In Exodus 25 and the following chapters, God lays out for Moses the blueprint for constructing the tabernacle and all that is to go into it. The plans are detailed and precise. Moses must have wondered how he was to complete the task given to him. However, in Exodus 31:2–3 God says to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezaleel. … I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship…”

As you consider your future, God may be calling and preparing you for a career in missionary aviation, filling you with His Spirit, wisdom, understanding, knowledge and in all manner of airmanship to further build His Church and accomplish the Great Commission! Mission aviation is a challenging, enjoyable and fulfilling career option. As you further your aeronautical training, the following suggestions from veteran missionary pilots will help you prepare for service in mission aviation.

General:

• Learn to be disciplined. Aviation is all about discipline, so to be a good mission pilot you must be a person of discipline. This should be demonstrated both inside and outside the cockpit. It is the foundation upon which you will build all your other skills, abilities, knowledge and judgment.
• Be a person of character. U.S. Senator Dan Coates said, “Character cannot be summoned at the moment of crisis if it has been squandered by years of compromise and rationalization. The only testing ground for the heroic is the mundane. The only preparation for that one profound decision, which can change a life or even a nation, is those hundreds of half-conscious, seemingly insignificant decisions made in private. Habit is the daily battleground of character.”
• Be professional. Remember that it takes at least as high a degree of professionalism to be a mission pilot as it does to be an airline pilot. Airline pilots fly in an environment that is significantly loaded in their favor—multi-crew cockpit, current and detailed weather reports, modern equipment in the airplane, and on-the-ground and regulations that help protect them and their passengers. Mission pilots fly in a far less structured environment, which requires an even higher degree of professionalism to operate safely. Seek to be professional, not just to pass the checkride. Passing the checkride means you have met the lowest common industry standard. Missions are looking for professional pilots who strive for excellence and aren’t just satisfied to get by with the minimums.
• Be precise. Although we realize no one is perfect, we’re looking for people who are always working toward perfection and are not content with staying 75’ high even though commercial tolerances may allow you to fly an altitude ±100’. Fly a chosen airspeed on downwind, base and final. Fly a stable approach. Push yourself to be precise, whether you are a student pilot or an ATP.

• Maintain good situational awareness (SA) and practice good aeronautical decision making (ADM). Know where you are, how much fuel you have onboard, the weather ahead, daylight remaining, options available, etc. Having good SA helps you exercise good judgment and make knowledgeable decisions.

• Be the pilot in command (PIC). Make the decisions pertinent to your flight. Instead of asking your instructor what altitude or heading to fly, if you are capable of making the decision, do it and communicate your plan to your instructor. Don’t make decisions based on what you think your instructor wants you to do. Take ownership of your training and your flying. Be the PIC.

Specific:

• Redefining Airmanship by Tony Kern is an excellent resource. Learning to apply the principles found there will help you become a better pilot.
• Learn to fly by outside visual reference. We’re looking for VFR pilots who fly with their eyes outside the cockpit and do not depend primarily on instruments. The mission environment demands that you gather much of the information for flight from outside references, especially during approaches to short and/or sloped runways—pitch, bank, yaw, surface winds, and the ability to judge glide distances. If you fly well by outside reference, the numbers on the instruments will be right too. Develop a good VFR scan, and be sure to include the VSI in that scan.
• Know the weight and balance for your airplane. Calculate these with various loads so you get a feel for what the airplane can handle.
• Calculate your ground run and takeoff distances over a 50’ obstacle and compare those numbers to what the airplane will actually do.
• Get in the habit of conducting appropriate and professional passenger briefings for every flight—even to your flight instructor. FAR 91.105, 91.107 and 91.519 may give you some direction in the development of a thorough briefing.
• Develop good habits. Taxi on the centerline. Take off on the centerline. Land on the centerline. Taxi back to the ramp on the centerline. Use smooth control inputs. Don’t ride the brakes. Clear before you turn. Listen on the frequency. Make clear, concise and professional communications on the radio. Remember that practice makes permanent, so be sure to practice correctly.
• After runup, when ready for takeoff, give yourself a short pre-takeoff briefing that includes a review of runway conditions, wind, abort point, pertinent speeds to fly and emergency procedures for various points on the departure path.
• Develop good VFR cross-country navigation skills using dead reckoning (DR) and pilotage. Navigate chart-to-ground, not ground-to-chart. Learn to use DR properly and trust it. Push yourself to find and use the small details on the chart, without losing the big picture. It is essential to learn the foundations of VFR navigation well (DR and pilotage) and not just default to electronic navigation.
• Use control pressures instead of control movement to build smoothness into your flying. Learn to use your feet on the pedals to maintain smooth coordination. Develop a feel for proper coordination while comparing it with what you see outside. Verify with a quick glance at the ball, but don’t look there first.
• Prior to landing, give yourself a pre-landing briefing. Like the pre-takeoff briefing, this allows you to consider the surface, winds, planned touchdown point, abort point, speeds for the approach and any other pertinent information.
• Develop the ability to critique yourself. The ability to self-assess enables you to make the most of your solo flying. Note what you did well, what you learned, what needs improvement and what you are going to change next time. Take good post-flight notes from your instructor too. Having information written down is more beneficial than relying on your memory.
• Get checked out in different types of aircraft. Each type of aircraft you fly has the potential to add a different facet to your aviation experience. Apply yourself with all diligence to your study of the POH and preparation for this transition.

Compiled by the JAARS Training Staff

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Mission Safety International

A number of recent events have reminded us of an all too common danger when flying the Cessna 200 series aircraft. Hopefully everyone piloting one of these aircraft (Cessna 205, 206, 207, 210) is well aware that you must be very careful to switch tanks in a very disciplined and deliberate manner, otherwise there is a great risk of running a tank dry and the engine stopping at a very inopportune time. This can be very embarrassing (or much worse!), especially if you still have plenty of fuel in the other tank that was not selected. In most cases, switching tanks and hitting the electric auxiliary boost pump switch brings the engine back to life very quickly, but there are some exceptions, which we will discuss later in the article.

However, there is a much less commonly recognized danger relating to fuel supply and

Skidding Turn

starvation in these aircraft, and that is called “unporting” of the fuel due to uncoordinated flight maneuvers. In the Cessna 200 series, the tubes “picking up” the fuel extend into the wing tanks from the inboard ribs. This is also where the fuel quantity transmitters are located in the 205, 206, and 207.

Due to the lack of much baffling inside the fuel tanks, uncoordinated flight, such as is experienced while slipping or skidding, can cause the fuel to move away from the inboard rib, and allow air to be drawn into the pickup tubes. The U206 is especially prone to this during photo shoots with the cargo door removed, as the photographer often asks for skidding right turns to allow him to get photos out of the open right side of the aircraft while keeping the right wing up with opposite aileron. If the left tank is selected while doing this, it is very possible to “unport” the pickup tubes in the left tank, even with half fuel capacity. Couple that with the typical request to be down low for good photos, and you have a disaster in the making.

Other examples of uncoordinated maneuvers that have caused unporting events are slipping in a crosswind on long final, extended cruise or descents using only rudder, climbing right turns after a low pass with low fuel in the selected tank, circling over objects on the ground, and tipping the plane to observe air drops.

What is the solution?

1. Always stay coordinated while maneuvering the aircraft. Your fuel is doing whatever the ball in the turn coordinator is doing.
2. Always have the fuller tank selected while near the ground.
3. Avoid the temptation to run your tanks down to the last 5 or 10 gallons. If you want to know why, look inside the tank next time it is that low. The fuel is barely an inch deep, and the pickup tubes are about half an inch off the bottom of the tank.
4. Finally, “just say no” to the photographer when they ask for a skidding right turn, especially close to the ground. Offer to climb to a higher altitude that will allow for gentle banking to keep the subject in sight without getting the wing in the way. Hopefully you briefed him ahead of time to bring a telephoto lens or two.

Regarding restarting the engine if unporting or fuel starvation occurs:

Testing has demonstrated that switching tanks and immediately hitting the emergency setting on the aux pump switch for a few seconds or until you see the fuel pressure or flow start to come back up brings the engine back to life the fastest. Waiting to switch tanks only delays the restart. Holding the pump switch in emergency position for longer than a few seconds can easily flood the engine, especially turbocharged ones or the newer IO550’s.

Another consideration affecting the restart has to do with maintenance. If the TCM service bulletin (SEB 96-4R1) regarding setting the resistors that control the pump speed with varying throttle positions is not followed properly, particularly in using a properly regulated voltage of 14 or 28 VDC, there is added danger of flooding the engine while attempting a restart. Some places have used the aircraft battery while setting the resistors, but that gives an incorrect setting, as the battery gives a lower voltage than the running alternator will.

As a final warning, unporting can be deadly, and has been already. Additionally, flooding the engine while attempting a restart, while not conclusively proven, is strongly suspected to have been a major factor in at least 3 recent fatal accidents in missionary aviation.

Click Here to see more pictures and information about the 2010 IAMA Conference in MSI’s Safety Net.

This year’s IAMA conference took place in Tucson, Arizona, from April 19 – April 23. The first two days were a special event put on by Fort Sherman Academy. Nineteen people took advantage of this opportunity to go through their B+ security training.  It was an exciting course, full of surprises, for one never knew what was coming next.

The conference met at the Tucson Baptist Temple, courtesy of staff at UIM Aviation. There were 83 pre-registered attendees, with perhaps a dozen more coming in for one day only. These represented 8 training institutions, 14 flying missions and 5 service-oriented organizations such as MSI, Quest and Spokane Turbine Center. Twenty-three wives attended various parts of the conference as well.

The conference kicked off each day with a devotional message from Brent Armstrong, pastor of Tucson Baptist Temple and  a tremendous keynote message by NTM’s Tim Sanford. The Breakout Sessions were designed for groups of attendees with more specific interests, including Training Issues, Maintenance Issues, and one just for the ladies. There were other special events like a picnic with Sonoran (read Mexican) hot dogs, a supper out at a real cowboy town steakhouse and a morning just for the ladies at the Sonora Desert Museum and Zoo.

Eighty-six people attended the banquet Thursday night. Jack Walker, retired MAFer, brought the message, speaking from his extensive history as a missionary pilot and challenging us with new ministry opportunities that he is developing in Cuba.  Overall, the conference was a great success and we look forward to seeing you all next year!

- Shirley Miel

See More Photos

Click Here to see more pictures and information about the 2010 IAMA Conference in MSI’s Safety Net.

To date, IAMA has collected all the fees for participation and has purchased exhibit the space. 26 Mission Aviation Agencies have registered and will be part of the exhibit tent with JAARS and MAF anchoring each end. Praise the Lord, we have the same location as last year. Jeff & Wonita Werley, New Tribes, will be managing the IAMA exhibit tent. The Fly4Life presence continues much like it did last year, but without the separate Fly4Life tent.

In order to pull off this massive event, IAMA, and all the participants, depend on the generous and extensive work of MASA (Mission Aviation Support Association) . MASA is lead by a governing board with Lee Smoll serving as Executive Director. Leadership teams have been assembled to care for those attending this event.

MASA provides 3 meals a day at the hospitality tent in Camp Scholler on the EAA grounds. They provide housing in area homes as well as loaner vehicles. They pick up and deliver from airports. For over 30 years MASA has made it possible for Mission Aviators to attend EAA. The cost would be prohibitive without their help.

More than just Oshkosh, MASA is also managing the IAMA store. If you have need of any tee-shirts, polo’s, caps, etc…you can contact leesmoll@tds.net to order them. These items will be available at EAA

First of all, the portal is not an original IAMA concept.  It is the result of a partnership between Wycliffe Bible Translators, IAMA, and Finishers.org.  Primarily the brain-child of people like Jamie Farr (Wycliffe) and Nelson Malwitz (Finishers), IAMA comes in to be the host and caretaker of the project.

So what exactly is a portal and what does it have to do with mission aviation? First of all, step with me into the world of recruiting – that industry that feeds us the most valuable resource we have; people.  At its most elementary level, the Mission Aviation Portal is an on-line tool that will make a meaningful connection between recruiters from mission organizations and potential candidates.  It is a one-stop shopping site for both the recruiter as well as the candidate.  At a deeper level it is a hi-tek search and matching engine that automatically matches a candidate’s profile / resume with all available openings in mission aviation – pilot/mechanic, AMT Specialist, administrator, etc. – based on the candidate’s criteria.

At an even deeper level it is very much a ‘Facebook’ for mission aviation.  And anyone that has tried to make meaningful contact with anyone of the younger generation over the last 5 years knows, that’s where you find them: On-line social environments.  The portal will allow both public and private messaging that is logged for referencing years later.  That’s important for a recruitment process that often takes  5 or 6 years.  For the recruiter, it is one place where he can keep all relevant information about the organization, upcoming events, membership requirements and processes.  He too can perform searches that seek candidates that match his criteria.

Will it work? Fortunately the concept has already been proven.  MissionTeach.org, also developed by Wycliffe and Finishers, is the proof-of-concept.  This portal has already been filling teaching positions for years, at a rate near 10 times faster than before, and saving the organizations thousands of recruitment dollars.  The Mission Aviation Portal is one of several more ‘industry-specific’ portals that are being developed to help meet this need in missions.

But the benefits don’t stop there.  Using this same technology and platform, IAMA will have the ability to better serve mission aviation by also connecting schools, vendors, donors, pilots and anyone else who wishes to be involved.

When will we see it? IAMA hopes to go live with the portal this fall.  Start visiting the IAMA website (www.iamanet.org) this summer as bits and pieces of the portal start appearing.  For those interested tecky-types, the technology for this tool is being provided by WM Tek, using a platform they created called Site Stacker.  You can check them out at www.wmtek.com.

South America Mission is looking for a pilot/mechanic for Bolivia, South America to begin service November, 2010.

The pilot needs to complete a Technical Evaluation by an approved agency, have at least 500 hours.  Contact the SAM office for other qualifications and requirements.

SAM is a faith based mission so the pilot would have to raise support.

Please contact our mobilization department at: mobilization@southamericamission.org and or call #803-802-8580.

David Doss presents compelling reasons for us to boost our security training.

Fort Sherman Academy (FSA) was present at the 2010 IAMA conference this year to provide hostage survival and security training.  For those who participated, it was a said to be a powerful event and highly recommended for anyone planning on spending any length of time traveling oversees in potentially hostile environments.    David Dose then gave a 45-minute presentation to the rest of the attendees .  Having lived oversees myself, I fully recommend the high impact quality training being offered by FSA.

Consider a few statistics:

• 2009 there were 3,000,000 short-term ‘missionaries’, and 20% of them had some sort of crisis.
• Annual increase in crime against Westerners increases roughly15% each year.
• In the event of a kidnapping or detention situation, an organization can plan on spending $50,000 – $100,000.  Can your ministry afford that?

Visit www.fortsherman.org for more information.

Each organization will have their own particular requirements when it comes to flight experience and ratings.  A rough average is currently 500 hours total time with commercial instrument license.  Most organizations still require an A& P as well.

There are variations and exceptions, so check them out individually on our Members Page.

Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes

Beyond that, organizations will generally be looking for the following KSA’s (Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes)

All skills and attitudes are applicable to flight and maintenance;
flight-specific items are marked with an asterisk (*).

KNOWLEDGE

1. General aviation knowledge (flight). Including, but not limited to: 14 CFR Part 91, airspace, aircraft POH, weather, aerodynamics, weight and balance, aircraft systems, navigation, operations at uncontrolled airfields, etc.
2. General maintenance knowledge (maintenance). Including, but not limited to: knowledge and use of tools, knowledge and use of available resources such as AC-43, service bulletins, parts and overhaul manuals. In addition, a close look is taken at the applicant’s inspection and  troubleshooting procedures, skills, etc.

Skills

1. Aircraft handling.* VFR and IFR; at various speeds and in various configurations.
2. Navigation.* Most notably, VFR, DR and pilotage navigation skills.
3. Aeronautical decision making. Makes correct decisions in an appropriate manner and timely fashion.
4. Judgment. Appropriately compares and evaluates courses of action.
5. Aptitude for learning. Has the ability to learn new skills and information.
6. Situational awareness. Accurately perceives what is happening with oneself, the aircraft (during flight or maintenance) and the environment, in the short-term past, present and near future.
7. Integration. Appropriately integrates and applies knowledge, skills and experience. Commonly referred to as adaptability when applying past aeronautical experience to a new situation.
8. Performance under pressure. Carries out activities appropriately when under pressure or stress.
9. Resource management. Uses resources effectively to accomplish tasks.
10. Task management. Prioritizes and accomplishes multiple tasks in a timely manner. Commonly referred to as multitasking.
11. Functions within limitations. Recognizes personal and organizational limitations, establishes appropriate margins and consistently functions within those margins.
12. Risk management. Appropriately recognizes, evaluates and mitigates risk.
13. Self assessment. Accurately assesses one’s own skills and performance.
14. Planning. Makes and adapts plans, including for contingencies.
15. Adaptable. Is able to change activities in response to changing circumstances.
16. Interpersonal skills. Relates to all people appropriately.

Attitudes

1. Hazardous attitudes. Does not exhibit attitudes that lead to dangerous behavior.
2. Safety-conscious. Places a high value on safety.
3. Conservative. Exercises moderation and/or caution when making decisions.
4. Professional. Is thorough, responsible, reliable and conscientious; maintains high standards.
5. Self-controlled. Exercises restraint over one’s actions and desires. Adheres to standards, procedures and regulations.
6. Integrity. Does what is right, even when alone.
7. PIC Mentality.* Is in command of all aspects of flight.
8. Teachable. Is willing to be taught.
9. Inquisitive. Has a desire to learn.
10. Initiative. Looks for what needs to be done and does it.
11. Self-confidence. Has the appropriate level of confidence in one’s knowledge and abilities.

* Items noted with an asterisk relate to pilot-specific attributes.  All others apply to both pilots and mechanics.