In Service...

Twelve years ago I began work for Aerocet, Inc. a tiny company in Priest River, Idaho that makes aircraft floats (pontoons). I have tried to get used to explaining who we are and what we do because there aren't many locals who know that Aerocet even exists... Well, outside of Priest River, anyway. Long story short, I wouldn't have known either, except that somebody who knew me made the introductions.

It's hard to be brief about this, because there have been so many lessons, trials and victories that I have both lived and witnessed - and many more that I know very little about...
Three days into my new job, I was told of a new aircraft design that my boss had rattling around in his head. While I was intrigued, I was skeptical. I grew up living airplanes, dreaming of flying in the military or for missions, and I knew that many designs made little more than paper in a drawer in some empty building somewhere. I knew the mentality of the aviation types - a full head of steam comprised of crazy new concoctions pressurized with more enthusiasm than money.

One fellow stated it best by asking me one day, "Do you know how to make a little money in aviation?"

I thought hard, because I hate being ignorant, but I had no idea. "No."

"Well, you start with a LOT of money..." he laughed...

Now you start to get the picture, but we haven't even scratched the surface of all the challenges involved with producing a new aircraft.

Tom, my boss, owner of Aerocet was at the heart of all of this. Dave Voetman, MAF career missions pilot and Tom met many years ago and though I don't know the specifics, I perceive that this was a pivotal moment, perhaps the actual beginning of what would eventually become the Kodiak. That was around 17 years ago...

Some men dream of doing great things, others of great money, others of great power. Some of us don't even dare dream. Tom is in the first group - but his dreams came in the forms such as, "Wouldn't it be neat to pack everything up in one of these airplanes, and fly into some jungle strip, and hand some missionary the keys? 'It's all yours now...'"

Throughout the Kodiak project, he has kept a picture of Dave Voetman in Africa holding a tiny child with a distended belly - this picture is one of the windows into the heart of these guys and the team who has since built the Kodiak.

The need isn't just the food, supplies and the meds. The need was for replacements for aging aircraft that even when useable, were increasingly maintenence intensive. There are fewer mission pilots now too. Ever-increasing cost in training leaves many would-be-pilots stateside to pay off the debt - among other things, perhaps. Many missions aircraft are dependant on AvGas, which is becoming less available in some places. Where it can be gotten, it can come at a dear price.

From the start the Kodiak was intended to meet needs raised by the mission pilots and mechanics. Design parameters included wingspan, fuel type, maintenance in the field and a host of other considerations - all met in this airplane.

I got some pictures today that help to remind me why I am here. This is a good day. Some days, well, you'd like to hope there were more good days.

There is a struggle hidden in every day. Someone, somewhere finds a "problem" and decides to make it yours; or perhaps you find your own problem and you have to find a way to fix it. Some days, I have a hard time seeing past the count-down to home. The constant barrage of reality wears you down from the inside out.

So, today, I am allowing myself to remember the story of this 17 year effort and I am taking comfort in the notion that God's purposes are bigger than my own. He has some kids out there that need help - my trouble is worth that, isn't it?

I had little to do with the Kodiak, except some rib drawings once upon a time. Those are long gone, I am sure, but I am privileged to have watched and learned first hand how God's ends are met - whatever the challenges or heart-wrending along the way.

The Quest Aircraft Team has all my best wishes and thanks...

Lord, help me to be faithful to you. Lead me not into trials, but victory. I ask You to help me get something useful done for Your kingdom today. Bless the efforts of those who've dedicated their lives for your service...

The above pictures are taken in New Guinea. This Kodiak is in service with JAARS (Jungle Aviation And Radio Service - http://www.jaars.org/.

The Kodiak is designed and built at Quest Aircraft in Sandpoint. http://questaircraft.com/

In [His] service, I hope that this is a "good day" for you as well...

Abba! Father...

"For you have not received a spririt of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." (Romans 8:15-17)

I hope that this is a familiar passage to most of you... I know that it was taught thoroughly to me and to those in my church family where I was raised. It had a significance due to the deep teachings we were given back then, but I have lived the example and felt its significance in a personal way that perhaps cannot be relayed to anyone else. I can't help but make the attempt...

This thought struck me with full force yesterday during communion and once again, I tried my best to ignore the tears and try not to be a distraction. As one of the elders spoke of the the Last Supper and the words of Christ I heard the echoes of something familiar to my heart... Christ knew what he was doing. He knew the cost and He knew the prize... ...He knew that at the end of the struggle that He then faced, He would take a bride, the Church, and extend an inheritance, a heritage to a new family. I am unable to speak of these things without tears right now, so writing will have to do.

Having been taught this adoption to the family of God from such an early age, it was almost a natural conclusion for me to extend this into my own life. In the same manner, it was a foregone conclusion for Christ - He knew the cost all too clearly and chose to follow through.

He knew what He was getting into. He knew that I would be imperfect, rebellious, sinful and all the rest, yet His love was fastened to me, to us, to his prize. His affection is as deep as it is firm and is not lessened though hurt by our transgressions.

We once had a slave owner for a father in Satan. He held us captive to our desires, our lusts, leading us to believe that his life is a good life. He leads us astray by telling lies and feigning care for us. When we have fallen, he laughs and he points, he abuses his children with accusations and he confines them in their guilt. He is a terrible father, indeed he is only a father in the most minimal of ways.

But the work of Christ to pay the penalty of our sins has allowed a us to enter the family of God. His adoption is binding. It is legal and it is complete. The Evil One has only the influence that we give him. He can cojole, harass and accuse all that he wants to, but he can do nothing unless we give him the time of day to work.

Satan will have his day in court, and he will try to point out our faults before God the judge, but our Advocate is Christ and His work is final. Our inheritance is sure in the courts of Heaven. Again I am writing in tears - and glad to be...

MY child... MINE and not his... the evil one has no right any longer, so do not live as though he does... Do we get it yet? "Oh how He loves you and me" !!!

Chicken...

I haven't had any time this year to do much blogging. I posted here and there about some of it, but in review I recall trips and visits, work (gratefully, of course), new floors in the house (thanks guys for advice and for the musckles), and then the coop...

I started looking for plans - or at least advice - on the Internet. I honestly underestimated the chicken crowd... I searched the Internet, read through catalogs, talked to people, etc. and "Wow!" I am surprised about the number of people who are cuckoo for chickens.

My experience with chickens was always getting eggs (sometimes with great caution around a grumpy hen), and getting another piece off of the platter on the dinner table...

When our chicks arrived, I was mildly amused that the girls thought they were pretty neat; but even my wife got in on it for a week or so. I got scared when the chicks got names, and got even more scared when the chicks got a photo session. You can imagine the dread I began to feel as I envisioned the fateful night we would be eating "Fluffy." (No, there is no Fluffy in our flock... I don't know their names, and if I did, I would change the names to protect the innocent...)

But all good things must end (mercifully), and my wife has recently issued an eviction notice - the chickens have to go outside, now. Funny, but now I find myself sort of attached, feeling a little scared for them and worried that they might get cold out there. Sure, they are two or three times larger now, and starting to get a stink to them, but still...

So, back to the Internet for a little insomniatic perusing to make sure that they will indeed be OK to move yet - oh, and to find out if it is normal for them to be tearing up bits of the newspaper and chasing each other around to get it. (Think tag, cute little chicken style... ...then think of it in fast-forward. Yes, that fast! Throw a bug in there and its like watching a scale version of Jurassic Park with little veloci-raptors...)

So, it turns out that chickens are indeed animals with God-given instincts and abilities - and apparently boredom too. I guess they need something to do... whoduthunk. Chickens need stuff to "do?"

I grew up in a rural area - but I guess I missed some of the finer points...

For the rest of us who know nothing about chickens, I found this site. http://www.backyardchickens.com/

Creepy

Hmmm... This would be a fun project to work on, but... ...aside from the ethical issues, it is amazing how oftentimes our best ideas for new technology are derived from Creation?

Long Journies

If I could have described in a single word what a vacation meant to me it might have been "over-rated". My brain doesn't disengage from the responsibilities of home well; and, often, the idea of all the hassle of preparing things at work for my absence, changing the oil in the van, packing for the trip and then navigating to some place in a suburb 600 miles from home seems like more trouble than just staying home.

I have to say that doesn't describe the last few trips very well, however, and the last little foray we took after the wedding was an especially needed mini-vacation - which I could not have envisioned or planned. Perhaps it could be likened to that pair of old heavy, if comfortable, boots. Once you put on a set of light running shoes, you wonder how you put up with the old, clunky, stinky things…

Not sure how that fits, but the long journey idea reminds me of the Cessna 180 Skywagon that we saw at Tillamook on Sunday. Apparently, a pair of these (including the one pictured) were the first "Light Aircraft" on the North Pole.

I would not choose to make that journey myself. After all, it's just cold up there; but some hearty souls in search of adventure found themselves a little piece of history.
This 180 is no hangar queen... ...but it is a beautiful little plane nonetheless. The picture is heavily massaged, and my wife sort of cringed to see what I was doing to it. I figure, much like matching socks, what I don't know won't embarrass me – until I know better. Here's to Navy Blue on the left foot and Black on the right!

Somewhere along the way I heard someone say something about their dream car - maybe it was one of the questions that my wife recommended for the bridal shower... ...you know, to give the bride a little twenty questions about the groom? I think it was something about his ultimate vehicle... ...I immediately thought out loud "My ultimate vehicle would be a Skywagon..."

This Skywagon is a 180. Skywagons also come as 185's and may be equipped with skiis (such as seen here), floats or wheels of course. Many owners are upgrading theirs with larger engines, wing tip extensions, tips tanks and large, 3-bladed props for improved performance and, well, more adventure... …Sadly, due to litigation and economy Cessna stopped making these airplanes in 1981. Still, they are one of the most popular bush airplanes flying.

The banner on my blog is actually a 185 on a set of our floats... ...one of my favorite tag lines that we put into some of our mailers at one point was "Take Yourself Off The Map..." (We meant it in the nicest possible way!) I imagined that were it possible, one would find some impossibly private corner of the world and disappear for a while...

Hmmm... One of these on a long journey would go a lot farther than our aging van, huh?

Another of my Favorites...

These were interesting to shoot. I love the old look of these and it was exactly what I had in mind when I took them. Crystal helped me with the editing - something I haven't the patience or time to learn on my own.

There are a lot of difficulties in photographing aircraft in public settings. People who are more interested in looking at the exhibits are not paying attention to you, so you have to wait until just the right moment to snap - or do a lot of magic in post-editing. I didn't take anything out but I did crop these ones.

I learned a tiny amount about masking in the top picture. That allowed me (us) to control the saturation levels of the flag - pretty nifty I think. I know, I know, Kindergarten for the rest of you... ...I couldn't figure out how to fix the flag - I think it is a standard 50 state arrangement and anyone who knows to look would set me straight about Alaska and Hawaii. I still like the shot - beggars can't be choosers.

The upper aircraft is a different view of the FM-2 Wildcat that I posted yesterday. This was a staple aircraft in the War in the Pacific, and like most of the great aircraft of the war, has its fans...

The FM-2 was one of the last versions of this "Type" being constructed by GM through 1944 I understand? (Factories were focused singularly on the war effort to get military hardware into battle and you will find that most of the auto manufacturers ceased production of cars in order to do that.)

The FM-2 was no match for a 1 v. 1 dogfight with a good Zero pilot, but with teamwork and some guts, the US pilots still managed to have a decisive win ratio. Still, its predecessors ("Wildcats" - just different versions...) were already outdated at the start of the war due to some misguided thinking in my opinion - When you curb military spending, you have a long "spin-up" to hurdle before you can be competitive again. Anyway, this FM-2 version was unique in that its lighter design allowed it to be stationed on smaller carriers for close support and sub hunting through the end of the Pacific war - they basically didn't put it toe to toe with the enemy Zeroes after the F6F Hellcat arrived.

The lower picture features a 1938 Bellanca Air Cruiser. It has a distinctive "W" shape in the lower wing. This is the only example that I have ever seen, and I checked the website - they think it is unique in the world as well. I don't know a lot about this design, but it is an interesting and beautiful aircraft in its own way.

There was a set of floats nearby (maybe I will work on some pics for that another time...) and a set of skiis for this aircraft as well - big equipment.

Also in the same shot, a Mig 15 that is definitely out of its era, but I think the picture is still nifty enough to hang in my office.

A shot from the past...

…in more ways than one.


This picture was taken yesterday in the Tillamook Air Museum, which was once the Tillamook Naval Air Station between 1942 and 1944, if memory serves correctly. (Yes, that Tillamook, the place where they make the cheese… and my jokes got cheesier as we got closer – until we saw this HUGE building that said, “AIR MUSEUM” from about ten miles away… …Skip the cheese factory and go see this – my wife and I and our 9 year old got in for under $20 – kids under 5 are free. Ooops – locked the keys in the van too - $65 for a locksmith… still, pretty cheap for a Sunday…)

All of the airplanes on display are not only airworthy, but they take them out and fly them periodically. There they sit, oil pans underneath the big radials, some with low tires and greasy finger prints on the props. Grit and grime and all, it looked and felt like a real hangar – as opposed to the pristine Evergreen Museum in McMinnville, but that’s another story. Here, they had two rules: 1) No running. 2) Please don’t turn the props – it makes the engines leak oil – (No Kidding…). What a treat to walk around and under these beautiful fire-snorting behemoths…! …with “my girls” no less!

The Airplane shown (again by memory) is/was a Grumman FM-2 Wildcat (not to be confused with the larger F6F Hellcat or some other similar variants).

The “Hangar” is one of the largest clear-span wood structures in the world and contains more unique vintage aircraft than I want to type out here.

I believe that the distracting nose cone in the left is a DC-3, but such notables as a P-38, Me 109 (Spanish variant), a Cessna 180 that was first to the North Pole and an old Bellanca with available floats and skiis (pictures another day?).

I was embarrassed to learn later that my wife was mildly amused by my tearing up (OK - a little) when they fired up the B-17 and taxied off with some lucky passengers for a scenic flight around the patch. (What can I say, it was all that smoke in my eyes…?) They planned to fly their Japanese “Oscar” today along with the P-38. I ran out of money though, so I came back to work instead. Noble, huh?

I told them how much I appreciated being able to afford to bring the whole family to this, and I wished I could have gotten a shot in the cockpit of some of those monsters for $20; but I did take lots of pictures, maybe I’ll share if they turn out… (My wife did the “retro” editing on this for me… …did I say that I loved her already?)

Projects - Return of the Volunteer Zombies

Yes, it was scary. There were sharp tools, open wounds and dull wits (not in that order and not naming names lest I incriminate myself). It sounds like the intro to an old horror film, but this was much, much worse...

We sawed and measured, then clicked and snapped the pieces of flooring in place in a race against the moonrise. The heat of the day, the sore knees and aching backs all contributed their worst in a brutal counter offensive, but we made impressive gains in spite of the onslaught against us.

Ok, enough with the metaphores... We worked hard. I could not have been happier with the the results, which is to say, to the happy satisfaction of my wife... She walks in the door and constantly repeats, "I can't believe how much this changes the house!!"

We got a lot done and I want to thank everyone for their part. I know the cost of commiting time to such things and I really can't tell you how appreciative we are.

Thank you to all! And Happy Birthday, Crystal...

Salty Remedies (and Fertilizer?!!)

I have heard a lot of "folk remedies" too, so take this with a, ummm, grain of salt.

Growing up I was told that Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate) were good for sprains and aches, etc. But I was shocked to learn from the back of our package this morning that it was also recommended as a fertilizer.

Well, that aroused my curiosity and I Bing-ed Epsom Salts (it wasn't Google, but if I Bing in the past tense, then it looks like binged - as in I ate or drank excessively). Anyway, I found someone's blog or some such thing, that mentioned the Epsom Salt Coucil (WHAT?!! There's a whole council?!!).

Alright, it could be that there are three or four people, one of whom knows HTML, yeah, I know, but according to this relatively nice site, there are at least some interesting statistics.

Here are some of them from there:

1) Magnesium is a necessary component in order to process calcium in your body.

2) American men typically have 80% of the necessary amount of magnesium; while women have 70%.

3) Epsom Salts provide temporary relief for itching and swelling from mosquito bites, bee stings and mild sunburns.

4) Epsom Salts may be used as a fertilzer for garden or lawns. (As written on our package as well.)

There are some links to other sources of information and some that left me scratching my head. But, maybe it’s worth a try on the tomatoes?

For now, I am not opposed to the occasional soak - the warm water on my feet is relaxing in and of itself, what's the harm of adding some Epsom Salts...?

I know, I know, ever the skeptic... Of course I could do more reading, but the water is getting cold now.

Projects

A couple of months ago Crystal and I were going over our schedule (May thru June) and discovered that, along with all the normal things, we were looking at three out of town trips and at least two more visits from out of town family. This looks like nearly every weekend on the calendar - maybe one or two in there in which we were actually home. Since then, we have had a lot of fun traveling and visiting and you can see some of the excitement on my wife's blog...

Well, as the schedule sort of slapped us up-side the head, we started to look around our beloved house, and we realized that we have been "living" in it now for 6 years and it has started to look that way.

Our next trip to Econo-Mart(where you get the big volume supplies) we started to drool over the various laminate floorings. I did some preliminary numbers in my head, sighed, and sort of shrugged it off; but when we walked back into the house that night the carpet never looked worse.

Those of you who have visited recently know what I mean. We have two holes from one of the dogs who insisted on chasing down earwigs - even the ones that burrowed into the shag; little "waves" where we walk the most; and grunge that doesn't come up with the cleaner any more.

I talked to my good friends (who are thankfully frugal) and each had advice and offered to help us get things by for a while. I went along with that for the time being, but we haven't had time to deal with a commercial type cleaning yet.

So last week, my mother and brother in law were visiting for a few days. It got very humid. And a familiar scent arose that has put the nail in the coffin for our carpet. Purtrid, but fond memories of some of our family's best canine friends...

I am glad that we didn't make an impulse buy the first time around, because Econo-Mart had the flooring on sale last night. We have since had time to think about it, pray a bit and to realize that it is just necessary. With the sale, and after running a few numbers, I think we should be able to afford to floor the entire downstairs!

We bought a box of some that we liked, but Crystal is firm, it doesn't work; so, Oak it is. We don't like oak much, but I like the price. Maybe, as with the Neon that I hated until we paid it off, I will learn to appreciate it. At least it will match other things better...

Sometime soon, it's off to Econo-mart for 40 boxes of Oak-alike laminate flooring.

...Soooo, that brings me to one last little thing... ...When and how. I hope that the recent builds done lately mean that some of ya'll have tools stashed away somewhere? We will hope to have this done before the cold sets in and I need the heaters again, but until then I am happy to have a shop...

How do you spell "fun"?