The end of Orientation and Mountain Week

Orientation is finished as of one week ago.  What a tremendously incredible time!  It was awesome to learn from those who have so much experience in mission aviation, both in flight and in maintenance.  It was also very humbling and encouraging to see that their faith in Jesus came first in everything which then defined how they worked in the hangar or cockpit.

This past week we returned to MN and promptly got sick, which probably has something to do with leaving sunny warm NC and arriving in the frigid great white north!  I am grateful, though, that we stayed mostly healthy through the end of our time in NC.


The second to last week of Orientation was Mountain Week.  I went into the mountains near Asheville, NC, and had a chance to put together all the things I had been learning since August.

On short final for Brown International, a short undulating runway in a field owned by Mr. Brown.

Mr. Brown, who not only let us use his field but also mowed the runway for us, and Steve, a new Instructor Pilot at JAARS.

Liftoff from Brown Int'l.

Evan, one of the instructors in charge of Orientation, discussing the runway with Mr. Brown.

Look closely!  In the middle is a runway called Valhalla.

BJ, another instructor pilot, along with Evan and Steve - setting up Valhalla.

The view from the top of Valhalla.

Landing at Valhalla.

Taking off from Valhalla.

Landing at Valhalla.

Taking off from Valhalla.

Can you find the runway in the middle of the picture?  This is Friendship.

Looking up the runway at Friendship.

BJ and I.

Taking off from Avery County in Spruce Pine, NC.

Landing at Avery County.

Ryan and BJ.  Ryan is the owner of the FBO at Avery County who let us take over his hangar during Mountain Week and provided us with everything we needed.

Final Approach to Valhalla.