NTM

Kelly and I have now finished with our work in Arizona. I was able to build a lot of time flying the helicopter which will be used at some point by the aviation department while we are overseas. Kelly and I are traveling to Baltimore and Calgary this summer to visit our families, friends, and supporters one last time before we leave for Papua New Guinea this fall. We have had a very exciting Spring and instructing in the helicopter was a great experience for me. I learned a lot teaching other guys and had the opportunity to work with some really great NTM pilots. Kelly and I will arrive back in Arizona in September to pack our belongings and ship everything to Papua New Guinea. We have applied for our work visas and are now waiting for them to be processed. When the visas come through we can book our flights. Currently we are expecting to be able to leave by mid-October.

Our family is doing great. We have just had some quality time with Kelly’s family. Our oldest son Noah (almost two years old) is now saying quite a few words and is doing great. Our youngest son Eli (two months old) is really starting to give us some big smiles. We are very thankful for him.

Thank you for continuing to pray for us as we prepare for our move overseas.

After a late night drive into the hospital, Eli McGregor arrived at 8:55AM April 24th.  We are so thankful that he is doing well and Kelly is recovering quickly.  Thank you for praying for our family.

Click here to view pictures of Eli.

The past few months have been very busy as I have been studying and flying like crazy preparing for my Helicopter Flight Instructor exam.  I was scheduled to take this exam in December, but we ran into a minor setback late November.  During a routine oil change, we discovered that there was metal shavings in the oil filter.  This was a sign that something was coming apart in the engine and the helicopter had to be grounded immediately.  We began the process of removing the engine, but a new engine did not arrive until December.  Finally this past week I was able to travel to Phoenix to take my helicopter instructor exam.  This exam took most of the day and consisted of an oral portion and a flight.  I was so thankful that the Lord gave me peace throughout it and that I was able to pass it on the first attempt.  Thank you to those of you who were praying for me on that day.

Starting early February, I will begin teaching two of NTM Aviation’s airplane pilots how to fly the helicopter.  The plan is that by the end of the spring I will have taught four NTM airplane pilots how to fly the helicopter.  NTM Aviation has had a lot of trouble finding qualified helicopter pilots.  Now that their helicopter programs are expanding worldwide, they have a need for more helicopter pilots.  Planning ahead, a few of our airplane pilots have been selected to start the training process in the helicopter.  I will work with these men training them through their commercial licenses.  This will provide me with the remaining time needed in the helicopter before I arrive in PNG.

The plan is that when Kelly and I arrive in PNG this fall, we will spend four to six months in language school and then I will begin the flight checkout process in a Cessna 206 airplane.  Once I have gained experience with navigation, weather and radio communications in PNG, I will begin the checkout process to fly the helicopter there.  We are thankful to be able to meet the requirements for both aircraft so that we can be used by the PNG field in whatever capacity they need us.

Thank you for continuing to pray for us this spring as we submit our paperwork for PNG Visas as well as prepare to pack and ship our belongings.

Kelly is expecting our second child April 25th.  Everything has been going well with the pregnancy.  Noah is growing up (he is now 15 months old) and loves to run around.  He really enjoys the outdoors and playing at the playground.  He is just starting to say a few words.  I still have trouble understanding most of them, but is fun to see him trying.  Thank you for praying for us as a family.  We are excited to be moving to PNG this year even though there are so many unknowns ahead.  We have done what we can to prepare and now it is time for us to step out in faith and leave for PNG.  We are excited about what the Lord is doing there and how many people still need to be reached with the gospel message.  Thank you for praying for our ministry as we serve the Lord aiding the spread of the gospel in PNG.

The Lord has given me the opportunity to pursue more training in the helicopter. I am currently learning more about mountain flying, sling loading (carrying cargo suspended by ropes), and instructing. I will be going to take my helicopter instructor check ride by the end of October. Please pray for safety and for the ability to learn these skills well in a short amount of time. As soon as I am finished with my training I will be instructing two other pilots who are currently waiting for me to be finished with my training. Thank you for praying with us.

Helicopters are meeting very specific needs in New Tribes Mission.  Many of the remote locations that the church planters work make it impossible to build airstrips.  Many of the airstrips used are not large enough to meet current safety standards and due to terrain can not be expanded.  Helicopters are a safe and efficient at overcoming these barriers and saving church planters years of work.  One New Tribes Missionary recently wrote to NTM Aviation saying that if a helicopter would be available to their location it would save him three years of his time working to build an airstrip in the mountainous terrain using only hand tools.  By avoiding airstrip construction all together, a helicopter would enable this missionary to spend his time teaching the Word of God and discipling the new believers.

NTM Aviation has asked Kelly and I to consider staying another year here in Arizona to become qualified to fly the helicopter as well.  They have a shortage of helicopter pilots and I am just a few months away from having my instructor rating for the helicopter.  This would enable me to train a few of their airplane pilots as helicopter pilots.  This opportunity also provides me with the remaining flight time that I need to begin my checkout in the helicopter overseas.  The NTMA leadership in Papua New Guinea are happy for me to take this time now and come prepared for both the airplane and helicopter.  Currently there is only one helicopter pilot in Papua New Guinea and during his furlough, they have been forced to stop flying the helicopter halting the necessary service it provides to many of the remote tribal locations.

Currently I am working on my helicopter instructor rating and will be starting to instruct mid fall.  I would appreciate your prayers as I study and prepare for this major exam.  Kelly and I plan to leave for PNG by the fall of 2009. 

In September NTMA offered me the opportunity to train as a helicopter pilot in an almost new Robinson R-44 helicopter.  This helicopter is on its way to Indonesia early 2008, but was available to be flown through the fall.  In the past New Tribes has had trouble finding helicopter pilots who meet all of their requirements.  They have decided that they now need to train their own.

New Tribes flies helicopters in parts of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia where the terrain is not suitable to build airstrips and during the initial move into remote locations before an airstrip is built. 

I will finish my private and commercial helicopter licenses this fall.  I have more helicopter time that I would need to build in order to meet their insurance requirements, but having the licenses would give me the opportunity to do this when they need a helicopter pilot down the road.  They are only charging me the actual costs of operating the helicopter during this training, so it is relatively inexpensive (as far as flying a helicopter goes).  After only three weeks of flying the helicopter I was able to fly it for the first time by myself.  This was quite the experience.  It took all of my concentration and I was so tense that I had leg cramps when the whole thing was over!

Click here to see a video of my first solo helicopter flight.

You can be praying for Mike as he begins training in the helicopter.  There is a great need for a helicopter pilot in Indonesia.  Mike is starting out his helicopter ground school and flights this week.  The first ten hours in the helicopter is an aptitude test to see if he has the natural ability to operate the helicopter safely overseas. Pray that God would give him the ability to pick up these skill quickly. 

Kelly is due October 18th.  We are praising God for a very easy pregnancy. Just lately Kelly has been feeling a lot more uncomfortable, but that is normal at this stage of things.  Pray that Kelly will stay healthy and have a safe delivery. The hospital is sixty miles away from where we live. Pray that the baby will not beat us to the hospital. 

On the road again…

Twenty-four hours of driving brought Kelly and I from Roach, Missouri to McNeal, Arizona.  We left the lake and have now moved into the middle of the desert.  We will live here for the next nine months during our final flight checkout before heading overseas.

What are we doing here?

I will be busy flying and working on NTM’s aircraft that are based here in McNeal.  New Tribes requires that all of their pilots go through this aircraft orientation training before heading overseas. 

Why is aviation needed?

Living in North America makes it hard to believe that there are still many places in the world with no infrastructure or even roads.  New Tribes church-planters work in very remote areas of the world planting churches among unreached people groups.  Without aviation New Tribe’s ministries would come to a screeching halt in many of the countries they work in.

Flying in other parts of the world is very different than here in North America.  Many of the runways New Tribes uses are carved out of the jungle.  Due to terrain obstructions, they are often 1000 feet or less (this is 75% shorter than most general aviation airstrips in America, without the traction of pavement).  The aircraft and pilot operate in these demanding conditions to provide a necessary service to see the gospel spread around the world.  New Tribes Aviation takes their job very seriously and their pilots are well trained to fly safely in these conditions.

Thank you for continuing to pray for Kelly and I as we follow God’s direction for our lives.  We are excited to be a part of what He is doing around the world.

We have been praying for a doctor to see Kelly and deliver our baby when we return to Arizona in August.  This was more difficult than we thought because of the baby being due only about two months after we get back.  A Christian doctor who has come highly recommended from many others has agreed to take us when we return to Arizona.  God has really been watching out for us!  Thank you for praying.