Big Days Ahead!

Thank you all for the many prayers for us during Jacklyn’s pregnancy. We are almost there and are looking forward to holding our sweet baby GIRL in just a few weeks!!! Sharing the news that it’s a girl with the boys was super fun – all three of them are beyond excited to meet her.

What’s new in the training?
Back in March, Frank took a two-week maintenance course in Los Angeles, CA. This was at the actual Robinson helicopter factory where all their helicopters are produced. Yes, it was BIG! Now that he has successfully passed the course, he is authorized to sign off the required inspections for this helicopter!

Robinson Helicopters has three massive buildings and produce around 8 helicopters each week.

Thousands of pages of manuals that Frank used extensively throughout the course.

This is what the “guts” of Frank’s helicopter looks like – complete with the main rotor gearbox, hydraulic system, mast and flight control linkages. Behind and to the right is the Rolls Royce 300 turbine engine that powers the R66.

The focus of Frank’s flight training over the past few months has been on learning to instruct in the helicopter. This Thursday, May 3rd, is the big test he has been building up to! He will be tested all day both orally and practically (in the helicopter) to add on helicopter to his Certified Flight Instructor rating.

These helicopter maneuvers have been some of the most challenging flight maneuvers Frank has done in all his aviation experience up to this point. Please pray for clarity of mind and a solid focus through the final hours of studying as well as during the test. Pray for agreeable weather for the flight and, most importantly, that his focus through it all will be fixed on the glory of Christ, whatever the outcome.

One requirement to be a helicopter flight instructor is to be able to do “full down autorotations”. We’ve included a video of this below. This is basically a simulated engine failure taken all the way to the ground. At 500ft above the ground, the engine throttle is rolled off and it is no longer spinning the rotor. The pilot uses the upward airflow through the rotor as the helicopter falls to keep it spinning. The helicopter then must be landed safely, in a specific zone, and without the option of adding engine power to ensure a good outcome. You can hear the rotor slowing down at the end as the last bit of its energy is used to set the helicopter gently down on the ground.

What’s Next?
In a few weeks, we plan to head up to Phoenix where we will deliver our baby much closer to medical care than we have here in McNeal. When we return, Frank will wrap up some advanced training as well as begin instructing a new student until September. After that point, things have become a little more uncertain and God has been teaching us to wait on Him and trust Him with His great plan that we are yet to discover. Please be praying for wisdom as we work through changes and transitions and seek out what God is doing through them.