Participants:
Series Code: OTG
Program Code: OTG000028A
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00:01 Ray and Julie Young are in the process of flying a new
00:03 mission airplane, aircraft number 8838 x-ray, to Guyana 00:09 where it will serve in the mission field by providing 00:13 med-evac flights and delivering the Gospel 00:17 to remote jungle areas. 00:19 The Youngs have committed to flying this airplane from 00:22 Wisconsin all the way down to Guyana, South America, 00:27 a journey that will take them almost a weeks time. 00:31 They have flown across the United States, and launched 00:36 into the Caribbean. 00:38 Island hopping their way down through the Caribbean. 00:41 Flying a small single engine airplane over open water 00:46 can be dangerous, so they follow the islands down as much 00:50 as they can. 00:52 Ray is the only pilot on this mission flight, so he has 00:55 a large amount of responsibility resting on his shoulders. 01:00 This small aircraft can only carry enough fuel to make 01:04 a 4 hour hop between the islands so they have to carefully 01:09 plan out their journey. 01:10 The next stop for the Young's is St Croix 01:14 where they will fuel up before continuing onward. 02:08 Ray and Julie young have been on this journey 02:11 for 8 days now. They've had to endure great setbacks 02:15 due to weather, but their spirits are high as they 02:19 are nearing the end of their journey. 02:21 They left Turks and Caicos this morning and have been 02:26 flying for a few hours now with no complications 02:28 or obstacles. They have only two more islands until they 02:33 reach their destination. 02:35 Ray's spirits are very high as he considers his mission. 02:39 I'm just glad that God picked me to serve Him in this manner 02:46 It's a great honor and a great blessing to be able to 02:50 participate with Adventist World Aviation, And to get these wings 02:55 that have been sitting idle for over 2 years, 02:57 back in the air again. As a mechanic and a pilot we have 03:03 kind of a connection to an airplane like it is almost 03:06 a person or has a soul - ay They become a trusted friend. 03:12 And we hate to see any of them sitting on the ground, 03:14 when they could be out there taking care of the business, 03:17 that they were built and meant to do. 03:19 So I am very, very grateful to have this opportunity 03:22 and I thank God for choosing me. 03:26 The Young's continue to fly southbound, the island of 03:30 St Croix comes into view. Land is always a relieving sight 03:34 The lush green island is a necessary fuel stop. 03:38 Ray begins his decent. As he lowers his altitude 03:42 he drops down right beside a small storm cell. 03:46 Rain and heavy winds are very dangerous conditions 03:50 for a small single engine aircraft to be flying in. 03:54 This storm is blocking the path to the island. 03:57 It consists of turbulent winds, and random pockets of rain 04:02 all around the aircraft. They cannot fly around it, 04:06 but instead, must fly through the bad weather. 04:12 Ray skillfully navigates the airplane through the rain 04:16 and wind turbulence. He is flying straight into the rain, 04:20 relying on his instrument training to guide him. 04:25 He has zero visibility and must wholly depend on his 04:29 instruments and the island's control tower's instruction 04:32 to guide him safely to the ground. 04:36 Radio Communication with air traffic control tower. 05:02 Thankfully as Ray turns to make his final approach for 05:05 the runway, the rain breaks. He is able to safely land 05:10 the airplane, before the downpour resumes. 05:18 Once on the ground, Ray busies himself with 05:21 paperwork while the plane is being refueled. 05:26 Good morning! Looking to file a flight plan. VFR. 05:32 Yes, Direct, 05:37 to Tango, Victor, Sierra, Victor 05:43 Time and road 3 hours 30 minutes 05:48 He must look ahead in the journey and file flight plans, 05:51 and check weather reports. 05:53 He cannot afford to get stuck in bad weather while over 05:57 open waters, with no place to make an emergency landing. 06:01 As a necessary safety precaution, he carefully 06:04 monitors the skies for the next leg of his trip. 06:07 Another added level of safety is filing a flight plan. 06:13 Now a flight plan is a document filed by a pilot prior to 06:17 departure which indicates the plane's planned route of flight. 06:22 The plan generally includes basic information, such as 06:27 departure and arrival points, estimated time en route. 06:33 Flight plans are highly recommended, especially 06:37 when flying over inhospitable areas, such as open water, 06:42 as they provide a way of alerting rescuers if the flight 06:46 is overdue. 06:48 For IFR flights, it means flying by instruments, 06:52 flight plans are used by air traffic control, to initiate 06:57 tracking and routing service, should the plane go missing. 07:01 This added safety measure will alert search and rescue 07:05 personnel, if a plane doesn't reach 07:07 it's intended destination on time. 07:12 After all the paper work is completed, it's time to venture 07:15 forward, toward St Vincent, the last stop 07:19 before reaching Guyana. 07:21 Today we are taking off from St Croix, and we are headed 07:24 over to St Vincent, Fairly low altitude, due to clouds. 07:29 We are looking at about 3 hours and 20 minutes basically. 07:33 This here is our second to last leg. Next leg will be tomorrow 07:38 morning into Ogle. And we hand the keys over to Laura 07:41 and our job is done, fortunately 07:45 Radio Communication with air traffic control tower. 08:05 Within minutes 8838 x-ray is taking off into the skies again. 08:09 This journey to St Vincent will take just over 3 hours. 08:15 Although it is not a long distance, there are many 08:18 things that could happen in the Caribbean, and Ray wants 08:22 to be extra prepared to handle anything that might come his way 08:27 Heavenly Father we want to thank You for the opportunity to serve 08:30 Please watch over us! Help us to make wise decisions! 08:33 Help us to get to our destination with this aircraft 08:36 on time! In Jesus' name, Amen! - Amen! 08:44 When you are flying over open water, or in any situation, 08:48 as pilots we are trained for emergency scenarios. We rehears 08:52 them over and over and over again, so that when the moment 08:56 happens, you go into autopilot mode you know exactly what to do 09:00 So that is why we train for open water emergency procedures, 09:05 Should we have to ditch the aircraft, we want to know 09:10 exactly what to do, and how to do it and not trying to figure 09:14 it out the last minute. It gives you a good sense of calm. 09:18 Knowing that you know exactly what to do, and it cuts down 09:22 on the stress factor and the mistake factor. 09:28 The Young's carry onboard a personal GPS locator 09:32 that anyone can track online. 09:35 During the past week, leaders at Adventist World Aviation 09:38 have been monitoring the progress of the journey. 09:42 The GPS locator sends up the GPS coordinates every 09:47 10 minutes to a satellite, which can pinpoint the airplane's 09:51 exact location. 09:53 These safety means are all in place 09:56 to help minimize catastrophes. 09:58 Having this GPS spot and filing regular flight plans 10:04 are incredibly important when making long journeys like this 10:08 over open water. 10:10 I tell them my path, my times, so search and rescue 10:15 come looking for us if we go over time by more than 10:18 15-20 minutes. 10:21 Yeh, just lets them know what type of aircraft, 10:23 how many people on board. 10:24 How much fuel, all that kind of stuff. 10:26 And if you don't open it, then they don't activate it, 10:29 you are not in the system. Now that I am in the system, 10:33 Ric can go to flightplan.com and pull up these tail numbers 10:38 and he can actually watch us live as we fly through this 10:42 airspace basically. Another level of security 10:45 and it is pretty much required when you flying into 10:47 these remote areas. 10:49 When you are flying around Chicago, or somewhere 10:51 and you go down, chances are you are going to land on some 10:53 farmer's field. They are going to call the local authority. 10:56 Out here nobody would miss you. 10:59 Thank God, these safety protocol were just 11:02 precautions on this trip. 11:03 8838 x-ray is flying over the open waters with no issues. 11:08 God has blessed them with prefect flying conditions. 11:12 As they fly, Ray and Julie see no land in sight for hours. 11:16 Although beautiful, this can be a little daunting to be so 11:21 far away from land. 11:23 However the Young's trust in God to protect them on this 11:27 mission and continue forward without second thought. 11:31 They know they have the Creator of the universe 11:34 watching over them. 11:37 Radio Communication with air traffic control tower. 11:42 The mountainous island of St Vincent comes into view. 11:45 The lush green mountaintops are a welcome view for these two. 11:49 It's been a long day for Ray and Julie and they are exhausted. 11:54 Thankfully they are almost to their very last Caribbean stop 11:58 before they reach the mainland of South America. 12:03 The runway in St Vincent is a tricky one to navigate. 12:06 It sits recessed on the very edge of the island, 12:10 right off the ocean. 12:12 The challenging part is that, it sits in a bowl of mountains, 12:16 that surround the runway. 12:18 Landing here takes great skill and precision. 12:21 The winds off the ocean blow this small aircraft off course, 12:27 but Ray does all he can to correct for the wind 12:31 and 8838 x-ray lands safely on the ground. 12:38 Another long day is finished and the Young's retire for the night 12:41 They will need their rest for tomorrow, 12:44 the final day and the longest day of their journey. 13:00 After almost a week of travel across the United States 13:04 and through the Caribbean, the AWA pilots have finally 13:08 reached the last leg of their journey. 13:11 Today the Young's embark on the last day of the journey 13:14 and plan to reach Guyana. 13:16 They are thrilled to have reached this far. 13:19 however they are also apprehensive of today's route. 13:23 This is the longest stretch of the trip, 13:26 5 hours over open water flying. This will push them to the max. 13:34 It is absolutely imperative that they get every drop 13:37 of extra fuel that they can carry with them. 13:40 This long stretch will burn almost a full tank of gas. 13:44 If they encounter a strong headwind that will cause 13:48 them to burn extra fuel, and that will cause real trouble. 13:54 But there is no other option, they must cross the open seas 13:58 to reach Guyana. 13:59 OK, so we fueled up - max fuel again in St Vincent, 14:05 the longest leg with no land in sight was the last leg of course 14:08 By this time everybody has seen enough of open water. 14:12 It's not the trill it used to be We are all anxious to hurry up 14:17 and get our feet on the ground and be done sitting in those 14:20 confined little seats. And be able to move around. 14:24 They load up and pray a special prayer that God would get them 14:29 over this special journey ahead. 14:32 Dear Lord thank you so much again for letting us serve You! 14:35 Giving us this opportunity for this awesome experience! 14:38 It's a once in a lifetime adventure. We pray that You will 14:43 be with us. Watch over us on this final leg and help us to 14:45 deliver Your asset to Laura - the Labores and all the 14:49 missionaries that will use it over the next few years. 14:52 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen! 14:54 Plan for today is smooth sailing It's our last leg - hours of 15:00 open water to go, before we see the shores of Guyana. 15:04 And we hope to be able to hand the keys over to Laura 15:07 sometime around lunch time today. 15:09 We're a little exhausted, but we had a good rest last night 15:12 So we are really positive and excited and glad when it reaches 15:17 its final conclusion in a positive way! 15:35 Radio Communication with air traffic control tower. 16:06 After communicating with the tower, 16:08 Ray is cleared for takeoff. 16:10 The tires lift off the safety of the ground and Ray turns 16:14 the airplane south, with open skies ahead of them. 16:18 They pass by the last few islands in the Grenadines, 16:22 and they fade into the distance. 16:25 For the next few hours, as they look out the windows, 16:28 all they will see is blue skies above them 16:33 and blue water below them. 16:37 To ease his nerves, Ray reflects on the reason 16:41 he is making this trip. 16:44 I just felt a real calling in my heart. 16:46 I know how desperate the missionaries where to get 16:50 another aircraft on line. 16:52 I have been to Guyana several times to patch up the old one 16:56 that they are using and just know what it feels like to be 17:00 stranded in the jungle with no airplane, no way to get out. 17:03 And sitting there waiting for somebody to come help you. 17:08 So I feel it's time to stop talking about religion and 17:13 spreading the Gospel and start doing something about it. 17:17 Oh, you know that you made a difference for sure. 17:21 I knew that, before I started it because I could see 17:24 the difference these aircrafts were making. 17:27 It's just unimaginable in this kind of heat and humidity 17:30 and that. The simplest things that we could just go to 17:34 a hospital, or a doctor, and get looked after. 17:38 It's like disease goes rampant here in this environment. 17:43 It is so critical to get people even with severe dehydration, 17:47 or what ever out of here. To where they can get 17:50 some of the best possible medical help that they can get. 17:54 So an aircraft is the only way to get them there within an hour 17:58 We can usually get them to medical help. 18:01 Otherwise they would be looking at a canoe ride, or something 18:05 for a day or two down the river just to get here, 18:08 to get on the barge. To take another two day ride on the 18:11 open ocean to get to a hospital. You know, even with diseases 18:16 and things at home we don't have 4-5 days to go see our doctor. 18:20 When we finally realize we are at that critical, critical stage 18:25 where you need emergency help. 18:27 So there is just know way these people could survive, or anybody 18:31 over here could survive without the use of an aircraft. 18:34 You got to know people and you got to show them that 18:40 you care about them. And doing the medical missionary type work 18:46 like this helps build the trust factor with people. 18:51 I think it's a great door opener and we've seen in Guyana 18:56 I'm told in the last few months and that, people are actually 19:00 coming to our missionaries doors, saying you people 19:04 have the truth. After 7 years of you being here, we now want 19:08 you to tell us. The missionary work and the aviation work 19:13 is starting to reap rewards and harvest for the Lord. 19:19 It has taken a lot of time, and lot of faith, that it would 19:25 pay off on the long run and it appears though it is now 19:28 starting to pay off quite well. 19:31 Ray's thoughts of the great needs for this aircraft 19:34 in the mission field has given him a renewed energy. 19:37 He and his wife Julie know without a doubt, 19:40 they are on God's mission. 19:41 They are relying on God to protect His asset and His 19:46 servants during this journey. 19:48 Flying over open seas can be difficult when there is 19:52 no land in sight. 19:54 The sky blends with the sea and there isn't a clear 19:58 horizon line to follow. 20:00 Ray must be extra vigilant to use his instruments to guide 20:05 him, rather than trust the deceiving horizon. 20:09 After a few hours the hazy blue horizon is replaced 20:14 with a form of land! They have land in sight! 20:18 Although it was still at a distance, the visibility of land 20:23 was a pleasant reassurance. 20:26 We had 3 and 1/2 hours of open water. 20:30 Finally saw the mainland of Guyana, which was good to see. 20:33 Unfortunately there is still another hour of flying to go 20:36 after we saw the shoreline. 20:38 It seemed like we were there, but it is the longest hour 20:41 of the whole flight. I think it was flying down the shoreline 20:44 until we made it into Ogle. 20:47 Finally they have reached the edges of Guyana South America. 20:52 The blue waters show evidence that land is near. 20:56 The river silt from the Jungle rivers mix with the deep blue 21:01 sea, this is just another sign that they are reaching 21:06 their destination. 21:09 Soon Ray must be in constant communication 21:12 with air traffic control. 21:14 They guide his plane off the water and onto land. 21:19 Radio Communication with air traffic control tower. 21:30 The air traffic controllers have a special surprise 21:32 for the Young's. 21:36 Laura Labore, the missionary pilot here in Guyana, 21:41 and the Young's personal friend 21:43 is waiting for them in the control tower. 21:47 She is ever eager to have this plane arrive. 21:51 She is in the control tower right now, 21:53 listening to all the communication. 21:56 Julie helps Ray with the radio frequencies and airport codes. 22:01 They are flying into Ogle airport, 22:04 in the capital of Guyana. 22:07 Together as a team the Young's navigate the skies 22:10 till they have the airport in sight! 22:13 Both of their hearts leap, as they realize, they are mere 22:18 moments away from concluding their journey! 22:21 As Ray prepares for his landing, they inch closer 22:25 and closer to the ground and finally the wheels 22:30 make contact with the Guyanese land! 22:34 Praise the Lord! 22:37 they successfully made it to their destination! 22:52 Made it! 22:54 We found the airport, made a nice successful landing. 22:57 Folks were waiting for us, everybody was happy to see us. 23:01 Even some of the local operators and that came over to say hi 23:05 and they are happy to see the yellow plane back, 23:09 They thought it was 708, that was coming back. 23:11 all reconditioned, but 38 x-ray is a complete different aircraft 23:16 than what they thought it was. But they were still 23:18 glad to see us. Very helpful with customs and everything, 23:22 and it was smooth transition. 23:26 It doesn't take long for Laura to come out and meet them. 23:29 With joyous hearts, they greet each other and Laura 23:33 takes a look at the beautiful 8838 x-ray. 23:38 The project of rebuilding this plane and getting it 23:41 to Guyana has taken over a year and a half. 23:44 But as Laura takes a look, she knows that it was well worth it. 23:49 This plane has been beautifully and masterfully remade 23:54 and modified to fit their needs here in Guyana. 23:58 Even though they have reached Guyana, the journey 24:01 is not yet over. 24:02 They must now fly from the capital of Guyana into the 24:06 deep jungles where Adventist World Aviation works. 24:09 Laura hops in to the plane with them and they again take to 24:14 the skies headed for their final destination, Mabaruma. 24:20 The view outside the window is quite different from what 24:23 the Young's have experienced the past few days. 24:26 The jungles are lush and green. 24:30 Ray takes the opportunity to show Laura the ins and outs 24:32 of this plane. 24:34 Laura is more than overjoyed to have aircraft 8838 x-ray here 24:41 This is what it is going to feel like we are on our way to Heaven 24:45 It'll be so much fun! 24:46 The flight from Georgetown to Mabaruma 24:50 is only one hour. 24:52 The Mabaruma runway comes into view 24:55 and for the first time ever 8838 x-ray lands at its new home 25:02 The mission is officially over. 25:05 Yeah, it was great to see the jungle strip show up 25:09 in front of you, because everything is just green 25:10 and rain and cloud. We had to fly through very heavy 25:14 rain storm just to get here. We were wondering whether or not 25:18 it would even be possible to land. But again just in the nick 25:22 of time the rain stopped and the sky cleared up and there was 25:27 the strip. We flew across midfield, over the strip. 25:32 I saw people out there, beside the runway. 25:34 Waiting for us to land. Turned, came in and had an absolute 25:39 gorgeous landing with all of the lights and everything on 25:42 and pulled up in front of the terminal to meet all the local 25:46 dignitaries and hospital staff. That could take the day off 25:50 and came out to greet us. 25:51 Let us know how much they appreciate everybody's support. 25:56 Having this aircraft back in function for them again. 26:00 It was a good feeling to finally have completed the long journey, 26:06 that we started months ago. 26:11 Everyone is overjoyed to see the new mission airplane land. 26:15 Officials from the village have come, despite the bad weather 26:18 to welcome the plane home. 26:20 I remember the day when I found out the airplane was coming in 26:23 to Mabaruma, I was very excited and I called people here 26:27 to let them know that the plane was coming. 26:29 I went out to the airstrip to take some footage of the landing 26:32 when it was coming in. 26:35 We had really a good turnout. It was a rainy day, which is 26:37 in Guyana is kind of unusual for people to come out in the rain. 26:40 We had representatives from the ministry of health there, 26:43 the regional democratic council, 26:44 all the people that are effected by the airplane. 26:47 They came out in groves to basically welcome its arrival. 26:53 But for me personally, my heart leaped a beat when I saw it, 26:57 because it is a beautiful airplane. That's number one. 27:00 It is a very very well done airplane. I am very confident 27:04 it is going to be a great aircraft for us. 27:05 But just that I know the amount of work, that went into 27:08 preparing it. And the commitment of lot of individuals 27:11 back in the states. The pathfinders and what they did. 27:14 Helping to raise funds for the refurbishment. 27:19 It just touches my heart. They don't realize really what an 27:24 impact this plane has, because they are not here, but when you 27:27 live on the ground here and you see day to day the lives that 27:30 are effected by it. It's very very moving. And it's emotional. 27:36 It's one of those things. Lot of people see just an airplane. 27:40 But here people see it as a lifeline. 27:42 This village has been without a mission plane for months now. 27:45 and they desperately missed it. 27:48 After a 10 day journey from Wisconsin, the Young's have 27:53 successfully delivered the aircraft to Guyana South America 27:57 They can't express how happy and honored they are 28:01 to be the ones tasked with this job. 28:04 This journey was by no means an easy one, 28:07 but it definitely was a fulfilling and rewarding 28:12 experience for Ray and Julie Young. 28:16 I'm glad, we completed on the promise we made 3 months ago 28:21 to the Laura, that we would do our best to get her an airplane 28:24 and here it is. 28:26 We did it! 28:28 And a whole lot of other people helped along the way. 28:31 We got to be the ones on the front I guess. Getting the PR. 28:36 But there are a lot of other hands, lot of people, 28:39 who pitched in financially, which is really the stumbling 28:42 block for most aviation is the cost, right? 28:45 Lot of people, who are unmentioned, unsung heroes 28:51 we sure appreciate everybody's help and continued sacrifices. 28:55 that they make, so that Adventist World Aviation 28:58 can keep operating. |
Revised 2016-03-07