Another Exam Coming Soon

The church bells are ringing, the lambs are bleating, and the children are running around in Judean shepherd dress. It’s live nativity season in North Carolina, and Christmas time is on us. As I write, I’m listening to music by David Klinkenberg that reminds me that the beauty of the season is not just a baby, but a redeemer:

“He made a way in a manger
To make a way to the cross.”

In the hangar, we have been busy. I have been doing quite a bit of flying, although you would not know it by reading this blog. I’ve been practicing and studying, and when there’s a need I roll out my tool box and repair something.

Check Ride

I am preparing for another exam later this month for a Commercial Pilot Certificate*. I will meet with a representative of the Federal Aviation Administration. Half of the morning will be an oral exam, and the other half will be a flight. We commonly call this process a “check ride”. It is an intense few hours, and takes several weeks of preparation and study. Advice from other pilots is that the Commercial check ride is one of the easier ones because it is mostly repeating things you have done before, but to a higher standard. I’ll still be nervous, thank you.

It’s Christmas, Baby

Once the check ride is complete, it will be Christmas time. Sometime after Christmas (shortly, we hope) our new baby will arrive. We are all starting to get baby fever around the house. Once the baby gets here, I will take some time off flying. We are very particular about pilots not flying when either sleep, stress levels, or emotions are abnormal. I don’t expect to be stressed, but I don’t know about those other two. When I get back into the routine, I will be flying the Cessna 206, which a little larger airplane.

The 206 is a little bit like the Ford pickup of missionary aviation. It’s the ubiquitous mission field hauling  machine. I will spend some time getting to know its behaviors and mastering its capabilities. I flew it for a couple of weeks last month, so I’ve had the introduction. Check back for some cool photos and updates.

What Next?

We have not been saying much lately, and many of you know we have been getting closer to making a decision about where our service will be after the spring. Thank you for the  many prayers and notes you have given us. I am happy to report that God has been clarifying that decision a lot. We are preparing a newsletter very soon to begin outlining our decision and the open doors, so be looking for that. Meanwhile, enjoy the season of rejoicing in our stable-born Redeemer.

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*A Note on Commercial Pilots

The term Commercial Pilot Certificate sometimes confuses people. It does not qualify a pilot to fly for airlines. That is called an Airline Transport Pilot. It also does not qualify a pilot to fly large airplanes, as commercial driver’s license does for vehicles. It simply qualifies a pilot to fly on someone else’s behalf. Any flight for hire requires a Commercial Pilot Certificate, but even flights you would not think of being “for hire” in the normal sense of the word (e.g. missionary flights) require a commercial pilot’s certificate. Without a Commercial Certificate, a pilot can only fly for personal transportation or pleasure.