Participants:
Series Code: OTG
Program Code: OTG000027A
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00:01 Adventist World aviation has been working on restoring
00:03 the refurbishing of a Cessna 182 to send down to the 00:07 mission field of Guyana where it will be used to fly 00:10 med-evac patients from the remote jungles. 00:13 AWA has worked on this project for over a year 00:16 and it has finally come to completion. 00:19 The aircraft left the Wisconsin maintenance 00:21 facility and is in route to Guyana. 00:24 It encountered many weather obstacles along the way, 00:27 but thankfully, aircraft 8838 x- ray made it to Florida safely 00:32 Up until this point, the flight path has taken them over 00:36 farmland and rural terrain. 00:38 However, from this point on, the aircraft must leave 00:42 the safely of the United States and take flight over open water 00:47 on its journey to South America. 01:41 The journey for aircraft 8838 x- ray had been a tumultuous one 01:46 So far the trip had been plagued with bad weather 01:50 and the stop in Florida was no exception. 01:54 A hurricane developed in the Caribbean, right in the 01:58 flight path forcing them to postpone their trip until they 02:02 could see what direction the damaging storm takes. 02:06 Ray Young, the pilot, monitoring the weather day and night. 02:10 Hurricanes can be very unpredictable, so rather than 02:14 take any risks, the Young's bunker down in Florida, 02:17 till the storm passes. 02:20 I just felt like from the moment we took off and the weather 02:25 systems the way they were. We just seemed like we were 02:28 being chased by weather. 02:30 It felt like the devil was mad at us, that we were bringing 02:34 this aircraft down here. I can't explain it, I've only 02:37 been flying for 30 years, but I have never seen weather 02:41 systems and collisions and catastrophic weather like this. 02:46 That weather that we squeaked through, the next day 02:48 ripped up towns, behind us. Tore up trees, caused all kinds 02:52 of damage. People died. It was horrendous the storms 02:57 that we somehow were able to squeak through. 03:01 It's just unexplainable, other than God was holding back 03:04 the winds of tides, so that we could squeak through and get 03:08 this asset of His delivered, in a timely manner. 03:11 It seems like the weather has been chasing us all the way. 03:15 Giving us a really hard time, we barely snuck down 03:19 through here in the first two days. Made it to Florida. 03:22 We had two fronts closing in on us from both sides. 03:25 We just snuck through the middle 03:27 We've been stuck now for two days in Florida. 03:30 With a hurricane out front of us Category 3 sometimes category 4. 03:36 Now we have a cold front that's moving through Florida 03:39 colliding with that and creating quite a bit of cloud 03:43 and havoc for us. 03:44 We had to take two nice days off. Visit Florida a little bit. 03:49 But now it looks like the weather is starting to turn in 03:52 our favor and we have a little bit of tailwind and we are 03:55 headed off to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and from there 03:58 we'll launch another four and a half hour leg 04:01 to Turks and Caicos. 04:02 And that will be the end of our day. 04:04 The risk of flying a small single engine aircraft 04:07 in hurricane conditions is unthinkable. 04:10 They simply don't have any options, they must wait 04:15 the storm out. 04:17 With the hurricane of course they were reporting 04:19 130-140 mile an hour winds. 04:22 The direction it was traveling was parallel to our path. 04:26 So we were a little concerned for a few days there, 04:28 that it may slide into our path. 04:30 But of course a little plane like this just can't handle 04:32 130 mile/hour winds. 04:34 So we decided to err on the side of caution and safety and just 04:39 give the storm a chance to turn direction. Convince us 04:43 it has turned direction. And now we are good to go. 04:46 After 2 days, hurricane Gonzalos has dissipated 04:52 and the danger has passed. 04:54 Ray and Julie are eager to continue onward. 04:57 Before they take off again, Ray does a thorough 05:01 inspection of the plane. 05:02 He needs to make sure that there was no damage from 05:05 the bad weather, so he looks over every inch of the aircraft, 05:09 checking to see if there is any water in the fuel, and tests 05:14 every component. 05:15 Today they begin flying over the open water, so he needs 05:21 to make sure that this aircraft is 100% air worthy. 05:27 Well, just in case the storms that have gone through 05:31 caused any damage to the aircraft, or people that maybe 05:34 tempered with it. 05:35 Or sometimes vibration can start to have things to come undone 05:39 So before every flight we give it a good looking over. 05:43 Make sure everything is tight and secure. 05:45 After the plane passes inspection, Ray and Julie 05:49 take to the skies. 05:51 Ever so happy to be moving closer to Guyana. 05:54 It was absolutely necessary that they wait for the storm to pass, 05:58 no matter how eager they are to continue their journey south. 06:02 (Radio communication) 06:53 The skies over Florida are clear. A drastic difference 06:56 from the flying conditions thus far. 06:59 Even though Ray and Julie are both anxious to deliver 07:02 the plane in Guyana, neither one of them is excited about 07:06 traveling for hours over open water. 07:10 When flying over land, it's comforting for them to know, 07:13 that if anything goes wrong, they have a place to make 07:16 an emergency landing. 07:18 But traveling over open seas, does not offer them that luxury. 07:24 The young's take in the view of the last bit of land 07:27 they will see for a while. 07:29 After they leave Fort Lauderdale 07:31 it will be open seas travel. 07:47 Well, we landed after a short little hop, hour and a half. 07:53 The third leg. We landed in Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport 08:21 Fort Lauderdale's airport is the last stop they have 08:25 in the United states. 08:26 They have a few items to attend to here. First they must fuel up 08:31 and get every last drop of gas in that tank that they can. 08:35 Carrying extra fuel is an extra safety precaution they take, 08:41 especially when flying over open waters. 08:47 Next they must pick up a life raft and PFD's. 08:51 Should an emergency happen, and they have to abandon 08:55 the plane over open water, having these floatation 08:58 devises on board will save their lives. 09:02 Lastly, Ray needs to file a flight plan and do some 09:06 mandatory paper work 09:08 required for ferrying a plane internationally. 09:11 The folks there absolutely fabulous, professional help 09:16 give us what advice they could give us and helped us 09:19 with a little bit of the paperwork that we were 09:21 going to have to go through. 09:23 With these different islands and that you land at. 09:26 Paperwork seems to be the number one job. 09:28 So we had to put together an awful lot of paperwork. 09:33 make sure that we had it right. 09:35 So that it wouldn't be any hassles, or problems and can't 09:39 say enough good things about the FB over there. 09:42 Before they leave this airport, Ray and Julie go over their 09:45 emergency protocol, to make sure they are prepared 09:48 should an emergency arise. 09:51 So, exit procedure, should we have to ditch in the ocean 09:56 We have our life vests on, make sure you clear of the aircraft 09:59 before you pull the yellow string. 10:03 Back seat passenger gets out first. 10:05 Than the front seat passenger. 10:08 Pilot will bail out his side. He will have the survival kit 10:13 tied to the life raft. There is a black toggle handle 10:18 that you can pull on the side of the life raft, and it will 10:21 inflate the life raft. And the survival kit which is behind us 10:26 We will open the door just before we touch down to water 10:31 if that does happen and that's our procedure. 10:37 The Young's have finished up their business here 10:38 in Fort Lauderdale. 10:40 They load up the plane and begin their taxi to the runway. 10:44 I would like to taxi for departure to Turk St Caicos. 11:02 Soon enough, they are in the skies - soaring southbound. 11:07 Within minutes the Florida coast line drifts away behind them. 11:12 It's both, exciting and nerve racking at the same time. 11:18 It's a bit ominous, when you first leave the shore line and 11:22 you see it heading off behind you and there is nothing but 11:26 blue water in front of you and no land. 11:29 You have to definitely ask God for a little extra 11:34 guidance and protection, because it's definitely 11:38 from then on in it was very critical that everything 11:42 works perfect on our aircraft. There was no backup plan 11:45 up there. You putting your life completely in God's hands. 11:48 What He chooses to do with you is what you have to accept 11:52 will happen. 12:06 The deep turquoise waters pass below them as 8838 x-ray 12:12 faithfully flies toward its next destination, Turks and Caicos. 12:19 This leg of the trip will take 4 hours to complete. 12:23 It appears that Ray and Julie waited the right amount of 12:27 time for the hurricane to pass. Thankfully, there is no sign 12:31 of turbulent weather ahead. 12:34 The skies are clear and the air is smooth. 12:36 Today they will have optimal flying conditions. 12:41 A luxury they have yet to experience on this trip. 12:45 Basically, these last 1, 2, 3, 4 legs, starting from Miami 12:54 There are several little islands with little runways and that 12:59 But as we progress, it gets more and more remote and fewer 13:04 and fewer islands in sight. 13:08 So basically we are flying a single engine aircraft 13:11 over open water and putting a lot of faith in the machinery, 13:17 that it's going to do its job and get us to 13:19 where we need to go. 13:21 Ray has full faith that this aircraft is safe and secure. 13:26 He has spent the last several months dedicated to working 13:29 on this aircraft himself. 13:31 He knows the ins and outs of this machine. 13:34 But despite his assurance, his pilot instincts say, to always 13:40 have a backup plan in these types of scenarios. 13:45 So when you are flying over open water, or in any 13:49 situation, as pilots we are trained for emergency 13:52 scenarios, we rehears them over and over and over again, 13:55 so that when the moment happens, you go into 13:58 autopilot mode. You know exactly what to do. 14:01 So that is how we train for open water emergency procedures. 14:06 Should we have to ditch the aircraft. 14:10 We want to know exactly what to do. And how to do it. 14:14 and not be... trying to figure it out at the last minute. 14:17 It gives you a good sense of calm. 14:19 Knowing that you know exactly what to do. 14:22 And it cuts down on the stress factor and the mistake factor. 14:29 As with the trip thus far, weather is always on Ray's mind. 14:33 He must keep an ever vigilant eye on the conditions 14:36 he is flying in, as well as those that are ahead of him 14:40 in his flight path. 14:42 With no land in sight, he cannot afford to run into any 14:46 type of bad weather. So he carefully monitors the winds, 14:50 the clouds and the weather reports. 14:54 And of course on a trip like this 14:56 the weather is probably our number one concern. 14:59 Having enough fuel to make some of these legs 15:03 the winds have to be just right for us, we are doing 4 hour legs 15:10 We have 6 hours of fuel if there is no wind, 15:14 but if we certainly ran into a little bit of a headwind, 15:17 There is just no airport to pull over and pick up some extra gas. 15:21 So we have to really be careful with our planning 15:25 and not overextend our selves. 15:28 Getting weather reports that are accurate through the Caribbean 15:33 is a little bit difficult. 15:36 And knowing that they aren't exactly accurate 15:40 So when you take off, you are hoping that their wind estimates 15:44 are going to be as accurate as possible. 15:47 But we are definitely taking some long legs. 15:50 of 3-4 hours across open water. Most average Cessna aircraft 15:57 are only packing 4 hours of fuel So you want to make sure you 16:00 don't runt into a large headwind or something that could exhaust 16:03 your fuel on board. 16:06 Because there just isn't any place to land and pick up more. 16:11 There is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into 16:13 making a trip like this. 16:15 One of the greatest things to consider is fuel consumption. 16:19 Cessna aircraft hold between 4-6 hours of fuel. 16:24 When planning this trip, they had to take into careful 16:28 consideration how far each island is from the other, 16:33 and what would happen if they couldn't reach 16:36 their next fuel stop. 16:39 So Ray must constantly monitor his gauges and be 16:43 careful to fly the plane in a way that optimizes fuel burn. 16:50 Well, you have to fly, even though you are flying VFR, 16:52 You have to fly a little more like you're flying IFR. 16:55 So you have to keep up your scan on your instruments 16:58 at times your horizon and that isn't as well defined, 17:03 as the clouds and ocean kind of blend together just a little bit 17:07 And of course every little noise when you're over open water, 17:10 sounds a lot lauder than it does when you are over land. 17:14 So every little rattle, every little hiccup in the motor, 17:17 every little pulse, You are very finely attuned to it. 17:22 Sometimes it can make you a little more nervous 17:26 than probably you need to be. 17:28 When ever the nerves start to get to you, you just 17:31 have to remember you're servant on God's watch. You are doing 17:36 this not for your own pleasure. You are doing this 17:38 for His honor and glory. Just put your life 17:41 and your condition and the situation all in His hands. 17:44 And trust that He is going to see you through just fine 17:46 and He did! 17:48 Planning a long journey like this can be very difficult. 17:51 Their ability to fly is very much weather dependent. 17:56 In the Caribbean, the weather reporting is not as accurate 17:59 as it is here in North America. 18:01 Ray can only look ahead a few hours to see 18:05 what weather lies ahead of them. 18:07 This can be very dangerous when flying a small 18:10 single engine aircraft over open waters. 18:13 If a storm system catches them, or if they have a strong wind, 18:18 there is nowhere that they can make an emergency landing. 18:23 They must trust souly that God is in control and that 18:28 HE will protect them and guide their path, as HE has done 18:33 so far on this journey. 18:36 Ray and Julie's nerves are eased and they settle into the flight. 18:41 They are both mentally prepared for this, and they know 18:44 that God is with them to protect them. 18:47 They have been blessed with fantastic flying weather today, 18:51 so they sit back and enjoy the pleasant ride. 18:54 They are both happy to be making this journey together 18:58 as husband and wife. 19:14 After a couple of hours, they are nearing the islands 19:16 of Turks and Caicos. 19:19 Although today's flight has been without difficulty, 19:22 it's always reassuring to see land on the horizon. 19:26 However, the sun is sinking lower and lower in the sky. 19:30 They must be on the ground by the time night falls. 19:33 It's not safe for them to fly after dark. They are up 19:37 against time to reach land while there is still daylight. 19:42 Smaller islands pass below them and they know that 19:46 they are getting close. Finally, after four hours of what 19:50 seemed like the longest flight, they can see the beacon lights 19:54 of the runway. 19:55 Just a few more moments and they will be on the ground 19:58 and will have completed another leg of this multi-day trip. 20:03 Ray eases the aircraft to the ground just in time as the sun 20:07 sets in the pink sky. 20:09 God has surely blessed them today with not only a safe, 20:14 but also a beautiful flight. 20:17 We landed just as the sun was setting, in Turks and Caicos. 20:21 By than we ran into a few health issues. 20:26 And of course it was Thursday night when we landed there. 20:31 Once we got through some of our physical issues, 20:36 We were running into the Sabbath And we decided to spent Sabbath 20:40 on Turks and Caicos and enjoy that to relax and rest up 20:46 because it had been pretty stressful up to that point. 20:49 And I think everybody just needed a quick little 20:52 rejuvenational brake and than we got ready again first thing 20:56 Sunday morning to launch on our next leg. 20:59 To the fact that these legs are 3 and a 1/2- 4 hours long 21:04 sometimes the altitude, the stress and everything 21:09 it just takes to get out and get going. It's a lot longer day 21:13 then just the 3 or 4 hours that you are flying. 21:18 With people on board, we had to keep our legs as short as we 21:22 possibly could and include extra rest stops, just so that 21:27 our bodies could kind of keep up catch up with the pace 21:30 of the change in altitude change in humidity, 21:34 Not being able to consume access amount of water, 21:37 spacing our meals, so that we wouldn't have any issues 21:41 while we were in flight tends to take its toll on the body 21:44 a lot more, than what was really anticipated or expected. 21:48 The stress of the grueling journey so far has caught up 21:51 with the Young's. As they reach their hotel in Turks and Caicos, 21:57 they are both physically and mentally exhausted. 22:00 And their bodies demand a break. To top it off, one of the outer 22:06 bands of hurricane Gonzalo, that they had just passed 22:10 through in the Caribbean, was bringing rain to the island. 22:14 The Young's have no choice, but to take a day of rest. 22:19 After about a week of flying, and being pushed to the max, 22:23 Ray is starting to mentally feel the pressure 22:25 that rests on his shoulders. 22:27 Of course as the only pilot, everything falls 22:30 on your shoulders. The stress of being on your game all the time. 22:37 was a lot harder as a single pilot, than it is when you can 22:40 share the workload with a fellow pilot. 22:44 As a single pilot, you also... fatigue is one issue 22:52 as a single pilot all the load falls on one person's shoulders. 22:57 Of course you can't go off and take a brake. 22:59 So the concentration factor is on full time for the whole trip 23:06 with no brakes. Also if you deal with, what we just dealt with, 23:11 yesterday - a few stomach issues and stuff like that 23:14 health is pretty critical. You can't just pass off to the 23:18 next leg to the next pilot who is feeling healthy. 23:21 You have to try and do your best to stay healthy and be able 23:24 to handle the stress load for each and every one of these legs 23:28 as a single pilot. 23:31 His top priority is to deliver this aircraft safely. 23:34 and with no, and I mean no damage. 23:39 He would rather have the trip take a bit longer then to put 23:43 his family and the aircraft in any type of danger. 23:47 Early Sunday morning, the Young's head to the airport 23:52 before day break. 23:53 As they drive to the airport Ray takes note of the skies. 23:57 It looks like a perfect day for flying. 24:01 He hopes to make it all the way to St Croix today. 24:05 This will be the 5th leg of the trip. 24:10 As the sun rises over the runway the skies light up 24:15 with vibrant colors. 24:16 It's almost as if God is making Himself known 24:20 and giving His blessing on today's flight. 24:24 8838 x-ray is loaded and ready to take off into the skies again 24:29 headed one step closer to her final destination, Guyana. 24:35 Plan for today. Well, we still have weather around us. 24:41 We are headed for Saint Croix. It's going to take us about 24:48 4 hours and 20 minutes with zero winds. 24:51 The wind seems to be light today 24:56 Yeah that's kind of the plan today is to get one more leg 24:59 and a little bit closer to our destination. 25:02 Our back up plan. Of course when you follow a flight plan here, 25:05 they want to have a backup airport, so Porto Rico. 25:08 We fly right over top of that on the way to Saint Croix. 25:11 So that will be our backup plan. If we can't get into Saint Croix 25:15 we'll go into Porto Rico. 25:17 OK, Ready for prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, 25:23 thank You for this opportunity to serve You! 25:25 I pray that You will be with us, watch over our flight, 25:27 give us safe arrival at our destination, keep bed weather 25:31 out of our way. Stop all other obstacles from happening 25:35 we pray in Jesus' name, Amen! Amen! 25:43 Tower, it's November 8838 x-ray. 25:48 The Young's make their journey through the rest of the islands 25:50 headed south through the Caribbean. 25:56 Next we land in Saint Croix. Deal with the customs issues, 26:03 and that we had there. And the FBO again there is very 26:07 very favorable to us and we have used them in the past. 26:12 They welcomed us with open arms. Took good care of us. 26:19 We had a restful night there. Then we loaded up again 26:24 with maximum amount of fuel. And headed off to St Vincent. 26:33 And then on to St Vincent with no problems or issues. 26:37 The weather, and the plane both seem to be co-operating 26:41 and the journey goes smoothly. 26:43 I am just glad that God picked me to serve in this manner. 26:50 It's a great honor, and a great blessing to be able to 26:54 participate Adventist World Aviation and to get these wings 26:59 that's been sitting idle for over 2 years, 27:01 back in the air again. As a mechanic and a pilot, 27:04 we have kind of a connection to an airplane, 27:09 almost like a person, it has a soul. 27:12 And they become a trusted friend 27:15 And we hate to see any of them sitting on the ground, 27:18 when they could be out there taking care of the business 27:21 that they were built for to do. 27:24 I am very very grateful to have this opportunity. 27:26 I thank God for choosing me! 27:30 Also one thing, you got to help people and 27:33 you got to prove to them that you care about them. 27:40 Doing the medical missionary type work like this 27:43 helps build the trust factor with people. 27:48 I think it is a great door opener. And we've seen 27:52 in Guyana, I am told in the last few months in that people 27:56 were actually coming to our missionaries doors, 27:59 saying, you people have the truth, after 7 years of you 28:04 being here we now want you to tell us. 28:06 So the missionary work in the aviation work is starting 28:11 to reap rewards and harvest for the Lord. 28:16 But it has taken a lot of time. 28:18 Lot of faith that it would pay off on the long run 28:23 and it appears though it is now starting to pay off quite well. 28:27 As they land in St Vincent, they are relieved to have 28:31 made it thus far. 28:32 This is the last Caribbean island they will be stopping on. 28:38 Tomorrow's journey will be the longest trip over open 28:41 water so far. 28:43 A 5 hour flight with nothing but blue seas. 28:48 This is the most dangerous part of the trip, but once they 28:52 cross the seas, their next stop will be mainland Guyana! |
Revised 2016-02-11