First Flight

Finally, the Cessna 150 is fixed!!  I helped Ryan, the mechanic, finish putting everything back together on Friday last week, but it wouldn’t start because there was something blocking one of the fuel lines.  So obviously, we were not able to fly until that blockage was removed.  So he came out again on Thursday this week and went down the entire fuel system and ended up finding a very small piece of something that was blocking one of the hoses.  Well, after helping him put it all back together again, we were going to go flying to test it out and make sure it was fine.  He is an instructor so I asked some question and was pretty much taking my first lesson.  He was even going to fill out a slot in my logbook of flight hours.  Well, we go over all the pre-flight list on the outside of the plane and we got inside, buckled up, checked all the instruments, and the plane wouldn’t start.  Turns out, the battery was dead, and on further inspection, we found out it was bad.  Jesse found another battery to use, but it needed to be charged overnight.  

​So all in all, I had an agonizing wait of 24 hours, almost to the minute now that I think about it.  The next morning, Jesse and Troy put the new battery in while I worked in the Maverick building, I was waiting to hear the engine start, but it never came, when I went over to see how things were going,  I found the plane was gone.  I went inside the office and Troy and Jesse weren’t there.  “I take it by the absence of Jesse, Troy, and the 150, that they went flying?” I asked to no one in particular, and when they all said they weren’t sure, I went to Jesse’s desk and saw that his headset case was open and empty.  I ran out to the taxi way and looked toward the fuel tanks, just as I looked, I saw the plane pull out of there, I watched it taxi to the runway and take off.

​I watched it for a while as they circled the airport, and texted them both while they did, “You sorry dogs!”  All I got was a, “Ha Ha” and a “We are risking our lives to make sure you are safe..!”  As soon as lunch rolled around I pretty much inhaled my pizza and ran to the hangar next door to talk to my instructor, Charlie.  We planned to fly at 3.

​We pretty much went over everything that he had told me to read a few weeks earlier and there were a few new things that he told me that weren’t in the chapters he told me to read.  We were in the hangar for about 30 minutes before heading out to the plane.  We did all the preflight stuff outside the plane, then got in the plane bucked up and once all the instruments were set, we started the engine.  I cannot deny I was a little apprehensive when he went to start the plane, I have only come up to this part in the flying 3 times without it actually starting or us finding something else wrong with it.  But it started up on the first go.  He taught me how to taxi and then he took off, we only got to fly for about 30 or 45 minutes before we landed, he had to be somewhere and was already pushing his luck.  But though it was short it was so awesome, learning it myself and not just steering the plane.  I am finally starting to live my dream, and it feels so wonderful to finally be underway.  I know there is a long road in front of me, but I look forward to it.  

​My next lesson is tomorrow. Charlie wants to fly every morning Monday- Friday, but I don’t have enough support to do that yet.  I think that I have enough support to fly twice a week right now. Steve told me not to wait long between each lesson, so I don’t forget what I learn and it helps you learn faster.  I met another pilot, named Jesse, who said the same thing, He flies planes and helicopters and he is an EMT.  He is a really neat guy, he comes around here a lot to help out.

​I want to thank my supporters, Ken and Tina, Mary, Joy, Eric and Heather, and all the households in Nathanael’s Clan.  I am extremely grateful for your support and allowing me to help itec, and train for the mission field.  Also I am just as grateful to everyone for your prayer support, it is very much needed, and it is because of you that I am able to keep giving to itec.  Thank you all SO much, I love and miss everyone,

Your brother in Christ,

Austin