Inspection

This past week we had an annual inspection on one of our airplanes. It was very interesting because the government actually has to send an inspector to look at the airplane but he only looks at a few things or check certain things, basically what ever he wants to see he checks out. But Todd and Hammer, our two mechanics did well and I even tagged along for the day and observed. I was hoping I could also do my practical check to get my mechanic certificate but that ended up falling through because nobody had communicated with the inspector...
In other news, we have one of our pilots getting home from furlough tomorrow. So now we will be up to 2 full pilots and me... so that is like 2.5 pilots as I still do not have a license and still have to be checked out to go solo as of yet.
This past week we received our, new to us, Cessna Turbo 206. It basically is the same as our other 2 airplanes but the difference is the engine in that it has a turbocharger that is able to keep the rated horsepower up to 16,000 feet. Non-turbocharged airplanes lose horsepower as they climb due to the fact that the air becomes less and less dense as you go higher. The turbo compresses the air and makes it so that the engine has just as much air as sea level. We still need permission to operate the airplane in Peru but at least we have it down here. Pictures to come!
One last thing, the pilot who brought the plane down stopped in 5 different countries on the way down. Unfortunately he said he had the most problems with clearances, flight plans, and customs in Peru and NOT in the other 4 countries!

The latest

Well I had been waiting for my pilot certifacte to come through and the latest word was that I would have a checkride on the 22nd of this month. Then today we heard from the government that I would need to got to Lima again because my pilot license was ready to be picked up! Without having to do a checkride... So I don´t really understand it, but I will take that! Not sure when I will be going but I would imagine in a week or so.

I am still flying with my Chief Pilot here. We had a 5 hour traing flight yesterday with the float plane. I will post some pictures as I came into town where there is fast inernet. Yes, we do land on there rivers. Some of the approaches require low turns over the river or on take off you have to follow the river while you climb out above the trees!

Still waiting

Two weeks ago I called the Government inspector about scheduling a time to receive my final checkride. This is the last thing, that I know of at least, that I need to do before I receive a pilot license down here in Peru. So he said to call him back the next week on Monday. So I waited 5 days and then called him Monday morning. He told me that that week we was going to be in northern Peru but was going to be coming out to Pucallpa on Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week and I should call him again the following Monday.
So yesterday I called him again and he said he was still in Northern Peru and for the next 2 weeks he was going to be busy. He did suggest that I call the DGAC offices and see if someone else could come out to Pucallpa and to the check ride.
So we called the DGAC, they gave us two numbers for the person that is in charge of the Pucallpa area and of course when we dialed the number it was a wrong number. So we call back to the office and they give us another number which when dialed is also not correct. Then we call back to the DGAC office a 3rd time and they give a 3rd number for someone else and he is not picking up his phone. So at the moment we are not really sure what in the world we are going to do but something has to give right?
Maybe I can just start flying down here without a license because they would never find out because they are never out here and don´t want to work with us or help us in anyway at all. But of course the moment we did that you know they would show up with a surprise inspection. You can´t win for loosing.

Pilot License

It has been a while since my last blog post. I have been putting it off because for the last 3 weeks I have always been "just a few days away" from getting my pilot license and wanted to put a post up once I had it in hand.
Unfortunately it has been a roller coaster ride and I have been back and forth to the DGAC (government aviation) offices about 6 times and even made a 1 week trip to Pucallpa because I thought I was going to get my final checkride out there in SAM AIR's Cessna 206.
So I am back in Lima again and hoping to get a final resolution. I would really appreciate your prayer during this time as I have been disappointed a number of times and often feel as though I am spinning my wheels as things continue to change. I will keep you posted!

Technologically advanced

One of the signs of developing 3rd world countries is the acceptance and implementation of 1st word technologies. Today, I saw this demonstrated first hand.
Peruvians are very resourceful and continue to amaze me more and more every day. I saw a gentleman today who was delivering furniture. Instead of carrying the furniture on his back, like other lesser devolved countries would do, this man had fashion a custom three wheeled furniture transporter!


Featuring a remarkable blend in technology of adequate transportation space, combined with low drag from only three wheels, this man had not only achieve a low carbon footprint (something highly sought after in 1st world countries) but had also solved the problem of maintaining his slim figure by fashioning an ingenious direct drive system that was self powered. A slim figure by the way is HIGHLY desirable in 1st world countries, even more so than low carbon emissions.

Security for the transportation module was simplistically brilliant. Any potential thief would have to be extremely physically fit to out run the Police in their "High carbon foot print" 4x4 vehicles. To top it all off, I also witnessed the very latest in "adaptive new technology use". Two computer mice were used to secure the vehicle from rolling away while the transportation module was not attended. What better way to not only make a fashion statement, but also provide the ultimate in home PC security. Everyone knows, with out a mouse, your sunk trying to navigate about the latest 486 desktop PC here in Peru.

For those of you unfamiliar with the 486 computer, 1st world countries have found the following uses for these multipurpose machines: They are adequately sized to be used as targets for various calibers of guns at shooting ranges, ideally suted for placement in most modern landfills, serve as excellent dust collectors in many basements, and one or two have even been spotted in museums of technology and history. A few users have had occasional operational problems with this most recent of technologies. After all, it's there to HELP you and make life SIMPLER. However, your mileage may vary...

Done with language school

This past week I finished my Spanish language studies! After almost 9 months of classes, I am done! I do feel fairly comfortable talking with people and doing the things that I need to do with my Spanish, however there is always more vocabulary to learn.

For a while there, I was really worried about my Spanish level because it was not perfect. I finally realized that it would never be truly perfect and that for the type of job that I have, I do not need to be very articulate. It would be something different if I were a pastor or if my job was teaching at one of the SAM bible schools. So I am content and looking forward to begining my flight check out process in April.

On a sadder note, the day I was leaving Arequipa, the father of my host home mother died. He had been living on the first floor of the house along with his wife for a number of years and in the 9 months I lived with the family, he had been to the hospital 4 different times. Then, this past time he had been there for about 3 days but was doing OK. He could still talk, was making jokes, and had a very sharp mind. However, the years of smoking finally caught up with him leaving him bed ridden. As we were driving to the airport to catch my flight to Lima, we received a call that they were doing CPR and we should come quickly. I went on to the airport and the family went directly to the hospital.

The funeral was a day later on the 25th and I was not able to attend because I left for Lima and am still here presenting my paperwork to receive my Pilot license. Two months earlier we had celebrated his birthday. After blowing out the single candle, he announced to the family and friends gathered around that his one wish was that we would all see each other again in Heaven.

Being Sick

For the past 10 days or so, I have been sick. It all started Wednesday evening at our SAM yearly conference. Perhaps 50 people all living in close quarters for a week was just too much for my system. I recognized the dry scratchy throat symptoms setting in so I went straight for the bottle... of water that is. Trying to catch the thing on the uptake only resulted in making frequent trips to the men's room, always an adventure in a new location at night while trying to hold back the sea.

By Friday I was feeling quite tired and congested as well. Thankfully the conference was over and I had the weekend back at my host home to recover. Or so I thought. Saturday the family went down to the beach, a 3 hour bus ride, and a change in elevation of about 7500 feet. While riding the bus in Peru is generally not a terribly pleasant experience, this trip was even more memorable. By the time the bus arrived at its final destination, I couldn't hear a blessed thing as my ears were plugged up tight and I was asking people if the ringing in my head bothered them. Thankfully after 8 hours of sleep and and an equal number of trips to the bathroom, I could hear again.
I have to segway here and say that I have learned Peruvians are very helpful. If there is a problem, they don't hesitate offering a solution. So here are some of the solutions that I was given to cure my cold:

Drink lemonade.
Take flu medication.
Suck on candy.
Stick something inside your ear to "pop" your ears and relieve the pressure.
Sleep on the ear that is plugged up the most.
Rub menthol on your chest and feet before you go to bed.
Drink hot tea.
Drink hot water with honey mixed into it.
Take hot showers.
Take cold showers.
Wear a jacket.
Wear socks.
Don't get wet when it rains.

Anyways, by Monday I had begun to have headaches during the day and I was talking through my nose as well. Naps in the afternoon did not seem to help and on Wednesday, Advil could not even touch the roaring headache I had. It hurt to put my head below my waist. It felt like someone had a bicycle pump inside of my brain and was attempting to inflate a 10-person life raft in record time. The only thing that helped was keeping a very low profile at home and not moving around a lot. Well, expect for the trips to the john (I was still drinking plenty of water).


Finally 2 beakthroughs. I received an e-mail from one of my supporters who is a nurse and she pointed out the color of a person's phlem can tell a lot. I knew this as I had been quite facinated by the kaleidoscope of colors I had seen emitting from the two holes of my personal FFF (far flem flinging) nose. My nurse friend (thanks Rachel) tipped me off to the idea of a bacterial infection but it was not until Friday morning that fellow SAM missionaries (thanks Tim and Hannah) at language school looked at me and sad quite plainly, You need antibiotics.


Suddenly the light when on and without hesitation we headed out to the pharmacy around the corner. After a 30 second "consultation" with the lady at the counter, she gave me a 5 day supply of antibiotics and a nasal decongestant. The price by the way was $7 total.
After 3 days I can happily say the "little drummer boy" inside my head has quite his double timed beat, and my FFF nose has resumed a somewhat normal production rate that only rivals the GDP of a small 3rd world country instead of the previous 1st world phlem which at its height was adequate for greasing tractor wheel bearings. However, the one constant still remains... retracing my well worn path to the head every few hours due to my continued affinity for water.

Some things are in English

The hard part about learning a langauge, I find, is that words in english and words in spanish do not sound the same. DUH!! But some times you get lucky and learning new words does not take that much effort. Here are some examples.

Dune buddy = Tubular


Masking tape = Scotch

Flash = Flash


Internet = Internet or En Red which literally translated is "in fishing net"

Full (as in, the parking lot is full) = Full