Second Honduras Trip This Year

October 16th I got up very early, O-dark-thirty I think, and drove an hour and a half to the the Port Columbus International Airport.  It was the first leg of my journey to Ahuas, Honduras.  There I was to assist Alas de Socorro personnel with a major inspection of a Cessna model 206.  After 1,000 hours of flight time it's a really good idea to inspect a plane much more thoroughly than is done on more routine 100 hour inspection interval.

Ahuas (ah-wass) is in eastern Honduras and the two Alas de Socorro Cessnas primarily support a mission hospital there.  Alas de Socorro (Wings of Aid/Help in English) is a charitable organization chartered in Honduras with all Honduran staff and leadership. 

Most general aviation airplanes are simply referred to by their registration letters and HR-AUS, or "Uniform Sierra", was the subject of the 1,000 hour inspection.  When I arrived most of the disassembly for inspection was done.

During the week there were flights to bring seriously ill people to the hospital.  One flight took a patient on to a larger hospital better equipped to treat the patient's condition.  Here the pilot deplanes from "Juliet Whiskey" (HR-AJW) after that flight.

With the tail feathers removed, mechanic's helper, Weily, cleans minor surface corrosion from the aluminum skin.  The planes are well maintained but a 1,000 hour inspection is a good time to attend to the details.  I inspected primary structure.  Because of my structural repair experience, I helped replace a number of loose rivets and install a service kit on the horizontal stabilizer.  One day during which the mosquitoes were particularly obnoxious, we stayed indoors and I gave Alas' Director, George, a refresher course in finding regulatory and technical data on the Internet.  Especially important was how to keep up with Airworthiness Directives that identify unsafe conditions in aircraft.

George (left) was my host.  He trained as a pilot and mechanic at Moody Aviation and worked with Mission Aviation Fellowship for several years.  Wayne does quite a bit of the flying and helps George with maintenance also.  The plane behind them, "Juliet Whiskey", was refurbished at MMS Aviation a few years ago.  George, Wayne and Weily are all from the region of Honduras where they serve.

I arrived back home in Coshocton, Ohio October 23rd.  Getting home is always the best part of the trip.

Washington Slept Here

Yesterday morning a pilot friend, John, who has an airstrip near Coshocton called me.  He asked if if a friend of his who was delivering a plane to an airshow in Fort Wayne, Indiana could put it in the MMS hangar for a night.  It is a rather rare World War II era P-51-C Mustang fighter plane painted in the colors of a Tuskegee Airmen squadron.  Fortunately there was space available so I told John we'd be happy to hangar the plane.



Getting fuel on the ramp between the MMS hangars

The weather was a bit rainy yesterday afternoon, but between showers the P-51 was fueled for today's departure.  I'd called my daughter, Jen, thinking it would be a chance for Chanelle and Javin to connect with a bit of history, and invited them to come see the plane. 




Jen, Chanelle, Jason and Javin with the P-51-C

After a few pictures were taken it started raining again and Jason helped the pilot and me push the fighter into the hangar.  The pilot, who is an airline pilot in his day job, invited me into the cockpit for a picture.  Even though I was pretty wet, I didn't decline the offer.



My left hand is on the throttle, right hand on the (joy) stick, and my index finger on the trigger.

After the fog lifted this morning it was perfect weather for flying and the Mustang headed west.



Towed out of the hangar into the bright sunlight

This P-51-C travels with an exhibit honoring the Tuskegee Airmen and their service in World War II.  You can learn more about the exhibit at http://www.redtail.org/.  Without success I went online to find out if this particular plane had actually been flown by the Tuskegee airmen.  Regardless, it represents a significant bit of history and it was fun to have hosted it last night.

As I (Rena who has an afternoon break) sit in the shade of the MASA (Missionary Aviation Support Association) tent, there is a constant stream of airplane traffic overhead. AirVenture, Oshkosh is the busiest airport in the world for one week in July every year. Demonstrations, exhibitors, stunt fliers is the order of the day. People are here from all over the world.
The community of missionary aviation gathers during this time as well, to aquaint the world of missionary aviation, recruit and witness to those who come through our tents. A lot of networking also happens between the missions as we work for the common goal of reaching the lost for Christ.

Dwight and Rena, Ryan, Chuck and Jim

The banner in front of the tent goes up

We discovered a DC-3 that came through our hanger some years ago. MMS facilitated getting it changed from Canadian registry to US registry with some modifications. We learned it had carreid some famous passengers - the Queen of England and Sir Winston Churchill. AND the "famous" Dwight Jarboe's signature is in the logbook! Ha!

Dwight talks with an inquirer

While I was typing, the Good Year Blimp flew over the tent - so I've included this too!

A Different Bird

There are a lot of different aircraft used in support of missionary work and many of them are designed with short take-off and land (STOL) capability.  Most are manufactured by established aircraft companies; however, one came to MMS Aviation recently that is classified as an amateur built aircraft.  It is a Zenith CH-801 and is supplied to the builder in kit form.  The plane is a four-seater and has a 185 horsepower engine.

This drawing is from the Zenith website, highlights the plane's features, and shows what the airplane looks like.

This plane's airframe and engine were assembled by missionary, Ethan Shields, and volunteers at a shop in Louisiana.  It was brought to MMS for installation of the electrical and radio systems.  The airplane's components will be painted here before its final assembly.

The fuselage is unloaded into MMS' Hangar A

Ethan will use the Zenith in Mexico to get to isolated villages.  Until it is finished, MMS mechanics will assist Ethan with the work.

The plane was designed to be sturdy and easy to build.

Ethan discusses an engine matter with an unidentified MMS mechanic.

This is the 100th Christian missionary/ministry organization MMS Aviation has served. I guess we'll have to have an extra-special celebration when it's completed.

First Visit to Grandma's House

Our family with Rena's parents. (Jason, Jen's husband was not present)

After four and a half months of hospitalization due to perforations in her small intestine, our granddaughter was dismissed from Nationwide Children's Hospital after surgery to reconnect her intestine, and went home with her parents March 17th.  The following weekend, Scott, Stephanie and Kiara Bell Jarboe visited us

The three cousins

Hello Aunt Jen

Javin meets Kiara for the first time

Such a little princess!

Honduras Trip Wrap-up

Early this month I was in Honduras to inspect a Cessna 206 operated by Missionary Air Group (MAG.  I've been home over a couple of weeks and need to finish the story I began in an earlier blog. 


Post-inspection operational check and adjusting a newly installed compass completed work on the plane.

The inspection revealed a well maintained airplane.  However, a significant crack in the outlet of the right exhaust muffler caused the immediate purchase of a replacement muffler and its expedited shipment to Honduras.  FedEx doesn't deliver to the small village of Rus Rus, but another missionary aircraft operator loaned us a good used muffler.  It allowed me to certify the plane's airworthiness and let us fly to San Pedro Sula to receive the new muffler that had been ordered.

My experience in Honduras was not just airplane maintenance.  I became acquainted with Westley and Denise Wiles and enjoyed their hospitality.  Through the Wiles and MAG president, Sean Donnelly, I learned much more about their work in Rus Rus.  I also met Elvin, a teenage resident there, who is serious about living out his Christian faith.


Elvin on his way home from playing "fútbol" agreed to this picture with me.

On the Sunday afternoon that I was there, Elvin came by the Wiles' house and asked a question about how our faith should affect our conduct.  It challenged me greatly to reach way back and drag my Spanish language ability out of storage.  Borrowing the Wiles' Spanish language Bible, I had Elvin read verses that spoke to his question.  I believe it helped Elvin, it certainly was a refresher course in Spanish for me, and our conversation is one of the highlights of my trip.



Jack

I also met Jack. Jack is a white-throated capuchin monkey and has been the Wiles' pet for practically all of his four years.  He occupies a large enclosure at one end of the porch and enjoys interacting with his owners and their visitors from time to time outside his cage.

For me, the best part of a trip is getting home.  I arrived at our house very early Sunday morning, March 11th, and the following Saturday our little granddaughter, Kiara, went home from the hospital.  It's been a good month!