Imagine, we had to wait for the weather to improve yesterday before we could launch on our flights. Finally, just after lunch I took off and set a course for what would be my first of 5 stops. There wasn't a whole lot that was unusual about my flight yesterday. The weather was really good in the afternoon, which was great. I could basically "point and shoot," no instrument clearances, no sector specific altitudes, nothing. At last, the weather had broke good enough that you could see for miles across the vast carpet of green Amazon jungle.
Although most of my flight was pretty "normal," I did have a passenger unlike any I had ever had. A few people came by the hangar wanting to know if they could send "grandpa" back to his home village. The man appeared very old, and I assumed they wanted him to be in the homeland as he awaited his death. This isn't what made him an unusual passenger. The fact that he was losing his mind is what made him unique. Despite his old age, there were three young men with him to help control him. I told them I wasn't going to fly him home, he was "to crazy and uncontrollable." They said, " no problem capi, we will just tie up his hands and his feet and then tie them together." I thought to myself that that sounds kind of like the chickens I haul out, except I put them in the belly pod, and don't have to worry about them. After I saw that we could safely tie him up, AND another passenger volunteered to sit next to him and help, I finally consented to hauling him home. As we wheeled him out to the airplane on the stretcher, it became apparent to me how badly this guy stunk. When we lifted him off the stretcher to put him into the airplane, I also realized what else senile people are capable of. He had urinated all over himself and the stretcher, and soon thereafter in his airplane seat.
For being old and senile, the man was VERY strong. It took three of us to fold him into his seat, and I put his seat belt on VERY tight. Because of the technical nature of the airstrip where he was going, I had to drop some weight at another airstrip first before going to Kaiptach. That said, the next hour before I was able to lose some weight at the village of Mashient by dropping off two ladies and their cargo, and then fly to Kaiptach seemed very long. The smell of the poor old man perpetrated the cabin the whole flight. Did I also mention that he was hollering at the top of his lungs the whole time?! I know the two ladies that were sitting in front of him were glad to get off first in Mashient.
After finally getting the poor old guy out of the airplane in Kaiptach, again with the help of three young guys, I went about cleaning up more bodily fluids and we were soon airborne for the remainder of my flight. Because of our late start to the flying day, I made my last landing of the day in Shell shortly before the sun was going behind the Andes. A trip to the bathroom to wash my hands, and then getting my paperwork done, I was soon home to enjoy the last weekend of 2007 with my family.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
From the logbook...
Once again, today I spent a lot of my flight time in the clouds. Luckily, Shell was always open, but not much else. Because of the bad weather in the jungle, I only made two stops before coming home. I took a nurse to a village called Makuma to spend a week there, and then carried on to Achuentza to take home a Bible translator. All told, I was in the clouds for about 75% of my 2 hour flight today.
Achuentza is notorious for being nasty. After all the rain we have had, today was no exception. You can tell that the grass is a little long, and the strip was covered in water. Airspeed control is critical on approach as you don't want to fly any farther down the airstrip than needed in order to land and get on the brakes right away.
Achuentza is notorious for being nasty. After all the rain we have had, today was no exception. You can tell that the grass is a little long, and the strip was covered in water. Airspeed control is critical on approach as you don't want to fly any farther down the airstrip than needed in order to land and get on the brakes right away.
Buffet Line
This afternoon as I was leaving work I came across a piece of banana that I had kicked out of the hangar in the morning. Evidently the ants had found it on the ramp, and were out in full force to cut it up and haul it away. If you click on the picture, you will see workers, soldiers, and "managers."(note head sizes for "ranks") I read once that if you weighed all the people on the earth, and all the ants on the earth, they would weigh the same. After living in the jungle and seeing how different species of ants there are, and how many within that species, it isn't that hard to believe.
The Butterbee
A few weeks ago we were eating lunch at one of the local "restaurants" and ended up seeing some of our co-workers there doing the same thing. One of their kids spotted a moth under the pop machine. As I walked over to get a closer look I came across this most peculiar moth. When I asked the kids what it was, our friends daughter replied that is was a "butterbee." Made sense to me.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
From the logbook...I'll be home for Christmas!
Yesterday, Christmas Eve, we were still "open for business" at the hangar. Our flight schedule was very light, although two flights did come along, one of which I did.
(It wasn't until early afternoon that I left on a flight with only 3 stops. Although I didn't have many stops, my first landing was an hour away from Shell. The weather was threatening the whole time of my flight, yet very operable. As I made my first landing at Shiona I realized that they must have had a LOT of rain prior to my arrival. When I touched down and applied brakes, it was so slippery that is was almost as if we sped up. After splashing though a few big mud puddles we finally came to a stop. After unloading my passengers and their cargo (he was a teacher) we were off to our second stop some 20 minutes away to the village of Alto Corrientes (ACR).
ACR isn't my favorite airstrip. The approach is usually plagued with wind from all directions, and the strip is one of the shortest ones we use and VERY slippery when wet. Pleasantly, to my surprise, the approach yesterday was very stable and the airstrip was very dry and braking was good.
After taking care of business in ACR (dropping off a snake bite patient) we made our way to Mauramu (MSR) to pick up a patient. Upon landing the patient slowly made his way to the airplane. He didn't look very good, and according to the nurse's sheet that I was handed, he was vomiting blood and urinating black. I'm not a doctor, but it didn't sound good.
Once I was airborn from MSR, I set a course for Shell and contacted the approach controller. She told me that they had had heavy rain while I was gone in the jungle, and it looked like they were going to be in for more. I also called our flight follower in the hangar on our HF radio and he confirmed the same thing. At this point I was still 30 minutes out from Shell and was evaluating all the options I had before me. I had put on extra gas before leaving Shell anticipating bad weather, the jungle was very operable still, and even if Shell did shut down, I could probably wait it out flying in circles somewhere while the rain passed.
At my check point of 20 miles out from Shell the approach controller confirmed that the rain had indeed arrived over Shell and it was "muy fuerte" or very heavy. At that point, I was already on the instrument approach mostly in the clouds. I elected to continue with the approach since I had so many options, although it was likely that Shell would be "below minimums" when I would be arriving in just 10 more minutes.
Ten miles out from Shell the approach really starts and you can start making your descents as you approach the airport. Visibility was very poor and I was flying through heavy rain, just like they said. At the missed approach point (the point on the approach when you have to decide by what you can or cannot see out the window that you can continue and safely land, or you must go around and execute the missed approach) things were still very minimal but all of a sudden there were the numbers "30" on the end of the runway. I quickly dumped in all remaining flaps and made a landing in Shell.
Needless to say, I was glad to be on the ground, and Rebecca was really relieved to get a phone call from me. With the heavy rain, she was sure that I would still be in the jungle, and may even have to spend the night away from home. Most days aren't as trying as yesterday. A typical day doesn't usually involve slip-sliding your way around the jungle on the nasty airstrips, and then an instrument approach down to minimums to get back to home base, but, occasionally you do have a day where you "earn your pay." For that reason, we do a LOT of training and practice for the days when we have to pull out all the stops.
Shortly after coming home, we were all gathered in the home of some friends, enjoying an awesome Christmas Eve turkey dinner. It was even better because I didn't have any lunch and I was starving!
(It wasn't until early afternoon that I left on a flight with only 3 stops. Although I didn't have many stops, my first landing was an hour away from Shell. The weather was threatening the whole time of my flight, yet very operable. As I made my first landing at Shiona I realized that they must have had a LOT of rain prior to my arrival. When I touched down and applied brakes, it was so slippery that is was almost as if we sped up. After splashing though a few big mud puddles we finally came to a stop. After unloading my passengers and their cargo (he was a teacher) we were off to our second stop some 20 minutes away to the village of Alto Corrientes (ACR).
ACR isn't my favorite airstrip. The approach is usually plagued with wind from all directions, and the strip is one of the shortest ones we use and VERY slippery when wet. Pleasantly, to my surprise, the approach yesterday was very stable and the airstrip was very dry and braking was good.
After taking care of business in ACR (dropping off a snake bite patient) we made our way to Mauramu (MSR) to pick up a patient. Upon landing the patient slowly made his way to the airplane. He didn't look very good, and according to the nurse's sheet that I was handed, he was vomiting blood and urinating black. I'm not a doctor, but it didn't sound good.
Once I was airborn from MSR, I set a course for Shell and contacted the approach controller. She told me that they had had heavy rain while I was gone in the jungle, and it looked like they were going to be in for more. I also called our flight follower in the hangar on our HF radio and he confirmed the same thing. At this point I was still 30 minutes out from Shell and was evaluating all the options I had before me. I had put on extra gas before leaving Shell anticipating bad weather, the jungle was very operable still, and even if Shell did shut down, I could probably wait it out flying in circles somewhere while the rain passed.
At my check point of 20 miles out from Shell the approach controller confirmed that the rain had indeed arrived over Shell and it was "muy fuerte" or very heavy. At that point, I was already on the instrument approach mostly in the clouds. I elected to continue with the approach since I had so many options, although it was likely that Shell would be "below minimums" when I would be arriving in just 10 more minutes.
Ten miles out from Shell the approach really starts and you can start making your descents as you approach the airport. Visibility was very poor and I was flying through heavy rain, just like they said. At the missed approach point (the point on the approach when you have to decide by what you can or cannot see out the window that you can continue and safely land, or you must go around and execute the missed approach) things were still very minimal but all of a sudden there were the numbers "30" on the end of the runway. I quickly dumped in all remaining flaps and made a landing in Shell.
Needless to say, I was glad to be on the ground, and Rebecca was really relieved to get a phone call from me. With the heavy rain, she was sure that I would still be in the jungle, and may even have to spend the night away from home. Most days aren't as trying as yesterday. A typical day doesn't usually involve slip-sliding your way around the jungle on the nasty airstrips, and then an instrument approach down to minimums to get back to home base, but, occasionally you do have a day where you "earn your pay." For that reason, we do a LOT of training and practice for the days when we have to pull out all the stops.
Shortly after coming home, we were all gathered in the home of some friends, enjoying an awesome Christmas Eve turkey dinner. It was even better because I didn't have any lunch and I was starving!
Friday, December 21, 2007
From the logbook...a first!
After waiting for the weather to cooperate (I say that a lot here in Shell huh?) we were finally able to launch on some flights. It was around 1:30 when I finally took off for my first of 7 stops.
First, I went to a village about 35 minutes from Shell to return a teacher and his cargo. From there I flew 8 minutes to Conambo to drop off some more passengers that started with me in Shell. I left Conambo empty and flew 6 minutes to Alto Corrientes. I don't have a lot of experience in "Alto" and I also don't like it. The approach is always hard work, the strip is REALLY short, and if it is wet it is doubly hard. Luckily, all the hard work payed off and I landed and put on a lady and her 3.5 kids (she had one in the hopper also).
After taking off from Alto Corrientes I flew for 12 minutes to Bufeo to pick up another person that was returning to Shell. He works for a large ministry called Ecuador para Cristo. He was there doing a lot of "contract" work for Compassion International. It just so happens that another one of our pilots was in Bufeo picking people up the same time I was there. So, I let him take off first so I could get some pictures. Below is Alas 12 taking off with my airplane, Alas 14, seen in the background.
From Bufeo I took off and set a course for Chumbi, some 45 miles away, and now over 80 from Shell. Shortly after taking off I was advised of a patient in Mashient that fell out of a tree. So, I re-tuned the special black box (GPS) and made a bee line for Mashient. After flying 20 minutes we were on the ground loading up a 10 year old girl with obvious fractures, and her sister that was accompanying her.
Finally, for the woman and her 3.5 kids, we were off to the village of Chumbi. I flew 5 more minutes to Chumbi to finally drop her off. After helping them all out of the airplane I made a startling discovery. One of my sick sacks was used! Not only was it used, but most of its contents never made it inside. One of the poor little girls lost her lunch, and I found it all over my airplane floor and her chair. In my over 7 years of flying, I have NEVER had anyone puke on me...until today. I guess every dog has his day, and I finally joined the ranks of most pilots saying they have had a passenger puke while they were flying. Of course, the poor little girl didn't puke becuase of my poor flying skills and my lack of finesse, it was all due to global warming and lots of thermal convection...I hope.
Once I saw the woman and her 3.5 kids off from the airplane with all their cargo an one less lunch (remember, it was left all over the seat and floor) I set my final course for Shell. Thirty minutes later I was on the ground in Shell, cleaning up puke. We are not only just pilots and mechanics...we are nurses, doctors, cleaners, disinfectioners (that is a word!), puke cleaners, bodily fluid wipers, and blown up chicha bottle cleaners (another story). Yep, I earned my sleep today. It's always weird to think after days like today when I come home so tired, that I didn't even do anything until 1:30pm.
First, I went to a village about 35 minutes from Shell to return a teacher and his cargo. From there I flew 8 minutes to Conambo to drop off some more passengers that started with me in Shell. I left Conambo empty and flew 6 minutes to Alto Corrientes. I don't have a lot of experience in "Alto" and I also don't like it. The approach is always hard work, the strip is REALLY short, and if it is wet it is doubly hard. Luckily, all the hard work payed off and I landed and put on a lady and her 3.5 kids (she had one in the hopper also).
After taking off from Alto Corrientes I flew for 12 minutes to Bufeo to pick up another person that was returning to Shell. He works for a large ministry called Ecuador para Cristo. He was there doing a lot of "contract" work for Compassion International. It just so happens that another one of our pilots was in Bufeo picking people up the same time I was there. So, I let him take off first so I could get some pictures. Below is Alas 12 taking off with my airplane, Alas 14, seen in the background.
From Bufeo I took off and set a course for Chumbi, some 45 miles away, and now over 80 from Shell. Shortly after taking off I was advised of a patient in Mashient that fell out of a tree. So, I re-tuned the special black box (GPS) and made a bee line for Mashient. After flying 20 minutes we were on the ground loading up a 10 year old girl with obvious fractures, and her sister that was accompanying her. Finally, for the woman and her 3.5 kids, we were off to the village of Chumbi. I flew 5 more minutes to Chumbi to finally drop her off. After helping them all out of the airplane I made a startling discovery. One of my sick sacks was used! Not only was it used, but most of its contents never made it inside. One of the poor little girls lost her lunch, and I found it all over my airplane floor and her chair. In my over 7 years of flying, I have NEVER had anyone puke on me...until today. I guess every dog has his day, and I finally joined the ranks of most pilots saying they have had a passenger puke while they were flying. Of course, the poor little girl didn't puke becuase of my poor flying skills and my lack of finesse, it was all due to global warming and lots of thermal convection...I hope.
Once I saw the woman and her 3.5 kids off from the airplane with all their cargo an one less lunch (remember, it was left all over the seat and floor) I set my final course for Shell. Thirty minutes later I was on the ground in Shell, cleaning up puke. We are not only just pilots and mechanics...we are nurses, doctors, cleaners, disinfectioners (that is a word!), puke cleaners, bodily fluid wipers, and blown up chicha bottle cleaners (another story). Yep, I earned my sleep today. It's always weird to think after days like today when I come home so tired, that I didn't even do anything until 1:30pm.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
From the logbook...Christmas tidings
Today I was back in the saddle after 2 weeks of not flying. It was a good time, and the purpose was a little different as well. I flew a Finish family to the communities of Cumai (CUM) and Karink (KAR). This guy used to fly for MAF in Shell, but then felt led of the Lord to do more evangelical work amongst the indigenous people of the Ecuadorian jungle. He and his wife are currently living in Quito, but spend many weeks at a time in Cumai building a house so they can live there permanently. It is always a pleasure to fly this family, as their hearts and their sense of humor are both as big as the jungle they serve in. Today they flew into these two communities to offer the kids some Christmas presents, little sacks of cookies and candy.
Here they can be seen carrying the boxes of Xmas goodies and being trailed by a bunch of expectant children.
This is a shot from the second village we went to called Karink. I took this photo from their new 3 story high water tower. The village was really proud of it and anxious to show it off.
Here they can be seen carrying the boxes of Xmas goodies and being trailed by a bunch of expectant children. 
This is a shot from the second village we went to called Karink. I took this photo from their new 3 story high water tower. The village was really proud of it and anxious to show it off.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
It's Official
After much prayer, searching of Scripture, and talking, Rebecca and I have decided to make the move to Oaxaca, Mexico to help with the program there. This is a HUGE change for us! We are still finalizing a LOT of details, but we will probably be heading north some time in March. We would appreciate your prayers for us and with us as we have an untold amount of decisions to make and work to do as the departure date nears.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Back Home
After a long trip home due to being diverted to the Ecuadorian coast due to bad weather in Quito, and then being stopped in the middle of the road for almost two hours on the bus due to a bed race (yeah, you read that right), I finally made it home yesterday in the late afternoon. I finally feel like I am coming up for air after what was a very informative week in Oaxaca, Mexico.
I was able to visit downtown Oaxaca as well as a number of other places. The history of the area is very old, with many of the buildings in the plaza dating back to the 1500's. The above picture of one of the popular Catholic Churches to get married in. Supposedly every two hours they are have a wedding inside.
I was able to go on three flights while in Oaxaca. The flying is totally different from what I am used to here in Ecuador. This airstrip shown above has an average of 18% slope and a huge mountain on the other end. That said, flying a very stabilized approach is key to getting the airplane on the ground where you want it.
I was able to visit downtown Oaxaca as well as a number of other places. The history of the area is very old, with many of the buildings in the plaza dating back to the 1500's. The above picture of one of the popular Catholic Churches to get married in. Supposedly every two hours they are have a wedding inside. 
I was able to go on three flights while in Oaxaca. The flying is totally different from what I am used to here in Ecuador. This airstrip shown above has an average of 18% slope and a huge mountain on the other end. That said, flying a very stabilized approach is key to getting the airplane on the ground where you want it.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Ya Llegé
For those of you who have read Becca's blog, you will know that I arrived in Oaxaca, Mexico this past Friday. I have been busy getting the dime tour and going to some Xmas parties and things. Maybe later I will post a pic or two. Just so everyone knows, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, I am just busy.
Friday, December 07, 2007
La Cuidad de Panamá
I have arrived in Panama City, Panama. I will be off to Mexico City, Mexico in about an hour. I realized after landing that this is my third time to Panama in the last few years. I also realized that this is my first time to this international airport. I have come to and left from Panama different ways in each of my three times here.
My first time was with Becca and Brooklyn (pre-Madison). We drove from Costa Rica. We're glad we did it, but we would never do it again. The drive was way too long with a toddler.
The second time was on my ferry flight bringing Alas 14 from Kansas down to Ecuador. We were only here overnight and we landed at a smaller airport near downtown and near the Panama Canal. It used to be the American military base when we had a larger presence here.
And now, here I arrive like "most" people would in a commercial airliner at an international airport. The one thing I am reminded of is how awesome the country of Panama is! I think it must be because of it's American influence perhaps. It is VERY clean, things look organized and built with purpose, and overall there is just a sense of order. You tend to forget that feeling I guess after living in some pretty bizarre circumstances over the years. For those of you who would ever think about visiting Central America, Panama would definitely receive a high recommendation from me.
My first time was with Becca and Brooklyn (pre-Madison). We drove from Costa Rica. We're glad we did it, but we would never do it again. The drive was way too long with a toddler.
The second time was on my ferry flight bringing Alas 14 from Kansas down to Ecuador. We were only here overnight and we landed at a smaller airport near downtown and near the Panama Canal. It used to be the American military base when we had a larger presence here.
And now, here I arrive like "most" people would in a commercial airliner at an international airport. The one thing I am reminded of is how awesome the country of Panama is! I think it must be because of it's American influence perhaps. It is VERY clean, things look organized and built with purpose, and overall there is just a sense of order. You tend to forget that feeling I guess after living in some pretty bizarre circumstances over the years. For those of you who would ever think about visiting Central America, Panama would definitely receive a high recommendation from me.
North to Mexico
After a busy week and no Internet, I am finally catching up on all things that pertain to my digital life. I am sitting in the Quito Airport right now waiting for my first of 3 flights that will get me to Oaxaca, Mexico. As time and connectivity permit, I will try and post some things about my scouting trip to Mexico. If I am not able to, then of course, when I get back I will post some info...and of course pictures. Thanks for your prayers with us as we try and make a wise decision in this matter...
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Been flying lately?
It has been a while since I posted about something aviation related. Yes, I have been flying, but not much. Due to the holidays, a light flight schedule, and doing flight coordinating, there hasn't been a whole lot to post. I did fly on Friday, but it was just the first part of my 6 month checkup. I will hopefully finish that tomorrow. Then, this coming Tuesday thru Thursday we have a training seminar all day. After things wrap up on Thursday, I jump on a late bus to Quito so I can catch my plane to Oaxaca, Mexico early Friday morning. I feel like the week is going to fly by already.
That's a biggin'!
On Thursday one of my co-workers caught a big grasshopper and wondered if I would like a picture of it. Of course! But, I never had the time to get a picture, so I put him in an ammo can and brought him home. It wasn't until yesterday, Saturday, that I finally had a chance to take some pictures. Remembering back to my boyhood days, I thought it would be fun to "gas" him and pin him up, them everyone could get an idea of how big it was.
I stole the lid off of a cooler since it was the only thing we had that was made of styrofoam. I then made the black box and placed little tick marks every inch. As you can tell, this grasshopper is over 8 inches across, and almost 5 inches long.
I stole the lid off of a cooler since it was the only thing we had that was made of styrofoam. I then made the black box and placed little tick marks every inch. As you can tell, this grasshopper is over 8 inches across, and almost 5 inches long.
Another Conversion
Yesterday, as Brooklyn and I sat out in our front yard we saw first hand something I had only seen on TV previously. You may remember this post about all the caterpillars we had in our trees a few weeks ago. Shortly thereafter they just "disappeared" but I did begin to see many of these cocoons...
I even saw this one forming a few weeks back, which was a neat process to see. Notice how it is help up by just two small silk like threads onto the side of our concrete planter. Then of course, we saw what those caterpillars turn into...
This one emerged from a different cocoon near the one in the photo above. You can still see the moisture on it's left wing as it sat on a flower drying so it could then fly away.
Once again, the attention to detail in the smallest of things, and the processes therein are an amazing thing about the creation that surrounds us, and the Creator that made them.
I even saw this one forming a few weeks back, which was a neat process to see. Notice how it is help up by just two small silk like threads onto the side of our concrete planter. Then of course, we saw what those caterpillars turn into...
This one emerged from a different cocoon near the one in the photo above. You can still see the moisture on it's left wing as it sat on a flower drying so it could then fly away. Once again, the attention to detail in the smallest of things, and the processes therein are an amazing thing about the creation that surrounds us, and the Creator that made them.
Dirt Conversion
I know most guys don't take a liking to flowers like I do, but I have always been in awe of how all things, especially flowers, are just converting dirt into what you see below. You could argue very easily about how anything biological is amazing due to the thousands of processes that occur to make something what it is, in this case a stamen from a hibiscus flower. Just try to wrap your head around the fact that it was once dirt. Then, you begin to realize how much more complex things like the human body are, and how God is an amazing designer and creator.
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