When A Brother Goes Down

Earlier this week, I mentioned that an important job here is the Flight Follower’s. I want to tell you a little more about that, and draw a spiritual analogy (so you non-aviators can still enjoy the discussion).

What is Flight Following?

On our flight from Lusaka to the mission last week, it looked like this: when our pilot John started the airplane, Karen (his wife and our Flight Follower) got a notification on her computer. They use a special GPS that is connected through the internet and sends a position report every couple of minutes, as well as other kinds of alerts as needed. Right after we took off, John called Karen to verify she was following and give her some details. Karen then stayed close to her computer and kept track of our progress. We flew over endless miles of wilderness where we could have survived a forced landing, but never walked to find someone. When we landed at the mission, John sent a message through the tracker that we had landed safely. The flight was a success! What would have happened if it wasn’t?

There is a topic in aviation that we don’t like to talk about, but it is real and we must deal with it. It is the risk that we take in flying, and the possible outcome of that risk. We fly thousands and thousands of hours without incident; this risk is not high, but the possibility of problems doesn’t go away. Not talking about the risk doesn’t make us safer, but planning and preparation do. Imagine a scenario with me.

An Unplanned Landing In Nowhere, Zambia

Let’s say that halfway home on our flight from Lusaka a piston flies apart and the engine loses 80% of its power. There is no choice but find a safe place to land. John picks a nice flat spot with no trees and sets it down like a butterfly with sore feet. As he is slowing down, a wheel drops into an unseen hole and the airplane jerks to the side and rocks hard as the landing gear is broken off. In the tumble, John is thrown into the door frame and cracks his head open. We find the first aid kit and patch his head. We will all be okay, but John is going to need stitches. We are 100 miles from the nearest village, so we can’t start walking. We must sit and wait for someone to find us.

Now you can see why we have flight following. If the above scenario happened, Karen would be notifying a rescue party before we finished the bandages, and within hours we would all be in safety. Without her help, the outcome is not favorable for survival. It would be several hours before someone starts looking, and finding a single airplane in the vastness of the wilderness would take days or weeks. That is why we put layers of backup plan into place. Again, the likelihood of a problem is incredibly low. It is not fun to think about the possibility of an accident, but with some preparation we are very likely to be safe if the unexpected happens. On that one flight in ten thousand, the Flight Follower is literally a life-saver.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. -Galatians 6:2

Love one another fervently with a pure heart. – 1Peter 1:22b

Can you see how flight following is like relationships with each other?

Be Not Weary

Karen spends a lot of time watching a computer screen on flights that go exactly as expected. After awhile, I’m sure it gets boring. But she doesn’t waver. She keeps that laptop within easy reach as she cooks, washes laundry, keeps accounting records, or whatever else her day requires. The reason is that anyone with their radio on can hear a Mayday call, but only the Flight Follower knows of a problem when no call can be made. She knows because she’s been there all along.

We want you to know that you are our Flight Followers. As we cross the barren landscape of life, it gives us great comfort that you are watching us, keeping an eye on our progress and safety. We will do the same for you, as much as we can.

No one expects to crash, and we don’t like to think about it. But if I crash, I desperately want to know that someone has been there all along.

…Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap… and let us not grow weary in doing good.  -Galatians 6:7,9