As we celebrated Thanksgiving last week and reflected on God's goodness to us, Ali and I were blessed to think about how supportive and encouraging our friends and family have been for us. We have many reasons to be thankful; not the least of which is an abundance of people who walk alongside us in many different forms.
It's amazing to think of the impact that each of us has on each others' lives. We cross paths with people every day and are touched, in some way, by them just as they are touched by us. I hope that we make a point to be intentional about the kind of mark that we leave on people. May we never take for granted the power and gift of a well placed action, word, or gesture. God has given so much to each of us, may we respond by giving deeply to others!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Clouds...Weather...Instruments....
Well, the weather has finally started to cave in on us :( Actually, it held out for a long time this fall; it's been the best fall weather we've had since Moody Aviation moved to Spokane. The blessing of all the good weather has been that we were able to stay almost right on schedule throughout the semester with the flying. Of course, now that the clouds have come in and are hanging around more, it's limiting the flying we can do to finish up the semester.
If you are wondering why the weather is an issue, it might be helpful for me to explain a little about the different licenses that can be earned. The Private Pilot license, which is what my students are working on, gives the holder the ability to fly under what is called Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Basically, the requirements for VFR are that you cannot fly in the clouds or when the visibility is
less than 3 miles. On top of that, there is a minimum distance we have to stay above the ground, so you can imagine the difficulties we run into when there is a low overcast layer with fog and rain (which significantly reduces visibility).
So you might ask, how do people fly in the clouds? Well, there is another license, which is a part of Moody's training, called the Instrument license, which allows the holder to fly under what is called Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). Essentially, flight under IFR allows you to fly in the clouds with no visibility, with the exception that there are minimum weather requirements for landing at an airport. Some of what I have been doing this past week and will be doing over the next few weeks is "upgrading" my Flight Instructors license to allow me to give flight instruction for the Instrument license.
That's right, not only is there a separate license to fly under IFR but there is an additional license to instruct under IFR. This is called the Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) license. I am getting this training as "staff development" through Moody at no charge, which is such a blessing! It is continuing to build my instrument proficency and experience while preparing me to teach the concepts and skills of instrument flying to these students here at Moody. I am really excited to have the opportunity to earn this license and continue my growth as a pilot and instructor!
If you are wondering why the weather is an issue, it might be helpful for me to explain a little about the different licenses that can be earned. The Private Pilot license, which is what my students are working on, gives the holder the ability to fly under what is called Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Basically, the requirements for VFR are that you cannot fly in the clouds or when the visibility is
less than 3 miles. On top of that, there is a minimum distance we have to stay above the ground, so you can imagine the difficulties we run into when there is a low overcast layer with fog and rain (which significantly reduces visibility).So you might ask, how do people fly in the clouds? Well, there is another license, which is a part of Moody's training, called the Instrument license, which allows the holder to fly under what is called Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). Essentially, flight under IFR allows you to fly in the clouds with no visibility, with the exception that there are minimum weather requirements for landing at an airport. Some of what I have been doing this past week and will be doing over the next few weeks is "upgrading" my Flight Instructors license to allow me to give flight instruction for the Instrument license.
That's right, not only is there a separate license to fly under IFR but there is an additional license to instruct under IFR. This is called the Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) license. I am getting this training as "staff development" through Moody at no charge, which is such a blessing! It is continuing to build my instrument proficency and experience while preparing me to teach the concepts and skills of instrument flying to these students here at Moody. I am really excited to have the opportunity to earn this license and continue my growth as a pilot and instructor!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Death
Death...it's quite a significant event...it's one that none of us who can read this have experienced, but something all of us will come face to face with. I've had cause to to consider it a little more than usual in the last month with the death of Ali's grandfather (last month) and my uncle this past weekend. One was expected, the other came as a shock...quick and without warning. Ali and I traveled to Florida for the service and to be with my family for a few days and that also prompted several thoughts.
It sure would be nice to know when people are going to die, you know, have a milestone where everyone knows, "this is when you are going to die." How much differently would we live if we knew when our time on earth was over? Wouldn't we want to make the most of our time? So why doesn't the mystery of death and the realization that our turn could be tomorrow, or today, move us to live with purpose? I, for one, want to live life to the fullest; even if I live for another fifty years I want to make each day special and unique.
My other thought relates to the after life. The awareness of death and life after death, either with or without God, impresses the importance of the gospel on me. Every day people around the world die without Christ, every day that passes is one less that another person has to live. I want to do my part in drawing others into the Kingdom of God. That means here and now, today, in my world, with everyone I meet being a mirror that reflects the light of Christ. Part of that is aviation, and more specifically, aviation that delivers the "mirrors" who will reflect Christ to those millions of people around the world who have never seen Him. What a purpose! That is why we are here!
It sure would be nice to know when people are going to die, you know, have a milestone where everyone knows, "this is when you are going to die." How much differently would we live if we knew when our time on earth was over? Wouldn't we want to make the most of our time? So why doesn't the mystery of death and the realization that our turn could be tomorrow, or today, move us to live with purpose? I, for one, want to live life to the fullest; even if I live for another fifty years I want to make each day special and unique.
My other thought relates to the after life. The awareness of death and life after death, either with or without God, impresses the importance of the gospel on me. Every day people around the world die without Christ, every day that passes is one less that another person has to live. I want to do my part in drawing others into the Kingdom of God. That means here and now, today, in my world, with everyone I meet being a mirror that reflects the light of Christ. Part of that is aviation, and more specifically, aviation that delivers the "mirrors" who will reflect Christ to those millions of people around the world who have never seen Him. What a purpose! That is why we are here!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Cross Country
In training pilots, we spend a lot of time staying close to our home base. We practice take-offs and landings, different maneuvers in the practice area just north or south of the airport, and short 10 minute hops to airports every now and then just to mix it up a little. Of course, the goal isn't to make pilots who won't ever leave their little corner in the sky and go somewhere else, the whole point of aviation is to travel from point A to point B in an efficient manner. That's why, once a student has learned enough of the basics to manage the airplane we introduce them to something called a cross country flight. The name is a little deceiving because we don't actually cross the country, however, we do leave the training grounds and go exploring to new cities and airports and scenery. I launched into the cross country phase of training with my students this past week and they have now fl
own several with me as well as one on their own. At this stage of training, our cross country flights are usually in the area of 3-4 hours long. We generally go to two other airports and end the flight back in Spokane. One of these flights took us from Spokane to Pullman, on to Wenatchee (which you can see in the picture), and back to Spokane. All in all, the flight was right at 4 hours, and we covered ground that map quest says should take 7 and a half hours by car! There is such a difference in time between flying and driving, and this is here is the U.S. where we have highways and interstates. Many of the places where the gospel is still just being introduced do not have the benefit of an infrastructure as useful as we have here in the States. Just think of how much more impact the airplane has in those countries where the roads, if they even exist, are in horrible condition and we can cover in an hour what it normally takes a week to travel!
own several with me as well as one on their own. At this stage of training, our cross country flights are usually in the area of 3-4 hours long. We generally go to two other airports and end the flight back in Spokane. One of these flights took us from Spokane to Pullman, on to Wenatchee (which you can see in the picture), and back to Spokane. All in all, the flight was right at 4 hours, and we covered ground that map quest says should take 7 and a half hours by car! There is such a difference in time between flying and driving, and this is here is the U.S. where we have highways and interstates. Many of the places where the gospel is still just being introduced do not have the benefit of an infrastructure as useful as we have here in the States. Just think of how much more impact the airplane has in those countries where the roads, if they even exist, are in horrible condition and we can cover in an hour what it normally takes a week to travel!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Night Flying
Question: What do white dresses, tuxedos, moonlight, and airplanes have to do with each other?
Answer: A bride and groom's getaway from their wedding!
Picture this: A warm summer night....a full moon illuminating the contours of the ground as they drift past far below you....the occasional farm light standing out like a star that planted itself in the earth....conversation and laughter with people you enjoy....the lights of the city twinkling in the distance, slowly becoming more distinguishable as you approach....the steady drone of the engine that is propelling you through the smooth air....a grouping of red, white, and green airport lights that identify your destination....
This is the experience I shared with Ali and our two "special" passengers last month over the countryside north of Spokane. John and Kristen Robbins (in the picture to the left) created the opportunity and reason for this particular flight which took place after their wonderful wedding Saturday night August 16, 2008. We had the great pleasure of flying my friends from Chewelah, WA back to Spokane on a beautifully clear summer night. Not only did we enjoy their wedding and company, but also the opportunity for a special kind of date for Ali and I... after all, we flew up there just the two of us, and as far as the flight back... well, what more needs to be said? It was so great to be able to serve our friends in such a meaningful way; it makes me all the more excited about using aviation as a means to serve others both here and overseas. What a blessing to have a skill that can be used to bless others!
Answer: A bride and groom's getaway from their wedding!
Picture this: A warm summer night....a full moon illuminating the contours of the ground as they drift past far below you....the occasional farm light standing out like a star that planted itself in the earth....conversation and laughter with people you enjoy....the lights of the city twinkling in the distance, slowly becoming more distinguishable as you approach....the steady drone of the engine that is propelling you through the smooth air....a grouping of red, white, and green airport lights that identify your destination....
This is the experience I shared with Ali and our two "special" passengers last month over the countryside north of Spokane. John and Kristen Robbins (in the picture to the left) created the opportunity and reason for this particular flight which took place after their wonderful wedding Saturday night August 16, 2008. We had the great pleasure of flying my friends from Chewelah, WA back to Spokane on a beautifully clear summer night. Not only did we enjoy their wedding and company, but also the opportunity for a special kind of date for Ali and I... after all, we flew up there just the two of us, and as far as the flight back... well, what more needs to be said? It was so great to be able to serve our friends in such a meaningful way; it makes me all the more excited about using aviation as a means to serve others both here and overseas. What a blessing to have a skill that can be used to bless others!
Friday, August 15, 2008
We're Back!
Hi everyone, we're back! It's been a while since we posted anything, but we're bringing our blog back online. A lot has happened in the last six months...we'll try and keep it brief.... For starters, our honeymoon was wonderful; Sedona, AZ is a beautiful area and we thoroughly enjoyed the time to get better acquainted with each other in such a lovely setting! In February, God blessed us with a new (used) car which we were able to purchase completely with money that people gave us around the time of our wedding! It's a needed and wonderful gift!
On the job scene, we prayerfully decided to remain with Proclaim Aviation Ministries for the next two years and are very excited about Tom's transition to being a flight instructor at Moody Aviation here in Spokane. Ali's year commitment at New Community came to an end this summer just in time for her to go back to school this fall to start a two year Masters in Counseling program at Gonzaga University. The summer has been a blast - visiting family in California, backpacking in Canada, watching our friends get engaged and married, and just enjoying the warm weather (which did finally come).
Well, there's the short and sweet of it; stay tuned, we intend to make our future posts a little more frequent. :) Thanks for following our journey! Blessings!
On the job scene, we prayerfully decided to remain with Proclaim Aviation Ministries for the next two years and are very excited about Tom's transition to being a flight instructor at Moody Aviation here in Spokane. Ali's year commitment at New Community came to an end this summer just in time for her to go back to school this fall to start a two year Masters in Counseling program at Gonzaga University. The summer has been a blast - visiting family in California, backpacking in Canada, watching our friends get engaged and married, and just enjoying the warm weather (which did finally come).
Well, there's the short and sweet of it; stay tuned, we intend to make our future posts a little more frequent. :) Thanks for following our journey! Blessings!
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