. Does it look like Bill is directing traffic?

Gabon Africa Cessna 207

We have been keeping you posted from time to time on the work of the Cessna 207 for Gabon, Africa. As you recall, it was damaged during a forced landing and was shipped to MMS for repairs. Click here for that story. Check out the good news in the video below. We are excited about the progress that is being made.

Rolling Ridge Ranch

School started today for the grandchildren. So on Friday, Jen took off a half day from work and we (Jen and Rena) decided to do something really fun with the kids before the start of school. It was decided that Rolling Ridge Ranch in the Amish community of Millersburg, would be the place to visit. Chanelle brought along her friend, Kylee.

The Ranch has a petting zoo as well as a wagon ride through the countryside where exotic animals are cared for. We rode a wagon pulled by a pair of beautiful Percheron horses. Our Amish driver and guide was loads of fun and had many great stories about the animals we were seeing and feeding.

We have way too many pictures and video clips to post on this blog, but if you want to see all of them,  be sure to watch the video below set to music.