Participants: Narrator: Chet Damron
Series Code: OTG
Program Code: OTG000046A
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00:01 Narrator: Adventist World Aviation has mission outposts
00:04 stationed all around the world with the mission of brining 00:08 humanitarian aid and the love of Jesus, too hard to reach areas. 00:14 Often the mission bases keep busy flying med-evac flights, 00:18 delivering critically ill patients from remote jungles 00:22 to a place where they can receive a higher level of care. 00:26 These flights are not only lifesaving, but they share 00:29 the love of Jesus and bring hope to the hopeless. 00:35 Situated in the north eastern corner of Nicaragua 00:38 is one of Adventist World Aviation's outposts. 00:41 Where Clint Hanley and his family dedicate their lives 00:45 to serving the local Miskito Indians. 01:33 Clint: I'm Clint Hanley and I live in Northeast Nicaragua, 01:38 in the upper corner along the boarder of the Rio Cocoa 01:41 with the boarder of Honduras and I live here with my family, 01:47 2 children and my wife, who is nurse and we fly this airplane, 01:52 a Cessna 172, for medical work, all around this region, 01:58 covering about 150 miles in all directions. 02:03 Since we started flying 7 years ago, I have flown 530 patients 02:07 from remote communities, or from hospital to hospital and 02:10 approximately 50-80% of those would have, the doctors say 02:16 would have died for sure, had they not had transport. 02:19 The rest of them needed transport because they were 02:23 in great pain, they had broken femurs, or something like that. 02:27 That if they would have transported by road, it would 02:29 have been a lot worse for them, but they probably 02:31 wouldn't have died. 02:33 So it's been a big help to the people and we're happy 02:36 to be a small part of it. 02:37 If our plane is down and we can't fly, or before we came, 02:40 the people got to the hospital by boats, by road, by truck. 02:45 To give you an example, to fly from here to San Carlos 02:47 is 35 minutes for me, to get them to the hospital 02:51 from the time I get the call, until they actually arrive 02:54 in the hospital is approximately one and a half hours. 02:56 If they were to take a boat, there's no roads so they would 03:00 have to take a boat, there's an average of one boat a day, 03:03 but sometimes there will be a day or two or three that 03:05 go by that there's no boats. They're random. 03:07 And the boats take 12 hours. And usually they leave 03:10 in the morning. 03:12 So if the accident happens later in the day, they're having 03:15 to wait through the night, until the next morning and then 03:17 hoping that they can find a boat with room in it, then they ride 03:19 that boat 12 hours to get to the hospital. 03:21 That's fairly average for a lot of the patients that need 03:24 to come to the hospital. 03:27 So you can see where if it's a snake bite, a lot of the people 03:30 we carry are pregnant mothers and babies and either the 03:34 the pregnancy has a problem or the mothers had the baby right 03:36 away or there's a complication between the mother and the baby. 03:39 About 70% of our transports are related to that. 03:43 There is none, none other available in all of Nicaragua 03:47 doing this. 03:48 And so it's a vital piece of help that the government 03:52 and no other aid agency was able to offer to the people 03:56 to save lives in transport. 03:59 Narrator: The Adventist World Aviation mission base 04:01 in Tronquera is extremely isolated. 04:05 The Hanley's depend heavily on aircraft to do their work 04:09 with the native Miskito people. 04:12 They fly med-evacs multiple times a week. 04:15 If their aircraft is down, they cannot supply 04:19 the lifesaving flights. 04:21 Aviation operations in this part of Nicaragua can often be tough. 04:26 In this area, there is no way to procure parts 04:29 should the aircraft need repair. 04:32 There is also no way to mail needed parts 04:34 to the remote AWA base. 04:38 For this reason, Clint must be very diligent to keep up 04:41 the regular maintenance on the aircraft. 04:44 However, sometimes unforeseen setbacks do occur. 05:04 On this afternoon, Clint is returning home from a med-evac 05:09 flight, that he made earlier in the day. 05:12 During the return flight home, he notices something is wrong 05:17 with the aircraft. 05:20 The airplane was not generating the power it needed to charge 05:25 components required for communication and navigation. 05:29 The avionics are critical during flight, 05:33 especially when flying in these remote jungle regions. 05:39 Clint: It's very interesting to fly in this type of environment. 05:41 I get in an airplane and I have, you know all the navigation. 05:44 I have radios that I can talk all the way to America with. 05:47 I have navigation, that tells me exactly where I am and what's 05:52 going on and then I land on a runway and I shutdown the 05:56 airplane and I step out of it and I'm back in what we would 05:59 consider before World War I in the states, early 1900's. 06:03 There's no cell service. There's no computers. 06:06 There's no electricity. 06:07 There's no nothing on a lot of these runways I fly to. 06:10 And even at our house, there's no power out here. 06:13 We have power, that we have installed in our house 06:16 with solar power, but we are not on any kind of grid. 06:18 There's nothing anywhere remotely nearby that. 06:21 Our communication comes from radios. 06:23 Just recently we have cell service, but it's very sketchy. 06:26 So there's a lot of logistics be to able to run 06:31 an operation like this. 06:32 That you don't realize, when you have an infrastructure that's 06:35 already been developed that you're fitting into. 06:37 Where, when you're in America and you already have 06:39 everything built up. 06:41 You have roads, you have communications, you have power. 06:43 You have all of those things already set and you don't even 06:45 consider trying to go to a place that doesn't have any of those. 06:50 So it's actually a very ... It's actually very hard. 06:54 It takes a lot of planning and a lot of extra materials to be 06:58 able to overcome the obstacles that you have. 07:01 Narrator: Thankfully, he is just a few short minutes away from 07:04 the mission base. Then he can investigate the issue 07:08 more after he has landed. 07:11 He makes his final descent, safely lands the airplane 07:14 on the airbase runway. 07:16 His family eagerly awaits his return after each med-evac 07:20 and he is greeted with a loving welcome. 07:23 This mission is a family operation. 07:27 Every member of the family helps keep the aviation base operating 07:31 Bethany and Brendell, the Hanley children help their father 07:35 secure the airplane in the hangar. 07:37 They've been around aircraft most of their lives and offer 07:41 a helping hand to their father whenever needed. 07:45 Today, Jud Wickwire, vice president of operations 07:48 for Adventist World Aviation, is visiting the base. 07:52 Clint, Jud and his assistant Erwin, immediately begin 07:56 to disassemble the cowling, so they can diagnose the problem. 08:01 Clint: So in the last fifteen minutes before I landed my 08:04 alternator quit charging. 08:06 So we pulled the top off and we've looked it over and we're 08:09 trying to find out why the alternator is not charging. 08:12 Narrator: Clint grabs a voltage meter and begins 08:14 taking measurements. 08:15 They aren't getting enough normal range reading. 08:18 Clint: ACU is ok. Our field is ok. 08:20 So if it is red, that means that my field is bad. 08:26 Narrator: Next Clint decides to test the same components again, 08:29 while the aircraft is running and compares the readings. 08:34 For some reason, the aircraft isn't charging the battery, 08:38 holding power like it should. 08:41 They test several engine components to see if they can 08:45 narrow down to the faulty culprit. 08:49 Working on a running aircraft has many risks. 08:53 If one were to make contact with the spinning propeller, 08:57 it would mean instant death. 08:59 It's always important to keep a safe distance 09:03 when an aircraft engine is running. 09:07 Today, Clint has no choice. 09:09 He must get the readings while the plane engine is running and 09:14 compare them to the readings of when the engine was not running. 09:19 During this process, pilot Jud stays in the aircraft to give 09:26 the engine more power, holding the breaks so the airplane 09:30 doesn't move forward with Clint so close to a moving propeller. 09:37 Clint is checking the voltage that the aircraft is generating. 09:42 The readings are not in normal range. 09:45 The battery does not keep the charge it needs to power 09:49 the necessary components in the aircraft. 09:52 Narrator: It charges the battery and it's not required 09:53 to run the engine. 09:55 The engine runs fine without a battery. It doesn't need that. 09:58 But it does run your radio, which is nice for communication. 10:01 And it runs your landing lights and your flashing lights. 10:04 It's not crucial to, you're not going to crash because it quits, 10:09 but it is good to have for communication. 10:11 Narrator: After extensive testing, Clint feels 10:14 the malfunctioning alternator is the problem in this aircraft. 10:19 Clint: Well it's green. So what does that mean? 10:24 Jud: Well I guess it means you don't have a short in your field 10:27 which is I mean those regulators are nice because, you know. 10:33 You don't have to chase down that part. 10:43 Narrator: Clint and Jud speculate on why the battery 10:46 isn't getting charged. 10:48 Now that they have collected the voltage readings, they have 10:51 decided to contact an aviation mechanic 10:55 here in the United States. 10:59 Clint: It could be a lot of different things. 11:00 So I've checked it with a volt meter and we've got some 11:03 information and now we're going to write the mechanic 11:06 in the States and see what he thinks. Why it's not charging 11:10 Narrator: While Clint seeks the advice of an aircraft mechanic, 11:14 Erwin is asked to charge the aircraft's battery. 11:18 He brings the generator from the house and connects the battery. 11:23 It's important to keep the aircraft operational, 11:26 should there be another call for a med-evac flight. 11:30 Erwin has worked with Clint on the base for some time now. 11:34 He is a native Miskito, who helps the mission family operate 11:38 the mission base. 11:40 Over the years, Clint has taught Erwin many new skills, 11:44 that he can use in the future. 11:47 Most Miskito people never receive this type of training. 11:51 The time Erwin spends at the mission offers him 11:54 different skills that will open many new opportunities 11:57 for him in the future. 12:15 Erwin has been so blessed by this mission base. 12:18 He has become a close member of the family. 12:20 He plays with the children and enjoys the company 12:23 of all the family members. 12:25 He truly feels loved and accepted here. 12:47 Narrator: Now Clint has a network of mechanics, who offer 12:50 their advice when he has mechanical questions. 12:54 Clint: So this is, I'm writing the mechanics in the States and 12:57 asking them what their thoughts are on this alternator 13:00 and what the problem is with it. 13:02 Because I'm not a mechanic. But all the experts 13:05 in the States, they can figure this stuff out. 13:07 So I just tell them exactly what the problem is, 13:09 they tell me what to check. And then 13:12 usually there's bouncing back and forth emails for a few 13:16 hours till we get it figured out. 13:17 And then we'll have to figure out if it's fixable here, if 13:20 I have the parts or we need to get something from the States. 13:25 Narrator: While they wait for a response, Clint and Jud discuss 13:29 their options. 13:31 Out in this part of the world, there are no accessible 13:34 aviation parts. 13:36 After a few minutes of sending the email, Clint gets 13:40 a phone call from one of his trusted mechanic friends, 13:44 who offers insight on what might be keeping the battery 13:48 from charging. 13:52 Clint: Right, but then you could at least tell that you've 13:55 energized it, then that'll work. Okay. 13:57 Okay, let me try a couple of those things, then and 14:01 I'll see what I can figure out. 14:03 Then I'll do the checking on this and write you another 14:05 letter within the next, within the next half hour. 14:10 Appreciate the information, thanks so much Steve. 14:13 Okay, bye. 14:15 They gave me more things to check. 14:17 So I'm going to go check it out. See what I can find. 14:20 Narrator: Clint and Jud head back up to the hangar 14:23 with a checklist of items the mechanic asked them to inspect. 14:28 They suspect a diode in the alternator is the culprit. 14:33 The men preform the same tests, that yield results 14:37 that they were hoping to ovoid. 14:42 Clint: So since it's very likely a diode. A diode went out. 14:47 somebody has the capability to take the diode out 14:51 and replace it. That could work. Or find new brushes. 14:57 Narrator: Again they call the mechanic in the States 15:00 and tell him their findings. 15:02 Clint: I do have power there on that field. 15:05 It looks like about 10.1 to 10.3 volts. 15:14 No. 15:15 On the frame of the alternator? No. Not that I know of. 15:22 Narrator: It appears that the alternator has gone bad. 15:25 Without the alternator, this plane cannot fly. 15:29 Even worse, there's no way for Clint to get an alternator 15:34 locally. 15:35 There is the option of temporarily repairing this one, 15:39 but no one's knows how long the repair will hold. 15:42 Neither men feel comfortable with that solution. 15:45 They must find a way to get a new alternator for this plane, 15:49 and do it fast! 15:52 Jud: Then we talked to the mechanic and he gave us one 15:53 more wire to check the voltage on between the regulator. 15:58 Between the alternator and the voltage regulator. 16:02 And that conclusively shows that because there was power there 16:08 that the alternator is not charging. 16:12 So that narrows down the problem to exactly that it is the 16:15 alternator that is failing. 16:16 Narrator: This diagnosis will not be an easy fix. 16:19 They must now find a way to get a new alternator 16:22 delivered to them. 16:24 Procuring this piece is not possible in this part 16:27 of Nicaragua. 16:28 Also, there's no mail delivery into this area. 16:33 The only viable option is obtaining the part in the United 16:37 States and having someone personally travel down 16:42 to Nicaragua with the new alternator in hand. 16:47 Jud knows just the man for the job. 16:51 Jud: We're ahh... as we, what we call the mules, we're going to 16:56 call one of our supporters, who is retired from American 16:59 Airlines and can fly on standby anytime that he wants. 17:03 And so we're going to see if we can get the alternator sent 17:04 to him and have him jump on an airplane and fly down to Managua 17:08 and deliver it, personally. 17:10 And he's actually an A&P, so he can sign out the installation 17:13 of the alternator on the airplane. 17:15 Narrator: So Jud makes a call to Tom, praying he's available and 17:20 willing to accept this mission. 17:24 Jud: Hi Tom, this is Jud Wickwire. I'm pretty good. 17:29 I'm calling you from down in Nicaragua. 17:36 Tom, I have a question for you. 17:39 We just, in the 172 here, just discovered 17:42 that the alternator has failed. 17:45 And we have an online order on getting a new one. 17:49 But we might need delivery. Would you be interested in that? 17:57 Narrator: Friend it doesn't take much to convince Tom 18:00 to make the trip to Nicaragua. 18:03 He is ever so ready to help in any way he can. 18:07 Tom is the perfect man for the job since he is also 18:11 an airplane mechanic. 18:13 Not only can he deliver the part, but he can also help 18:17 with the installation. 18:19 Jud: Well we sure appreciate it. And yah, it would be a great 18:22 opportunity for you to see the project here too. 18:24 So, cool. Awesome. Fantastic. Okay! 18:28 Clint: That's wonderful! 18:29 Jud: He's just, He's all over it! Yup! 18:31 Clint: Yah? He's ready to come now? 18:32 Jud: Yup. 18:33 Clint: Really? Wow! 18:35 Jud: I've got his address and loop that together 18:37 and that's awesome. 18:38 Clint: Excellent. 18:41 Narrator: Clint is over joyed to hear the news. 18:44 Not only did they diagnose the problem, but they also found 18:48 a solution all on the same day. 18:53 Which means the plane will not be down for very long. 18:58 Within a few short days Tom will arrive with the new alternator 19:02 needed to make this plane airworthy once again. 19:06 Praise the Lord for such a quick and speedy resolution. 19:10 This could have potentially grounded this aviation mission 19:14 base for months, but with God working, the airplane will only 19:21 be down for a few short days. Hallelujah! 19:27 Since the airplane is already in for repair, Jud and Clint decide 19:32 to make good use of the rest of the day and preform some routine 19:36 maintenance on the aircraft. 19:39 Flying in these humid and dusty conditions takes a toll 19:42 on any airplane. 19:45 Clint does faithful regular maintenance to make sure 19:50 this airplane stays in optimal flying condition. 19:55 Clint: It's a lot harder than it is in America, 19:57 because the environment is a lot harder on the airplane. 20:02 Because of the humidity and because of the dusty conditions, 20:08 landing on gravel runways where the plane shakes a lot because 20:12 you're on dirt and gravel. So there's a lot of vibration. 20:15 You have a lot more maintenance then you would in the States 20:18 and so it means a lot more parts being brought down. 20:22 People hand carrying them since there's no shipping. 20:24 No way to ship something down to our location. 20:26 Somebody actually has to carry it down in a suitcase by hand 20:29 to deliver it to us. 20:32 So the parts that you bring down can be complicated 20:36 and hard to get. 20:37 Narrator: Clint does an oil change. 20:39 Even this simple maintenance task requires much more effort 20:43 in the mission field then it would in North America. 20:46 Clint: This oil comes from one place in Managua 20:51 that we can get it. 20:52 One place in the whole country of Nicaragua 20:54 we can get airplane oil. 20:56 And since oil is flammable you can't ship it. 20:58 So we're fortunate to be able to buy it at that one place. 21:01 And it's expensive, but we're fortunate to be able to get it. 21:06 Because if you can't get oil, you'd be in trouble. 21:08 We change it about every 40 hours. 21:10 Normally in the States you would change it, now quite that often. 21:13 But we fly in conditions of a lot of dust and dirt 21:17 and also the high humidity being in the tropics. 21:20 We change it more often. 21:23 And so we change the filter and the oil every forty hours. 21:27 Narrator: While the men continue to work on the aircraft, in the 21:30 back of their minds they know that the new alternator 21:33 is in route. 21:34 Tom received the alternator and is flying to Nicaragua 21:39 to deliver it personally. 21:41 He flies commercially and then Clint makes the journey 21:45 to collect him. 21:46 They are over joyed that God opened so many doors to make 21:50 this all come together so very quickly. 21:55 Tom: A few days ago Jud called me and asked me if I could bring 21:58 a part down to Nicaragua. 21:59 And I said yes. And that's where things began. 22:03 The part was shipped to my house 22:04 They called me like on a Wednesday, two days after that 22:07 the part arrived at my home. 22:10 Sunday I made the reservations and Monday I flew out. 22:15 Narrator: Now that Tom has arrived at the mission base, 22:17 the men waste no time. 22:23 They begin by taking off the old alternator. 22:26 Erwin is eager to help and learn all he can 22:28 as he watches Clint work. 22:30 Once the alternator is removed, they can begin to install 22:33 the new one. 22:36 Clint: This is the old one, and this is the new one that he just 22:38 carried down from America. 22:40 So right now, this one has a gear on the top, so we're going 22:43 to change this gear out to that. 22:45 And we're going to clean it all up and we're ready 22:48 to install the new one. 22:50 It's just three bolts holding it on. 22:52 It's a fairly simple little piece. 22:53 You wouldn't think that this could stop the whole airplane 22:55 from flying, but it can. And it did. 23:03 Narrator: Inside the workshop, the men work delicately 23:07 to remove the head gear on the old alternator. 23:12 They will need this part from the old alternator 23:15 and attach it to the new. 23:17 They cannot afford to damage this piece during the removal. 23:21 The new alternator will not work without this vital key component 23:26 Just like most airplane parts, they don't have access 23:30 to any other gearheads in Nicaragua, so they must 23:34 make sure this one is transferred without damage. 23:40 Tom and Clint work together as they secure the new piece. 23:44 Just a few more steps and they will be ready to install this 23:48 new alternator, which should ultimately fix the plane. 23:53 Erwin stands ready to help any way he can. 23:56 He peers into the garage from the doorway. 23:59 He doesn't want to miss a thing. 24:01 He greatly enjoys learning all he can about airplanes. 24:05 All work together until the gearhead is secured in place 24:10 on the new alternator. 24:12 The installation of the new alternator is all that is left 24:16 to be done. 24:18 It's now time to install the alternator. 24:21 This new part will help keep this Adventist World Aviation 24:25 mission base operational for many more years. 24:30 Clint slides the new part into the aircraft engine compartment. 24:34 It fits perfectly, like a missing puzzle piece. 24:39 It takes many hands to secure the alternator in place. 24:43 Erwin is not left out and he assists Tom and Clint 24:48 in the installation. 24:50 Brendell is also part of this process, he stands 24:54 by his dad's side and hands him the pieces Clint needs 24:59 to continue the repair. 25:01 The men work harmoniously together in the afternoon 25:06 Nicaraguan sun. 25:08 To keep this mission base operational, it takes many 25:11 dedicated people. 25:12 The Hanley's could not do their mission work here in Nicaragua 25:15 without the backing they receive from donors and volunteers 25:18 in North America. 25:22 This aviation mission base is truly a team effort. 25:26 Many hands making light work. 25:30 Soon the alternator is secured in place. 25:35 Clint: Okay so this is the new alternator that we got just put 25:37 on and we're just finishing tightening the last bolts. 25:40 Everything fits, it's the exact part that we needed and we're 25:44 going to start the engine now and make sure 25:45 that everything is working good. 25:47 And then we'll take it for a test flight. 25:49 Okay, so this is the trial run. 25:51 We're going to start the engine and we're going to check if the 25:53 battery is charging with our new part that we put in. 25:55 Are we ready? 25:59 Narrator: Now it comes time to test the men's work. 26:01 They start the engine and the propeller whirls into motion. 26:06 Praise God, the new alternator has fixed the problem. 26:10 The mission plane is repaired! It's ready to continue 26:14 to serve the Miskito people! 26:18 Clint: You did a good job, it works beautiful. 26:20 Did it leak any oil? No. Beautiful. No oil leaks, 26:24 everything looks good. 26:26 Tom: If you fly it a couple times, we'll check it. 26:28 Clint: Good job! Thank you! You took a lot of work to come down 26:34 here all the way from the States to help. 26:36 That isn't something everybody will just do. 26:38 Oh yah I'll just carry something to Nicaragua! 26:41 Tom: Hey, I love doing it. 26:44 Narrator: Clint is so appreciative to Tom 26:46 for his dedication to the mission work. 26:50 Without his help, this mission plane could have been grounded 26:54 for months, instead of a few short days. 26:59 Now it's time to test fly the aircraft. 27:02 Erwin helps to assemble the cowling on the aircraft. 27:07 Over the years he has done this many times with Clint, so he is 27:12 familiar with the procedure. 27:14 Once assembled, the two pilots take the aircraft 27:18 up for a test flight. 27:20 The airplane takes off into the setting Nicaragua sun. 27:26 This day has been a busy one for these men but they are overjoyed 27:31 by the outcome of their work. 27:34 Working in the AWA Nicaraguan airbase might not be easy work, 27:39 but the joy this work brings is irreplaceable. 27:44 Tom was able to experience that joy, as he volunteered 27:49 his time and money to help Adventist World Aviation. 27:57 Tom: It was a very good feeling that the Lord allowed me, 28:00 and put me in this position, where I could take a part down 28:04 to Nicaragua and install a part and to get the airplane 28:08 to fly again in good condition. 28:10 The Lord has blessed me and I thoroughly enjoy doing things 28:14 like this so I hope I get to do it again. |
Revised 2017-05-16