Last week on Off the Grid:
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After 2 years of working on
aircraft 8838 x-ray, the hard
00:00:02.73\00:00:06.50
working mechanics of
Adventist World Aviation
00:00:06.53\00:00:08.80
deem the aircraft ready to fly.
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This aircraft underwent a
total overhaul and refurbishment
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process
transforming an old Cessna 182
00:00:15.28\00:00:18.95
into a beautiful masterpiece
equipped with special
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modifications,
specific for the mission field.
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After backbreaking work,
8838 x-ray took off from the
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AWA maintenance facility headed
for the mission field of Guyana.
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With Happy hearts Ray and Julie
Young are the team, who will be
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ferrying this plane down
across county, over open water,
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to the eagerly
awaiting missionaries in Guyana.
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The plan is to fly the plane
from Wisconsin all the way down
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to Florida, and then
island hop through the Caribbean
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till they reach the
main land of south America.
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The journey is a dangerous one,
and Ray must be very cautious
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and make calculated lifesaving
decisions regarding weather,
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landing spots and navigation.
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His wife Julie is by
his side as they begin
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this long journey together!
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With Happy hearts Ray
and Julie Young take off
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from the Sullivan
airport in Wisconsin.
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This is a joyous adventure
for the couple. They both have
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put their lives on hold for
the past few months as they left
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their home in Canada to
come and dedicate their time
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to finishing up this aircraft.
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Now they will be the ones,
privileged to see the project
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through to completion, when they
deliver the plane to Guyana.
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But there is a lot of
ground that needs to be traveled
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before they can do that.
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This journey will take
them several days of flying,
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dependent on the weather.
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When they left the maintenance
facility a fast moving
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storm system was
headed their way.
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A storm system that
could very easily ground them
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and leave them
stranded for days.
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So as they fly, they
must keep a very vigilant eye
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on the weather surrounding
them and take no risks of flying
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into bad weather.
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The day before we left we
were taking of course a look
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at the weather and trying to
predict over the next week or so
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that we knew it would
take to deliver this aircraft
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with what's happening out there.
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We had a hurricane to
think about and look at.
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Whether it's
going to go in our path.
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Locally on the first few
legs we had two other systems
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colliding. So we had to
hurry up and load up the plane
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and get ready to go the day
we left, or we probably would
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still be sitting
on the ground at home.
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Leaving from Wisconsin,
Ray's flight route takes them
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through Chicago's
airspace, a very busy
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and heavily jet trafficked area.
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Obviously it's very important
that Ray be in constant
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contact with the ground
operators and stay the exact
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direction and altitude
they direct in order to keep
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from any midair collisions.
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With large jets
flying all around him,
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Ray needs to be at
the peak of his game.
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Any mistake could be a fatal one
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So he pays close attention
to the instructions he is given
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and does exactly what he is
told by air traffic control.
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He also tasks Julie to be
an extra pair of eyes and keep
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a look out for
planes flying close to them
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or in their direction.
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This is a highly stressful
time, but the couple keeps their
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composure and navigates through
the Chicago airspace safely.
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Soon the city sky line
transforms to open crop fields
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and farm land.
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Ray and Julie breathe a
sigh of relief as they soar over
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the beautiful
flat lands below them.
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But it isn't too long till
the horizon starts showing signs
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of the weather front that
they were trying to outrun.
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It appears that the
front is moving faster
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than they anticipated.
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Ray is forced to fly at a
lower altitude to stay out of
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the oncoming turbulent winds.
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Ray can't help but feel anxious.
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Well, to fly in the rain with
a small aircraft, we don't have
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the de-icing equipment, nor
do we have the power to blast up
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through it quickly,
like you would with a large
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commercial aircraft. Plus
the aircraft isn't certified
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or licensed to fly in
instrument conditions.
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We are required to fly by
a set of rules called VFR -
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Visual Flight Rules. So we
must maintain visual reference
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to the ground at all times.
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Which flying the cloud
does not allow you to do.
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When the weather is
bad, you are grounded.
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Thankfully, the journey
continues on for the next
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couple of hours uneventful.
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Although the skies are
threatening them with bad
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weather, the conditions
are still safe enough to fly.
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Well, I gave Julie the
task of helping look ahead at
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airports coming up. Looking
up their frequencies. Looking up
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their runway elevation.
Should we need to use them
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for an emergency stop, due to
weather or mechanical conditions
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Those first few legs we didn't
know how the mechanical of the
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aircraft is going to hold
up. So we were keeping an eye
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on every single airstrip in
front of us, most of the way
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down here. So she was
tasked with looking those up,
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getting their frequencies ready,
getting their circuit altitude
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information to me. So that if
I had to make a quick emergency
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decision, I had all the
tools and information handy
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and ready to go. So we
could handle the situation
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with as much safety and
grace and that as possible.
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Ray tasks Julie with helping
him manage the navigation
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system, and monitoring
the conditions around them.
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Making a long trip like
this with only one pilot
00:07:07.02\00:07:10.53
can be very overwhelming.
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Thankfully Julie is
able to be Ray's right hand
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and help take some
of the responsibility.
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Even with the help of his
wife, Ray feels the pressure
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of being the only pilot.
He must perform at a 100%
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for hours at a
time, with no break,
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unless they
find a place to land.
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This job is both physically
and mentally draining,
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so it is important that
they plan their flight with many
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breaks along the way.
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Well, it definitely was
maximum on the stress meter.
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There was a lot of
work, that had to be done and
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get settled in to the airplane.
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First time we flew
it with a max load.
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So I am wondering how it
would handle with that size
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of load is what was
going through my head
00:08:00.74\00:08:02.54
being careful to keep
it within the numbers.
00:08:02.58\00:08:06.51
And to get it setup and
cruising handling all the extra
00:08:06.55\00:08:11.05
radio work as we transition
through a very busy airspace
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right off the bat.
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So our hands were over full
over flowing let's say for the
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first hour or two into
our flight and that we got
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to settle in to a
little more normal pace.
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Of course as the only
pilot, everything falls on your
00:08:29.70\00:08:33.11
shoulders and it was
more stressful than the flight
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I had previously made
with Jud Wickwire 2 years back,
00:08:36.78\00:08:40.82
because we could take
turns flying the aircraft
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One guy could take a
little nap, he could rest.
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The stress of being on your game
all the time it is a lot harder
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on a single pilot, than it is
when you can share the workload
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with a fellow pilot.
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As they continue to fly south,
the clouds seems to close in
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around them more and more.
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Ray makes the decision
to fly at a lower altitude.
00:09:05.81\00:09:09.54
They had planned to make
it to Georgia for their first
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rest stop, but the cloud
cover is forcing them to make
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their first stop in Indiana,
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only 3 hours after
beginning their journey.
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Hey, we are in Huntingburg
Indiana First leg of our flight
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completed and it was exciting.
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Some low ceilings
little bit of rain.
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The first day was hectic than
it settled into a little bit
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of a lull and than the weather
started creeping down on us.
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We had to get down pretty low
to get under some bad weather,
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but we managed to squeak
through as far as we could,
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to our first rest stop.
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For journeys this long, it
is good practice to fuel up
00:09:59.33\00:10:02.13
every time you land the plane.
00:10:02.16\00:10:04.47
The first order of business once
on the ground is to find fuel
00:10:04.50\00:10:07.97
and top off both tanks.
00:10:08.00\00:10:10.54
These Cessnas hold their fuel
in the wings of the airplane.
00:10:10.57\00:10:14.78
After fueling, Ray immediately
checks the weather to see
00:10:14.81\00:10:19.25
how quickly the storm
system is headed for them.
00:10:19.28\00:10:22.62
It's fools play.
00:10:22.65\00:10:24.35
This is God's asset we are not
putting it at risk for nothing.
00:10:24.39\00:10:28.66
He doesn't like what he
sees. It seems as if the weather
00:10:29.09\00:10:32.73
has caught up with
them. He makes the calculated
00:10:32.76\00:10:36.30
decision to not
fly any further today.
00:10:36.33\00:10:40.37
We stopped for today
because ceilings are low.
00:10:41.67\00:10:45.77
We have a thunderstorm
with hail right in our path
00:10:46.68\00:10:50.81
and we are running out of
daylight. So it would eat up
00:10:50.85\00:10:54.78
too much of our time to
try to divert around it.
00:10:54.82\00:10:57.39
Better stop now and be
safe. Start again in the morning
00:10:57.69\00:11:01.82
when we have lots of daylight.
Unfortunately once we got
00:11:01.86\00:11:05.23
there, got fueled up
the daylight hours were
00:11:05.26\00:11:08.83
dwindling on us and we
weren't about to fly into
00:11:08.86\00:11:12.43
potentially bad weather
and darkness at the same time.
00:11:12.47\00:11:15.10
That would be just foolish,
se we spent the night there.
00:11:15.14\00:11:19.04
We continued on the next
day, which turned out to be
00:11:19.07\00:11:21.94
the wise decision.
00:11:21.98\00:11:23.31
Overnight, the storm that has
been threatening them all day
00:11:24.05\00:11:27.98
finally catches up with them.
00:11:28.22\00:11:30.12
Even in the morning the
flying conditions don't look
00:11:30.15\00:11:33.12
too promising. After studying
the weather predictions,
00:11:33.15\00:11:36.83
Ray formulates a plan.
00:11:36.86\00:11:39.73
The plan for today is to skirt
a little bit of bad weather
00:11:39.76\00:11:43.80
Down into Mississippi and than
we are going to go south east
00:11:43.83\00:11:50.21
and trying to make it
down into Florida today.
00:11:50.24\00:11:52.47
What is the obstacle?
00:11:52.51\00:11:54.91
The obstacle is, we are right
between 2 fast moving systems.
00:11:54.94\00:11:58.91
And if we just hit it right
there is a little window of time
00:11:58.95\00:12:01.62
that we can squeak
between the two systems.
00:12:01.65\00:12:04.75
Kind of like Moses crossing
through the sea and the waters
00:12:04.79\00:12:08.82
have opened up and we got a
little channel to squeak through
00:12:08.86\00:12:11.83
That's what we
are going for today.
00:12:11.86\00:12:13.53
It seems as if the bad weather
is chasing aircraft 8838 x-ray.
00:12:14.56\00:12:19.47
Altimeter 2, niner, niner, three
remarks lighting data missing
00:12:19.90\00:12:25.31
Almost the same as yesterday.
00:12:27.11\00:12:28.74
Huntingburg traffic
November 8838 x-ray is taxiing
00:12:30.55\00:12:34.78
to position on 27
left hand turn out.
00:12:34.82\00:12:38.32
Max power!
00:12:40.02\00:12:41.49
They made a wise
decision to continue
00:12:48.96\00:12:51.20
on their journey, however.
00:12:51.23\00:12:52.77
The skies are looking hopeful
I got a little bit of blue sky.
00:12:52.80\00:12:56.77
It's broken.
That's always a good sign.
00:12:56.81\00:12:58.74
It's a little rough and
windy, but that's good, because
00:12:59.24\00:13:02.14
it's clearing all of the bottom
cloud out of the low lying areas
00:13:02.18\00:13:06.45
Yeah, it's looking very hopeful
probably 90% chance of success
00:13:06.48\00:13:11.05
so far on this flight.
00:13:11.09\00:13:12.59
It seems like the bad
weather reports keep coming.
00:13:12.62\00:13:15.82
All around them are
ominous black clouds
00:13:15.86\00:13:19.36
that threaten their safety.
00:13:19.39\00:13:20.96
It is that system, that's
waiting this morning to pass
00:13:21.00\00:13:23.26
through right here
and we are scooting around
00:13:23.30\00:13:24.73
the back side of it.
00:13:24.77\00:13:26.10
OK, OK, well
that's gone, I can see
00:13:26.13\00:13:28.37
The new system is that one
over there coming in, so we got
00:13:28.40\00:13:32.87
maybe a 50 mile window of time
here to do what the good Lord
00:13:32.91\00:13:38.68
intends us to do.
00:13:38.71\00:13:40.22
In order to avoid a very
turbulent ride, Ray takes
00:13:42.15\00:13:46.32
the plane above the
clouds and flies at an altitude
00:13:46.35\00:13:51.33
of over 8,000 feet.
00:13:51.36\00:13:53.73
We took off early in the morning
day 2, leg 2 of our trip.
00:13:53.76\00:13:57.57
And everything was going pretty
good. We were up around 8,000'
00:13:57.60\00:14:04.31
Just clearing the
tops of a lot of weather.
00:14:04.34\00:14:06.78
Up above the clouds, the
sky is bright blue and clear.
00:14:07.38\00:14:13.58
Flying at this altitude
also has it's disadvantages.
00:14:13.62\00:14:17.82
There is a strong headwind
pushing back against them
00:14:17.85\00:14:21.96
which in turn increases
the amount of fuel they burn.
00:14:21.99\00:14:25.36
They are in no danger, however
but they do need to monitor
00:14:25.39\00:14:30.73
their flight
time at this altitude.
00:14:30.77\00:14:32.87
It would be nice to pick
up a cell tower here somewhere
00:14:32.90\00:14:37.71
and get a little weather update.
00:14:37.74\00:14:39.51
But in the
meantime, it's a welcome break
00:14:42.44\00:14:44.91
from dodging
ominous storm clouds.
00:14:44.95\00:14:48.25
Ray and Julie Young have
been flying at 8,000 feet
00:15:05.07\00:15:08.77
for some time now, and Ray
decides that it's time to drop
00:15:08.80\00:15:12.61
his elevation and see what the
weather is like below the clouds
00:15:12.64\00:15:17.41
However, dropping below the
clouds proves to be a risky one.
00:15:17.45\00:15:21.98
The storm system that has been
chasing them the past 2 days
00:15:22.02\00:15:25.72
has only worsened.
00:15:25.75\00:15:28.16
The clouds are thick and
the visibility is very minimal.
00:15:28.59\00:15:31.99
This pushes them to an
incredibly low flying altitude.
00:15:32.03\00:15:36.70
What should I do?
00:15:39.30\00:15:40.80
The mountainous terrain
below them seems too drastically
00:15:42.40\00:15:46.01
closed in for anyone's comfort.
00:15:46.04\00:15:48.98
They need to land the airplane
and they need to land it now!
00:15:49.48\00:15:55.22
I always knew, I was probably
going to have to go a little
00:15:55.25\00:15:57.69
to the east to get around this,
but I should've stayed up top,
00:15:57.72\00:16:03.93
but who knows
what's up ahead, right?
00:16:03.96\00:16:06.70
Let's find something on
this track, that we are now on.
00:16:06.73\00:16:11.43
OK if you keep going straight
on our right there is a small
00:16:11.47\00:16:16.44
airport to the
right and up there ahead.
00:16:16.47\00:16:19.71
This very quickly escalated
into a dangerous situation!
00:16:20.64\00:16:24.65
Julie does her best to locate
the closest runway to them.
00:16:24.68\00:16:28.88
But it is still miles away.
00:16:29.28\00:16:31.19
Get my fuel where I
want it - fuels on both.
00:16:32.12\00:16:35.22
You have a visual?
00:16:35.26\00:16:36.59
Mixture is going
rich-ish I do not
00:16:37.06\00:16:40.36
It should be right
out here somewhere.
00:16:40.40\00:16:43.63
I've been trying to fly into
the headwind here just to keep
00:16:49.90\00:16:52.81
a little better look.
00:16:52.84\00:16:54.18
Is that right there?
00:16:54.21\00:16:55.54
Where the tower is?
00:16:57.18\00:16:58.51
Well, where that long
building is over there?
00:17:03.18\00:17:04.89
That looks like a
big stretch there.
00:17:04.92\00:17:06.59
It does!
00:17:06.62\00:17:07.96
I want to go a little bit
into the wind, so I can turn it
00:17:07.99\00:17:13.09
downwind. Rather than just do
a base and plunk her in - aye?
00:17:13.13\00:17:17.67
They don't have enough fuel to
continue flying above the clouds
00:17:18.77\00:17:22.04
with the oncoming headwinds,
and the air below the clouds
00:17:22.07\00:17:26.61
is far too
volatile and turbulent.
00:17:26.64\00:17:29.34
Although their next scheduled
stop isn't for another 2 hours,
00:17:29.38\00:17:33.75
it became clear that
they needed to land this plane
00:17:33.78\00:17:37.82
as soon as possible.
00:17:37.85\00:17:40.39
November 8838 x-ray about
3 miles east of the airport
00:17:40.42\00:17:46.93
inbound for landing.
00:17:46.96\00:17:48.36
Heading right at it, right now.
00:17:49.23\00:17:51.10
I see it right there.
00:17:51.13\00:17:53.03
Because immediately when
you cross over the power lines,
00:17:53.07\00:17:55.47
you're right there.
00:17:55.50\00:17:56.84
Thankfully within a few
miles, they were able to find
00:17:57.97\00:18:02.48
an airport and do
an emergency landing.
00:18:02.51\00:18:04.95
There's runway markings.
00:18:05.98\00:18:07.68
Jah, that's it.
00:18:07.72\00:18:10.19
We're in Calhoun Georgia.
00:18:10.49\00:18:12.15
Thomas David area Traffic,
Cessna 8838 X-ray turning
00:18:13.15\00:18:17.56
downwind left 17.
00:18:17.59\00:18:20.06
Landing check.
00:18:20.76\00:18:27.74
Once on the ground, everyone
breathed a sigh of relief.
00:18:40.98\00:18:44.65
They both thanked God that
He protected them in what could
00:18:44.69\00:18:48.72
have been a very
dangerous situation.
00:18:48.76\00:18:52.03
Due to the headwinds
and the length of time
00:18:52.53\00:18:55.56
that it was taking
00:18:55.60\00:18:56.97
we decided to go down and
underneath the cloud cover
00:18:57.03\00:18:59.83
for the last hour or two of our
leg, but unfortunately once we
00:18:59.87\00:19:05.77
got down underneath the cloud
cover, it was extremely rough
00:19:05.81\00:19:09.58
weather and extremely low
ceilings. So after getting
00:19:09.61\00:19:15.85
beat up pretty hard by the
turbulence, we decided to pick
00:19:15.88\00:19:19.85
the next airport in front of
us and did an emergency landing
00:19:19.89\00:19:22.96
at that airstrip. And sat there
for a few hours got some more
00:19:22.99\00:19:27.96
gas to make sure we have lots of
fuel on board and within a few
00:19:28.00\00:19:31.77
hours the weather broke again
and we were able to continue on
00:19:31.80\00:19:34.97
in what I felt was
the safest conditions.
00:19:35.00\00:19:39.41
After waiting a few hours
for the skies to clear, Ray now
00:19:39.84\00:19:43.58
needs to make the decision
to either stay in Georgia
00:19:43.61\00:19:46.51
till the weather passes, or
risk bad and turbulent weather
00:19:46.55\00:19:50.99
again and continue to Florida.
00:19:51.02\00:19:53.99
Both decisions have
consequences that needed
00:19:54.02\00:19:57.39
to be carefully considered.
00:19:57.43\00:19:59.26
If they stay in Georgia, they
could be stuck there for several
00:19:59.96\00:20:03.57
days, till the weather clears.
00:20:03.60\00:20:05.33
If they continue their journey,
they could again run into bad
00:20:06.07\00:20:09.97
weather that might
put them in danger.
00:20:10.01\00:20:12.24
After weighting the options the
Young's decide to move forward
00:20:13.17\00:20:17.48
and continue their flight.
They take off into the skies
00:20:17.51\00:20:21.28
and once again
climb to a safe altitude.
00:20:21.32\00:20:24.95
You got to make your best
decision, based on knowledge
00:20:24.99\00:20:28.42
and experience. And
than don't leave your
00:20:28.46\00:20:31.79
gut out of the decision.
It's a balance of both.
00:20:31.83\00:20:35.56
It seems as if they
might made the right decision.
00:20:36.97\00:20:40.54
As they continue to
head south, the skies become
00:20:41.14\00:20:44.94
clearer and clearer.
The more distance they put
00:20:44.97\00:20:49.74
between them and the storms
brewing in Georgia, the better.
00:20:49.78\00:20:54.02
The weather was very tight, but
we were able to squeak through.
00:20:54.45\00:21:01.26
And looking back on it and even
looking forward praying that God
00:21:01.29\00:21:05.09
would open the door for
us and it appears He did.
00:21:05.13\00:21:08.73
It was only a small crack,
but we were able to squeak
00:21:08.76\00:21:11.27
through it. You definitely knew
by looking at two other systems
00:21:11.30\00:21:16.74
about to collide that
it was kind of like Moses
00:21:16.77\00:21:21.21
and the sea parting. We just
had that little window of time
00:21:21.24\00:21:25.31
to get through and we had to
take advantage of it and we did.
00:21:25.35\00:21:28.08
Otherwise we would've never
made it through that weather
00:21:28.12\00:21:32.45
we could've been held
up with on this flight for
00:21:32.49\00:21:34.59
an indefinite amount of time.
00:21:34.62\00:21:35.96
God was
definitely looking after us.
00:21:36.06\00:21:38.49
Definitely
opening opportunities.
00:21:38.53\00:21:41.20
They weren't big, but they
were just big enough for us
00:21:41.23\00:21:44.33
and our little airplane.
00:21:44.37\00:21:45.73
After a very stressful second
day, the Young's are relieved
00:21:46.33\00:21:50.21
to see clear blue skies.
So the trip to Florida is only
00:21:50.24\00:21:54.88
a few hours and they enjoy
every moment of the calm ride.
00:21:54.91\00:21:58.98
As the second day comes to a
close, and the sun begins to set
00:21:59.68\00:22:03.15
over the Florida horizon, Ray
and Julie have almost reached
00:22:03.18\00:22:07.76
their destination for the day.
00:22:07.79\00:22:10.29
They watch the beautiful sun,
as it sinks lower and lower.
00:22:10.33\00:22:15.56
They have just enough
time to reach their destination
00:22:16.30\00:22:19.00
before the sun sinks
away for the evening.
00:22:19.03\00:22:21.60
When they reach the ground, they
have shocking news awaiting them
00:22:22.10\00:22:26.98
Well, when we landed, we did
the emergency, quick circuit,
00:22:27.01\00:22:33.11
quick landing there in Georgia.
we than got to sit and watch
00:22:33.15\00:22:36.38
the weather channel of the
weather that we've just passed
00:22:36.42\00:22:39.55
through. Two systems
colliding right north of us.
00:22:39.59\00:22:43.83
Basically, had we stayed as said
earlier, we would been stuck
00:22:44.83\00:22:50.87
there for a week or more in
Wisconsin before the weather
00:22:50.90\00:22:54.87
may have cleared up enough
that we could come through
00:22:54.90\00:22:57.67
so God was definitely
opening the door for us,
00:22:57.71\00:23:01.38
but it was a pretty narrow crack
that we had to sneak through.
00:23:01.41\00:23:05.21
We had to do it in a timely
manner and it appears as though
00:23:05.25\00:23:10.35
we just made it through
by the skin of our teeth
00:23:10.39\00:23:12.82
in a lot of areas,
otherwise we could've been stuck
00:23:12.85\00:23:15.42
on the ground
waiting for weather for weeks
00:23:15.46\00:23:17.63
before we could've ever
made it out of there again.
00:23:17.66\00:23:21.03
As it turned out looking
at the weather behind us,
00:23:21.06\00:23:24.37
right on our heels, just hours
or days after we snuck through
00:23:24.40\00:23:28.94
between systems, the two systems
collided and spun tornadoes
00:23:28.97\00:23:33.84
and did all kinds of destruction
and everything behind us,
00:23:33.88\00:23:36.95
as we squeaked
our way down here.
00:23:36.98\00:23:39.45
Had Ray and Julie chosen to stay
in Georgia, they would have been
00:23:40.75\00:23:44.85
directly in the path of storms
and tornadoes that would have
00:23:44.89\00:23:50.59
destroyed the aircraft.
00:23:50.63\00:23:52.33
It was God leading them,
that they were able to escape
00:23:52.36\00:23:56.30
the storm and the skies cleared
enough for them to reach Florida
00:23:56.33\00:24:00.50
God was definitely at
work protecting the Young's
00:24:00.54\00:24:03.97
and 8838 x-ray.
00:24:04.01\00:24:07.74
They all say a prayer of thanks,
that God's protection is over
00:24:07.78\00:24:13.31
them and also over
this precious airplane.
00:24:13.35\00:24:17.52
The next morning, after a much
needed rest, the Young's are
00:24:34.77\00:24:38.14
again faced with terrible
news. A hurricane has developed
00:24:38.17\00:24:42.88
in the Caribbean directly
traveling the same route
00:24:42.91\00:24:46.48
that they need to
take to reach Guyana.
00:24:46.51\00:24:50.12
So after two incredibly
wonderful, but stressful days
00:24:50.15\00:24:55.32
We landed in Florida, and
hurricane Gonzalo is right over
00:24:55.36\00:25:01.40
top of our next fuel stop and
kicking up winds and possibly
00:25:01.43\00:25:07.10
very bad weather. Unfortunately
over the Caribbean we don't have
00:25:07.14\00:25:11.17
the best of weather reporting
coverage, so we kind of have to
00:25:11.21\00:25:15.21
take educated guesses. So
we decided to err on the side
00:25:15.24\00:25:19.18
of safety and stay in Florida
for an extra couple of days.
00:25:19.21\00:25:23.22
Until we could see that Gonzalo
has actually changed direction,
00:25:23.25\00:25:26.89
and moved a little further
from our flight path. So that
00:25:26.92\00:25:30.56
the winds and bad weather
wouldn't disrupt our travels.
00:25:30.59\00:25:36.33
The risks is too
great to travel onward.
00:25:36.73\00:25:39.77
They are safest staying put
in Florida till they are able
00:25:39.90\00:25:43.74
to see what comes
with this hurricane.
00:25:43.77\00:25:46.34
They park the plane in a
safe location and bunker down
00:25:46.37\00:25:50.55
for a few days.
00:25:50.58\00:25:51.91
So hurricane Gonzalo is
coming up on Turks and Caicos,
00:25:52.21\00:25:57.02
which is our next fuel stop.
Once we leave Ft Lauderdale
00:25:57.05\00:26:00.69
Executive airport.
00:26:00.72\00:26:02.66
So we decided to spend a
couple extra days in Florida.
00:26:02.69\00:26:05.86
Until we could see
which direction the storm was
00:26:05.89\00:26:09.93
going to go. Whether or not it
was going to get off our flight
00:26:09.96\00:26:14.24
path so we would not have to
divert around it or fly through
00:26:14.27\00:26:17.41
it or waste our precious
fuel fighting winds and possibly
00:26:17.44\00:26:23.14
running short and not
making it to our next fuel stop.
00:26:23.18\00:26:26.25
Ray watches the weather like a
hawk, constantly keeping an eye
00:26:27.25\00:26:30.35
on what options he has
for delivering this plane
00:26:30.39\00:26:33.62
as soon as possible.
00:26:33.66\00:26:35.99
The Young's are
grounded in Florida for now.
00:26:36.89\00:26:39.19
I just felt like from the
moment we took off and the
00:26:39.39\00:26:44.40
weather systems, the way
they were, it just seemed like
00:26:44.43\00:26:47.04
we were being chased by weather.
00:26:47.07\00:26:49.24
It felt like the devil was
mad at us. That we were bringing
00:26:49.27\00:26:53.04
this aircraft down here.
00:26:53.07\00:26:54.41
Can't explain it. I've only been
flying for 30 years, but I have
00:26:54.44\00:26:58.28
never seen weather systems
and collisions and catastrophic
00:26:58.31\00:27:03.95
weather like this.
00:27:03.99\00:27:05.49
That weather we squeaked through
the next day ripped up towns
00:27:05.52\00:27:08.76
behind us. Tore up trees.
Caused all kinds of damage.
00:27:08.79\00:27:11.89
People died. It was horrendous,
the storms that we somehow were
00:27:11.93\00:27:17.37
able to squeak through.
It's just unexplainable,
00:27:17.40\00:27:21.44
other than God was holding back
the winds of tides so that we
00:27:21.47\00:27:25.67
could squeak through and
get this asset of His delivered
00:27:25.71\00:27:29.54
in a timely manner.
00:27:29.58\00:27:30.91
But despite the setback,
they are not discouraged.
00:27:31.98\00:27:35.42
No, the past couple
of days has shown them,
00:27:35.45\00:27:39.19
God is clearing a way for them.
00:27:39.22\00:27:41.52
They are in high spirits
as they know that they are
00:27:41.56\00:27:45.96
on the Lord's mission.
00:27:45.99\00:27:48.06
Oh, you know that, you
made a difference for sure.
00:27:48.76\00:27:52.70
I knew that before I
started it. Because I could see
00:27:52.73\00:27:56.17
the difference
these aircraft are making.
00:27:56.20\00:27:58.14
Years ago, when I came
down to service the 206,
00:27:58.54\00:28:01.98
long before I
started on this project.
00:28:02.58\00:28:05.15
It's just unimaginable in
this kind of heat and humidity
00:28:06.75\00:28:10.55
in that the simplest things that
we can just go to a hospital
00:28:10.59\00:28:15.09
or a doctor and get looked after
It's like disease goes rampant
00:28:15.12\00:28:20.96
here in this environment. And
it's so critical to get people
00:28:21.00\00:28:25.47
even with severe dehydration
or what ever, out of here
00:28:25.50\00:28:28.74
to where they can get the
best possible medical help
00:28:28.77\00:28:32.84
that they can get. Just hours or
days of not getting sufficient
00:28:32.87\00:28:37.88
medical help in this environment
00:28:37.91\00:28:39.48
Once you experienced this
environment you would understand
00:28:39.51\00:28:43.28
How hard and difficult it is
if you don't get medical help.
00:28:45.19\00:28:48.52
So an aircraft is the only way
to get them there within an hour
00:28:48.56\00:28:51.96
we can usually get
them to medical help.
00:28:51.99\00:28:55.10
Otherwise they would be looking
at a canoe ride, or something
00:28:55.13\00:28:59.60
for a day or two down the
river Just to get to here,
00:28:59.63\00:29:02.60
to get on the barge, To
take another two day ride
00:29:02.64\00:29:05.17
on the open ocean,
to get to a hospital.
00:29:05.21\00:29:07.81
You know even with diseases
and things at home we don't have
00:29:07.84\00:29:12.18
4-5 days to go see our doctor.
When we finally realize we are
00:29:12.21\00:29:17.02
at that critical,
critical stage, where you need
00:29:17.05\00:29:19.75
emergency help. So there is
just no way these people could
00:29:19.79\00:29:23.32
survive. Or anybody
over here could survive
00:29:23.36\00:29:26.73
without the use of an aircraft.
00:29:26.76\00:29:29.10