We have a new airplane! Sort of. N209KA is now 5y-SIL. We've had to re-register 2 of our aircraft to Kenya registry, and 9KA is the first to get through the process. The other, N756MS is undergoing a major overhaul, including complete repainting, new instrument panel, new HF radio, nearly a complete re-wiring, new fuel tanks, etc., etc.
Anyway, we received the registration certificate today for 5Y-SIL. The airplane joined AIM Air's fleet in the mid-80s when Denny Dyvig flew it from Sudan (as part of the evacuation from Sudan with the civil war there). Denny (and the airplane) are with JAARS, Jungle Aviation And Radio Service, the aviation branch of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Denny's our safety officer at AIM Air, and a truly outstanding pilot.
Another part of Wycliffe is the Summer Institute for Linguistics, or SIL. Thus the new identifier for the aircraft. SIL exists to bring the Bible to peoples who don't have a written language. It began in 1934, started by William Cameron Townsend as part of his efforts to bring the Bible to those who did not have it. Part of their charter now is to work with local people to "adapt or translate literature or publication on subjects such as nutrition, farming, health (including HIV/AIDS), and some or all of the Bible." (From the SIL webpage at www.sil.org/sil )
It's a relief to know that we'll be getting a C-206 back in operation very soon. We've missed the airplane's capabilities, alot. It's exciting that we'll put 5y-SIL back to work supporting missionaries as they live among the people they are bringing God's Word to.
19 November 2007
17 November 2007
Two Days Four Countries
I was on my way to Mwanza, Tanzania with four folks going to do computer training at a school there. The sel-call on the HF goes off (sel-call lets you ring a specific HF radio. Everyone else on channel can still hear you, but only the one radio rings like a phone). Our ops manager says, "Jay can you divert and after you drop off your passengers, go to Entebbe to pick up three people and take them to Bunia?" But I'm getting ahead of myself.
First the guys going to Tanzania. When we planned the flight there was no fuel in Mwanza so I had to carry round trip gas (about 280 liters or 74 gallons, weighing in at 440 lbs). They were told 20 lbs luggage each, no more. They showed up at the hangar, not customs for the usual metal detector and luggage scans, and they showed up with 20 kg (about 45lbs0 of luggage each. The good news for them was that that day Mwanza had gotten a fuel shipment in, so there was gas there. So...taxi from customs back to the hangar, take 100 liters of fuel off (about 25 gallons), and now there's weight to carry the luggage. Taxi back to customs (beat the passengers there) load up finally and go. Wow.
Then the HF call. Can I go to Entebbe. "Call me when you get on the ground there and I'll talk you through where to take care of the paperwork." Sure, I can go to Entebbe. "Ok, I'll call when I get there." So I drop my passengers off, refuel, file a flight plan and take off.
Entebbe, yep, the same place as in "Raid On Entebbe." They have a fancy new terminal building (3/4 done, that plays in later) getting ready for the CHOGM meetings next week. Land, park, secure the plane, etc. Ok, call the Ops Mgr. No answer. Hmm. Find the restroom. Call again. Still no answer. Ok, let's see what I can find. I found were the file flight plans and pay landing and navigation fees. I wander out through arrivals (I missed the office where we're supposed to leave general declarations (customs document stating what and who we brought and are taking)). Call again - it'd be nice to know where I'm spending the night. Finally, an answer! I'll be staying with the Stairs. Dan is the Entebbe pilot (he's up in CAR on a safari flight for another week though) and his wife Cindy and two daughters live there. I get a cab out to their house, Cindy pays the cabbie (I have no Ugandan shillings). I get a great meal, and fixed up with a room in the guest house / AIM Air Uganda office.
The next day it's back to the airport and off to Bunia. I meet my passengers, the Morrows and Pearl Winterbuck. They're long time missionaries out there. Pearl is about 87 years old and in a wheel chair. Somehow we have to get here (and about 10 huge suitcases) downstairs to the ramp. Remember the building is still under construction? There's no power to the elevator. So... Ed Morrow, two Ugandan airport workers and I carry Pearl, wheelchair and all, down two flights of stairs. Brave lady. Then Ed and I lug the bags down, and I stuff them in the plane. Its a good thing they were missing one from the flight to Uganda, I have no idea where I'd have put it That plane was FULL!
Off to Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. No worries. Except the Bunia tower controller won't SHUT UP!! Three planes are coming in at about the same time. This guy gives us new directions every 5 seconds. Just sequence us and let us fly for crying out loud! Get landed, get unloaded and say farewell to the Morrows and Pearl. (Ed was great to talk to, he was on headset for the flight out...wonderful fellow!) Belagese, the Congolese who works at Bunia for MAF and AIM helped me with the paperwork, and brought out three more passengers to go back to Entebbe. Get them all loaded up, get on our way...tower thinks we're going to Arus. Sigh. Easily fixed, and back to Entebbe.
Land, unload, farewell my passengers (who speak 10 words of English between them) and file paperwork to get home. Take off, and fly along the north shore of Lake Victoria heading home.
Two hours later, I land and put the airplane away. Two days. Four countries. Ten missionaries.
First the guys going to Tanzania. When we planned the flight there was no fuel in Mwanza so I had to carry round trip gas (about 280 liters or 74 gallons, weighing in at 440 lbs). They were told 20 lbs luggage each, no more. They showed up at the hangar, not customs for the usual metal detector and luggage scans, and they showed up with 20 kg (about 45lbs0 of luggage each. The good news for them was that that day Mwanza had gotten a fuel shipment in, so there was gas there. So...taxi from customs back to the hangar, take 100 liters of fuel off (about 25 gallons), and now there's weight to carry the luggage. Taxi back to customs (beat the passengers there) load up finally and go. Wow.
Then the HF call. Can I go to Entebbe. "Call me when you get on the ground there and I'll talk you through where to take care of the paperwork." Sure, I can go to Entebbe. "Ok, I'll call when I get there." So I drop my passengers off, refuel, file a flight plan and take off.
Entebbe, yep, the same place as in "Raid On Entebbe." They have a fancy new terminal building (3/4 done, that plays in later) getting ready for the CHOGM meetings next week. Land, park, secure the plane, etc. Ok, call the Ops Mgr. No answer. Hmm. Find the restroom. Call again. Still no answer. Ok, let's see what I can find. I found were the file flight plans and pay landing and navigation fees. I wander out through arrivals (I missed the office where we're supposed to leave general declarations (customs document stating what and who we brought and are taking)). Call again - it'd be nice to know where I'm spending the night. Finally, an answer! I'll be staying with the Stairs. Dan is the Entebbe pilot (he's up in CAR on a safari flight for another week though) and his wife Cindy and two daughters live there. I get a cab out to their house, Cindy pays the cabbie (I have no Ugandan shillings). I get a great meal, and fixed up with a room in the guest house / AIM Air Uganda office.
The next day it's back to the airport and off to Bunia. I meet my passengers, the Morrows and Pearl Winterbuck. They're long time missionaries out there. Pearl is about 87 years old and in a wheel chair. Somehow we have to get here (and about 10 huge suitcases) downstairs to the ramp. Remember the building is still under construction? There's no power to the elevator. So... Ed Morrow, two Ugandan airport workers and I carry Pearl, wheelchair and all, down two flights of stairs. Brave lady. Then Ed and I lug the bags down, and I stuff them in the plane. Its a good thing they were missing one from the flight to Uganda, I have no idea where I'd have put it That plane was FULL!
Off to Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. No worries. Except the Bunia tower controller won't SHUT UP!! Three planes are coming in at about the same time. This guy gives us new directions every 5 seconds. Just sequence us and let us fly for crying out loud! Get landed, get unloaded and say farewell to the Morrows and Pearl. (Ed was great to talk to, he was on headset for the flight out...wonderful fellow!) Belagese, the Congolese who works at Bunia for MAF and AIM helped me with the paperwork, and brought out three more passengers to go back to Entebbe. Get them all loaded up, get on our way...tower thinks we're going to Arus. Sigh. Easily fixed, and back to Entebbe.
Land, unload, farewell my passengers (who speak 10 words of English between them) and file paperwork to get home. Take off, and fly along the north shore of Lake Victoria heading home.
Two hours later, I land and put the airplane away. Two days. Four countries. Ten missionaries.
01 November 2007
Donkeys & Airplanes
Don't play well together. I flew up to Kurungu today to pick up a lady who was going to the UK. Coming into Kurungu...hmm, something on the runway. Turn final. Hmmm, still there. Get ready to go around. Oh. Donkeys. Add power, buzz the strip about 20 ft up. A couple donkeys run. Most of them are still there, I see as I turn back on downwind. One of the workers at the mission compound comes out and runs most of the donkeys off. Two are still there, standing in the middle of the runway watching the airplane. Downwind. Base (still there). Final (still there). Short final (still there.) Add power, buzz the donkeys at about 10 ft. Go around. They ran this time.
Third pattern's the charm. Donkeys are gone, landing strip is clear. The half-dozen camels at the halfway point weren't interested in coming out of the shade to get in the way. They chewed their leaves and watched me roll past.
No donkeys in sight on takeoff.
Third pattern's the charm. Donkeys are gone, landing strip is clear. The half-dozen camels at the halfway point weren't interested in coming out of the shade to get in the way. They chewed their leaves and watched me roll past.
No donkeys in sight on takeoff.
Orthopedic clinics
Last week I flew the Drs from CURE Int. around western Kenya while they did intial and follow up clinics for children. They work with crippled children, providing orthopedic surgeries and therapy. Some of the cases were pretty horrific.... children badly burned with the scars having contracted and crippled their hands or feet, children with spina bifida or cerebral palsy, or badly broken bones or clubfoot or... you get the idea. Seeing the initial cases was depressing. Seeing the follow ups, after they'd had surgery and - or physical therapy, that was amazing.
One boy, about 14 years old, really stuck in mind. He'd been born with no hands and no legs below the knee. But, his handwriting is better than mine (he has pads where his hands should be and holds the pen in both "hands.") And he plays soccer! Apparently rather well, too. He has shoes made from leather sewn around plastic tubs that fit over the stumps of his knees. The Drs are working on fitting him with prosthetic legs, but the thing that made this guy so amazing was his attitude. He walked in, smiling, glad to be there. He wasn't letting his disabilities stop him, or even slow him down much. Just amazing.
The medical team was ecstatic over being able to fly. The way these clinics ran in the past, they would drive to Kisumu from Kijabe (about 8 hours), do a clinic the next day, drive 6 hours to Kitale after the day's clinic, do a clinic the next day, drive 2 hours to Eldoret, another clinic the next day, then drive 6 hours back to Kijabe, getting in around midnight. The flight to Kisumu was just over an hour, to Kitale about 25 minutes, to Eldoret about 15 minutes, and back to Nairobi about an hour. They've already booked flights for the next two clinics.
One boy, about 14 years old, really stuck in mind. He'd been born with no hands and no legs below the knee. But, his handwriting is better than mine (he has pads where his hands should be and holds the pen in both "hands.") And he plays soccer! Apparently rather well, too. He has shoes made from leather sewn around plastic tubs that fit over the stumps of his knees. The Drs are working on fitting him with prosthetic legs, but the thing that made this guy so amazing was his attitude. He walked in, smiling, glad to be there. He wasn't letting his disabilities stop him, or even slow him down much. Just amazing.
The medical team was ecstatic over being able to fly. The way these clinics ran in the past, they would drive to Kisumu from Kijabe (about 8 hours), do a clinic the next day, drive 6 hours to Kitale after the day's clinic, do a clinic the next day, drive 2 hours to Eldoret, another clinic the next day, then drive 6 hours back to Kijabe, getting in around midnight. The flight to Kisumu was just over an hour, to Kitale about 25 minutes, to Eldoret about 15 minutes, and back to Nairobi about an hour. They've already booked flights for the next two clinics.
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