Adventist World Aviation has a mission outpost 00:00:01.36\00:00:02.73 in Guyana South America. Servicing the north western 00:00:02.76\00:00:06.33 part of the country with aviation services, such as 00:00:06.37\00:00:10.04 med-evacs, delivering supplies and spreading the gospel. 00:00:10.07\00:00:14.44 This mission outpost has been in existence 00:00:14.48\00:00:17.28 for well over 10 years now and is thriving. 00:00:17.31\00:00:19.88 They use airplanes as a vital tool to serve the local 00:00:19.91\00:00:24.15 Guyanese people and share the love of Jesus with them. 00:00:24.19\00:00:27.86 There is such a great need for emergency flights from deep 00:00:28.86\00:00:32.13 in the jungle, that they need two aircraft to keep up 00:00:32.16\00:00:35.46 with the flight request demands. 00:00:35.50\00:00:37.60 Sadly within the past year the project had to come 00:00:37.97\00:00:41.20 to a standstill. 00:00:41.24\00:00:42.57 Both aircraft had to be taken offline, because of needing 00:00:42.60\00:00:46.57 emergency repairs. 00:00:46.61\00:00:47.94 With few resources in the jungle, Adventist World 00:00:47.98\00:00:51.61 Aviation leaders had to come up with a solution to the 00:00:51.65\00:00:54.55 problem as soon as possible. 00:00:54.58\00:00:57.29 The AWA mechanics had to ground the pathfinder plane, 00:01:48.07\00:01:51.37 that worked in Guyana for 10 years. It has reached 00:01:51.41\00:01:55.61 the number of hours it can fly before refurbishment. 00:01:55.64\00:01:59.18 Thankfully, they had the foresight to start working 00:01:59.21\00:02:04.52 on a second pathfinder plane, plane number 8838 x-ray 00:02:04.55\00:02:09.59 to take its place. 00:02:09.62\00:02:11.13 This aircraft is an old Cessna 182, that had to be refurbished 00:02:11.73\00:02:16.70 and modified to fly in jungle terrain. 00:02:16.73\00:02:19.27 8838 x-ray underwent a total transformation. 00:02:20.27\00:02:23.20 It was transformed from an old pile of metal, 00:02:23.24\00:02:26.71 to a shining brand new aircraft. 00:02:26.74\00:02:29.18 Ray and Julie Young were given the opportunity to fly 00:02:29.68\00:02:32.75 to Guyana and deliver the aircraft. 00:02:32.78\00:02:34.92 The journey for them took a little over 10 days. 00:02:34.95\00:02:38.49 They left from Sullivan Wisconsin and flew cross country 00:02:39.49\00:02:42.86 to Florida. 00:02:42.89\00:02:44.23 From Florida they launched into the Caribbean and 00:02:44.26\00:02:47.20 island hopped all the way down to South America. 00:02:47.23\00:02:50.57 A small single engine aircraft has limitations on the amount 00:02:50.60\00:02:54.87 of fuel it can carry, so they could fly only a few hours 00:02:54.90\00:02:58.74 before they had to stop and refuel. 00:02:58.77\00:03:01.01 This took great amounts of strategic planning to make sure, 00:03:01.04\00:03:05.05 they would have enough fuel to make it from island to island 00:03:05.08\00:03:08.72 Although they encountered great setbacks due to the weather, 00:03:08.75\00:03:12.35 the aircraft finally landed at Ogle airport. 00:03:12.39\00:03:16.52 After a 10 day journey, Ray and Julie Young land 00:03:17.03\00:03:21.26 on Guyanese soil. 00:03:21.30\00:03:22.90 Laura Labore, one of the mission pilots stationed 00:03:24.40\00:03:28.27 in Guyana flew from the jungle to Georgetown 00:03:28.30\00:03:31.77 to welcome the arriving plane. 00:03:31.81\00:03:33.61 Since Laura flies into this airport almost daily, 00:03:33.64\00:03:37.08 she is good friends with all the local air traffic controllers. 00:03:37.11\00:03:39.95 She has built a good relationship with them. 00:03:40.98\00:03:43.52 When the plane reaches Georgetown's airspace, 00:03:44.02\00:03:46.59 Laura is in the control tower 00:03:46.62\00:03:48.36 ready to greet the new mission plane. 00:03:48.39\00:03:50.69 The journey this plane went through to get here 00:03:50.73\00:03:53.90 was nothing short of miraculous. 00:03:53.93\00:03:56.00 It is no small feat to ferry a plane this great distance. 00:03:56.73\00:04:01.14 They had to wait months for this plane and it is finally here! 00:04:01.74\00:04:06.44 We went through the last two years having only one airplane. 00:04:06.64\00:04:10.75 It's really, really hard to only have one. 00:04:10.78\00:04:13.88 Some people say, you have two pilots, why do you need 00:04:14.48\00:04:16.42 two airplanes for it. 00:04:16.45\00:04:17.79 One of them is a little bit bigger 00:04:17.82\00:04:19.15 one of them is a little bit smaller. 00:04:19.19\00:04:20.52 But having 2 airplanes is so important, 00:04:20.56\00:04:22.92 because when one is down, the other one can keep on flying. 00:04:22.96\00:04:26.39 There has been many times when we started on doing maintenance, 00:04:26.43\00:04:30.67 on an airplane, say just a light maintenance, changing the oil. 00:04:30.70\00:04:33.64 Not that big of a deal. Just changing the oil. 00:04:33.67\00:04:36.00 We get a call for med-evac, so we have to quit, put everything 00:04:36.04\00:04:38.77 back together. This person is bleeding out, or what ever... 00:04:38.81\00:04:42.71 And fly the person there. 00:04:42.74\00:04:44.91 Or worse case scenario, you can't fix it. 00:04:44.95\00:04:48.35 because we are waiting for a new part to come from the States. 00:04:48.38\00:04:50.59 So now we are down, and no one can be med-evaced out. 00:04:50.62\00:04:53.66 There is no way to get in or out into town. 00:04:53.69\00:04:56.02 So we really, really need two airplanes! 00:04:56.06\00:04:59.23 There has been times to, when say I am flying the med-evac, 00:04:59.26\00:05:02.53 or doing some flights and some other emergency comes up. 00:05:02.56\00:05:06.84 At that point, the second pilot can just jump into the plane 00:05:06.87\00:05:10.71 and take care of the med-evac. 00:05:10.74\00:05:12.27 so the response time is much faster to, 00:05:12.37\00:05:15.18 if we have two airplanes. 00:05:15.21\00:05:16.54 The first opportunity she gets, Laura examines the new 00:05:16.58\00:05:20.55 AWA mission plane. 00:05:20.58\00:05:22.32 She inspects both the interior and exterior to see how it 00:05:22.35\00:05:26.35 differs from the plane, that was previously stationed here. 00:05:26.39\00:05:29.92 She cannot wait to get it up in the sky to see how it flies. 00:05:31.73\00:05:35.36 However, before that can happen, the local Guyanese 00:05:35.40\00:05:39.10 officials must first inspect the aircraft, to make sure 00:05:39.13\00:05:42.74 that it is safe to fly in this environment. 00:05:42.77\00:05:44.81 Laura and the Young's watch, as they inspect the plane. 00:05:44.84\00:05:49.01 Neither of them are worried. They know that the AWA 00:05:49.04\00:05:52.68 mechanics did such an outstanding job 00:05:52.71\00:05:55.58 when building this plane, that it would pass any inspection. 00:05:55.62\00:05:59.29 Safety regulations and protocol are very high 00:05:59.32\00:06:02.82 on Adventist World Aviation's priorities. 00:06:02.86\00:06:05.96 Every project they under take, must always pass high levels 00:06:05.99\00:06:10.17 of safety regulations. 00:06:10.20\00:06:11.73 Within a short amount of time the inspection is completed. 00:06:13.03\00:06:16.30 8838 x-ray passes the test with flying colors. 00:06:16.34\00:06:20.81 She is free to fly in the Guyanese skies! 00:06:20.84\00:06:24.98 Laura wants to waste no time getting the plane back to their 00:06:25.01\00:06:29.28 mission post in Mabaruma. 00:06:29.32\00:06:31.79 She knows how badly the plane is needed there. 00:06:31.99\00:06:35.02 A few months ago AWA's second plane, 00:06:35.06\00:06:38.93 a 206- that is a Cessna 206, was also grounded. 00:06:38.96\00:06:42.93 One of the cylinder heads was cracked 00:06:42.96\00:06:45.10 and it is now not safe to fly anymore. 00:06:45.13\00:06:47.97 With the pathfinder plane gone and the 206 being 00:06:48.00\00:06:52.17 the only plane here in Guyana, this needed repair completely 00:06:52.21\00:06:56.64 grounded the Guyana project. 00:06:56.68\00:06:59.18 They can no longer make the lifesaving med-evac flights 00:07:01.08\00:07:03.72 until the new plane arrives. 00:07:03.75\00:07:05.75 With a sense of urgency, Laura, and the Young's loaded 00:07:05.79\00:07:08.76 up the new pathfinder plane, 8838 x-ray and take 00:07:08.79\00:07:13.06 to the skies headed toward their home base. 00:07:13.09\00:07:15.90 They are all anxious to get this plane back, so they can 00:07:15.93\00:07:18.97 again resume their operations and continue 00:07:19.00\00:07:21.60 to offer live saving flights. 00:07:21.64\00:07:24.07 As they fly, Ray takes the opportunity to acquaint Laura 00:07:24.11\00:07:28.21 with the new aircraft. 00:07:28.24\00:07:30.01 He teaches her all the new instruments that only slightly 00:07:30.15\00:07:33.48 different from the previous ones 00:07:33.52\00:07:35.28 Even with all the new upgrades, Laura is an extremely skilled 00:07:35.52\00:07:39.92 pilot and easily picks up on all the new adjustments. 00:07:39.95\00:07:42.72 Laura is so thrilled to have an airplane back in the field! 00:07:42.76\00:07:46.29 So this is what it is going to feel like 00:07:47.33\00:07:48.66 when we're on our way to Heaven. 00:07:48.70\00:07:50.03 Oh, but it is going to be so much fun! 00:07:50.67\00:07:52.33 About halfway into the flight, the skies begin to look 00:07:52.50\00:07:55.37 threatening, and uncooperative. the clouds darken and lightning 00:07:55.40\00:07:59.97 strikes around them. The jungle storm has developed right 00:08:00.01\00:08:04.48 in front of them. Rain begins to fall around them. 00:08:04.51\00:08:08.18 They need to decide that they can continue forward, 00:08:08.22\00:08:10.75 or if they need to turn around. 00:08:10.79\00:08:13.05 They cannot land the plane in this type of weather. 00:08:13.09\00:08:16.66 Laura calls ahead to her husband, Bill to see 00:08:17.66\00:08:20.00 what the local weather is at the destination. 00:08:20.03\00:08:21.96 Bill, hey, I don't know if our texts are going through. 00:08:22.30\00:08:28.14 We are landing in 8 minutes and it looks like it's storming 00:08:28.17\00:08:32.01 over in Mabaruma. 00:08:32.04\00:08:33.38 They decided to push forward. Once again, 00:08:34.18\00:08:37.28 God shows His guidance, as the skies hold back their fury. 00:08:37.35\00:08:42.55 The view of the dirt runway is a welcome sight. 00:08:43.55\00:08:47.22 8838 x-ray has finally reached its final destination. 00:08:47.26\00:08:51.09 For the very first time, it descends from the skies 00:08:51.79\00:08:54.20 and gently coasts to the ground. 00:08:54.23\00:08:57.70 After months of hard work, this aircraft has finally 00:08:58.40\00:09:02.27 arrived in Mabaruma and it can be put into service 00:09:02.30\00:09:08.04 in the work of saving lives. 00:09:08.08\00:09:11.01 Jeh, it was great to see the jungle strip show up in front 00:09:13.88\00:09:17.02 of you, because everything was just green and rain and clouds. 00:09:17.05\00:09:19.75 We had to fly through very heavy rainstorm, just to get here. 00:09:19.79\00:09:24.33 We were wondering whether or not it would even be possible 00:09:24.36\00:09:27.00 to land. But again just in the nick of time the rain stopped, 00:09:27.03\00:09:32.53 than the sky cleared up there was the strip, we flew across 00:09:32.57\00:09:38.14 midfield, over the strip. We saw people out there, 00:09:38.17\00:09:41.41 beside the runway, waiting for us to land. 00:09:41.44\00:09:43.31 Turned and came in and had an absolute gorgeous landing. 00:09:43.35\00:09:47.98 with all of the lights and everything on and pulled up 00:09:48.02\00:09:51.02 in front of the terminal to meet all the local dignitaries, 00:09:51.05\00:09:55.62 and hospital staff, that could take the day off, came out 00:09:55.66\00:09:58.66 to greet us and let us know how much they appreciate everybody's 00:09:58.69\00:10:03.87 support and having this aircraft back in function for them again. 00:10:03.90\00:10:08.07 It was a good feeling to finally have completed the long journey 00:10:08.10\00:10:14.54 that we started months ago. 00:10:14.58\00:10:17.75 Despite the rainy weather, a crowd draws from the village 00:10:18.75\00:10:21.88 to show its support and joy to have an airplane back. 00:10:21.92\00:10:25.29 This airplane is a symbol of hope for the Guyanese 00:10:25.32\00:10:29.16 and they are so very thankful to have Adventist World 00:10:29.19\00:10:31.89 Aviation here with them. Village leaders, as well as 00:10:31.93\00:10:35.23 small children, all crowd around the plane to get 00:10:35.26\00:10:38.30 a better view of this new aircraft. 00:10:38.33\00:10:40.57 Everyone in overjoyed to see the new mission airplane land. 00:10:41.57\00:10:45.47 Officials from the village have come, despite the bad weather 00:10:45.51\00:10:49.28 to welcome the plane home. 00:10:49.31\00:10:51.11 So you guys are happy that the plane is back? 00:10:59.52\00:11:01.39 Thank you! 00:11:13.20\00:11:14.84 Well, I remember the day, when I found out the airplane is coming 00:11:32.69\00:11:34.92 in to Mabaruma. I was very excited and I called people here 00:11:34.96\00:11:38.76 to let them know, that the plane was coming. 00:11:38.79\00:11:40.90 I went out to the airstrip to take some footage of the landing 00:11:40.93\00:11:44.33 when it was coming in. We really had a good turnout. 00:11:44.37\00:11:48.37 It was a rainy day, which is in Guyana it's kind of unusual, 00:11:48.40\00:11:51.07 people come out in the rain, but we had representatives 00:11:51.11\00:11:53.91 of the ministry of health there the regional democratic council, 00:11:53.94\00:11:56.78 all the people that are effected by the airplane. 00:11:56.81\00:11:59.25 They just came out in groves, to basically welcome it. 00:11:59.28\00:12:03.32 Come to welcome it's arrival. 00:12:03.35\00:12:05.25 But for me personally, my heart leaped a beat, when I saw it 00:12:05.29\00:12:09.56 because it's a beautiful airplane, that's number one. 00:12:09.59\00:12:12.06 It's a very well done airplane. Very confident that it's going 00:12:12.09\00:12:16.26 to be a great aircraft for us. 00:12:16.30\00:12:17.67 But just that, I know the amount of work that went 00:12:17.70\00:12:20.34 into preparing it. 00:12:20.37\00:12:21.70 And the commitment of a lot of individuals back in the States. 00:12:22.10\00:12:24.81 The pathfinders and what they did. Helping to raise funds for 00:12:24.84\00:12:28.08 the refurbishment. It just touches my heart. 00:12:28.11\00:12:33.15 They don't realize really, what an impact this plane has, 00:12:34.15\00:12:37.75 because they are not here. But when you live on the ground here 00:12:37.79\00:12:40.29 you see day to day that lives are effected by it. 00:12:40.32\00:12:43.12 It's very very moving and it's emotional. 00:12:43.16\00:12:47.90 It's one of those things that lot of people see as 00:12:47.93\00:12:51.27 just an airplane, but here people see it as a lifeline. 00:12:51.30\00:12:54.07 This village has been without a mission plane for months now. 00:12:54.10\00:12:57.31 And they desperately missed it. 00:12:57.34\00:12:59.61 After a 10 day journey from Wisconsin, the Youngs have 00:13:00.61\00:13:04.68 successfully delivered the aircraft to Guyana South America 00:13:04.71\00:13:09.35 They can't express how happy and honored they are to be the ones 00:13:09.38\00:13:14.09 tasked with this job. 00:13:14.12\00:13:17.06 The journey was by no means an easy one, but it definitely was 00:13:17.09\00:13:21.23 a fulfilling and rewarding experience 00:13:21.26\00:13:24.53 for Ray and July Young. 00:13:24.57\00:13:28.14 I am glad we completed on the promise we made 3 months ago 00:13:28.17\00:13:33.48 to Laura that we would do our best to get her an airplane 00:13:33.51\00:13:36.95 and here it is. We did it! 00:13:36.98\00:13:39.38 And a whole lot of other people helped along the way. 00:13:40.52\00:13:42.95 We get to be the ones on the front I guess. Getting the PR. 00:13:43.95\00:13:48.12 There are a lot of other hands a lot of people who pitched in 00:13:48.16\00:13:51.63 financially, which is really a stumbling block 00:13:51.66\00:13:54.73 for most aviation is the cost. Right? 00:13:54.76\00:13:57.40 So, a lot of people, who are unmentioned, unsung heroes 00:13:57.80\00:14:02.84 in all of this and we sure appreciate everybody's help 00:14:02.87\00:14:05.71 and continued sacrifices that they make. 00:14:05.74\00:14:08.68 So that Adventist World Aviation can keep operating. 00:14:08.71\00:14:11.61 The Young's have dedicated the last half a year, 00:14:11.98\00:14:14.88 to making sure this plane reaches Guyana. 00:14:14.92\00:14:17.42 Ray is a pilot as well as an airplane mechanic. 00:14:17.45\00:14:20.49 He left his home in Canada and temporarily moved to 00:14:20.52\00:14:23.43 Wisconsin, so he could finish the refurbishment of this 00:14:23.46\00:14:26.86 plane and deliver it to this project. 00:14:26.90\00:14:30.13 The level of commitment the Young's have displayed 00:14:30.83\00:14:33.10 to this project is so moving. 00:14:33.13\00:14:36.27 And it goes without saying, they have become very attached 00:14:36.97\00:14:40.54 to this aircraft. 00:14:40.58\00:14:42.04 Finally the Youngs have been able to fulfill their 00:14:42.21\00:14:44.65 promise and deliver the aircraft 00:14:44.68\00:14:46.92 However their adventure here in Guyana is not yet over. 00:14:46.95\00:14:50.19 For the first time in our history here in Guyana, over the 00:15:01.26\00:15:04.63 last 2 months we been down. We didn't have an airplane, 00:15:04.67\00:15:07.47 that was functioning. We cracked the cylinder in our 206, 00:15:07.50\00:15:11.07 that we were using, but the cylinder crack was something 00:15:11.11\00:15:14.11 that set us back. We weren't able to fly with that. 00:15:14.14\00:15:17.15 Meanwhile our other airplane is being prepared 00:15:18.58\00:15:20.65 back in the States, which is the second pathfinder plane actually 00:15:20.68\00:15:23.99 182, but it took time to get that plane prepared, 00:15:24.02\00:15:28.92 so meanwhile we are here without an airplane in Mabaruma. 00:15:28.96\00:15:31.63 What kind of life would that be like compared to when we have 00:15:31.66\00:15:34.63 an airplane is difficult. 00:15:34.66\00:15:37.27 We can't get to town to get supplies for one thing 00:15:37.97\00:15:41.64 In Mabaruma we have very limited supplies here. We can get flour, 00:15:41.67\00:15:45.04 sugar, yeast. A few things like that, but very little 00:15:45.07\00:15:51.51 fresh vegetables, or fruit. 00:15:51.55\00:15:53.31 Needless to say, that effects our diet and really our health 00:15:55.32\00:15:59.12 in certain ways, because it's a diet we're used to eating. 00:15:59.15\00:16:02.92 So we resort to growing things we do grow papaya 00:16:02.96\00:16:06.56 and a few things here. But still we miss out on a lot 00:16:06.59\00:16:08.86 when we can't get to town. 00:16:08.90\00:16:10.23 As project manager I go to town every month to conduct 00:16:10.27\00:16:14.10 business there, things that I need to take care of 00:16:14.14\00:16:16.10 for the project. Government meetings, paperwork that needs 00:16:16.14\00:16:19.27 to be filed. You know, work permits, I mean a variety 00:16:19.31\00:16:23.38 of things that needed to be taken care of. I've been unable 00:16:23.41\00:16:25.71 to do any of that, so I am behind. I have to catch up now. 00:16:25.75\00:16:28.52 But the worst thing of all, is that we get calls from a lot of 00:16:32.52\00:16:36.99 people, that have very legitimate needs to go to town. 00:16:37.03\00:16:39.66 Some of them, many of them are medical, serious family issues, 00:16:39.69\00:16:44.77 like for instance a death in the family and the person is 00:16:44.80\00:16:47.44 in Georgetown we need to go in some cases to identify the body, 00:16:47.47\00:16:51.67 or what ever the situation may be. These are people, who cannot 00:16:51.71\00:16:55.34 afford to pay for a commercial ticket to go out. 00:16:55.38\00:16:57.25 They are very poor and we just have to say no. 00:16:57.28\00:17:00.55 We can't do it and the hospital calls with the med-evac 00:17:00.58\00:17:04.82 an emergency and we are right here in Mabaruma 00:17:04.85\00:17:07.12 but we were unable to assist, so we have to call a commercial 00:17:07.16\00:17:10.49 flight to come in from town. 00:17:10.53\00:17:11.99 Number 1, the pilot has to be available to fly. Number 2 the 00:17:12.59\00:17:15.96 airplane has to be available to fly, because these are 00:17:16.00\00:17:18.23 commercial operations, that are flying all day long. 00:17:18.27\00:17:21.40 Sometimes pilots pass their hours, that they are able to fly 00:17:21.44\00:17:25.11 for the day and they are not available. So in some cases 00:17:25.14\00:17:27.64 the hospital either has to wait till the next morning, 00:17:27.68\00:17:30.45 or sometimes they have to come in at night. 00:17:30.48\00:17:32.88 And meanwhile the patient in some cases hours mean life. 00:17:32.98\00:17:35.78 They are there languishing in the hospital, unable to get out. 00:17:35.82\00:17:39.22 And that's what brakes my heart the most. 00:17:39.25\00:17:41.09 That's what's the most difficult for all of us here, because 00:17:41.12\00:17:43.53 we know the need and there is absolutely nothing we can do. 00:17:43.56\00:17:47.16 The goal always of our project has been to be zero downtime 00:17:47.20\00:17:50.57 as much as possible. 00:17:50.60\00:17:51.93 Sometimes we are down for maintenance but usually not more 00:17:51.97\00:17:55.54 than a day or two, but being down for a month and a half 00:17:55.57\00:17:58.57 to two months, that's been very very rough. 00:17:58.61\00:18:00.84 So we hope that it doesn't happen again! 00:18:00.88\00:18:02.68 The 206 is a vital tool here in the mission field. 00:18:02.71\00:18:05.91 It has a stronger engine and is able to carry more weight. 00:18:05.95\00:18:10.12 So it has been labeled the work horse of the mission field. 00:18:10.15\00:18:13.76 The past few months, the missionaries have all but 00:18:14.49\00:18:17.06 been crippled without the use this airplane. 00:18:17.09\00:18:20.63 Thankfully, Ray Young's trip to Guyana is twofold. 00:18:20.66\00:18:23.67 First to deliver the new pathfinder plane, and second 00:18:24.70\00:18:28.47 to fix the broken down 206 and get it back 00:18:28.50\00:18:32.91 to flying conditions. 00:18:32.94\00:18:35.41 Ray is a skilled airplane mechanic and he brought the 00:18:35.78\00:18:38.41 parts he needed from the United States, to fix the 206. 00:18:38.45\00:18:43.28 So, the very next day, after arriving in Guyana, 00:18:43.62\00:18:47.32 Ray's first order of business is to start working 00:18:47.36\00:18:50.43 on the Cessna 206. 00:18:50.46\00:18:52.59 Unfortunately, the project in Guyana currently has no 00:18:53.03\00:18:56.20 airplane hangar, or shelter to work under. 00:18:56.23\00:18:59.03 Any maintenance they perform, must be done 00:18:59.07\00:19:02.64 out in the open field. 00:19:02.67\00:19:04.74 Maintaining aircraft here is always an adventure in it self. 00:19:04.77\00:19:09.31 You never know when you are going to go out there and work 00:19:09.34\00:19:12.25 on the plane and what you are going to find. 00:19:12.28\00:19:14.35 Either it's really hot, or rainy There is not a whole lot of 00:19:14.38\00:19:18.15 in-between. It's either a lot of sun, or a lot of rain. 00:19:18.19\00:19:20.59 And then let's say you want to go out and work on the plane 00:19:22.42\00:19:25.03 we have a traveling tool shed that we hook up to the truck. 00:19:25.06\00:19:27.86 So maybe you go out to hook it up and find that the tire is 00:19:27.90\00:19:31.47 flat on the trailer. And this has happened. 00:19:31.50\00:19:34.40 We went out to work on it. The tire was flat, so then we 00:19:34.44\00:19:38.07 went to blow it up. In pumping it up we found that 00:19:38.11\00:19:41.41 the generator wouldn't work. And so then we had to 00:19:41.44\00:19:43.71 try to fix the generator. And one day we took 2 hours just 00:19:43.75\00:19:48.08 to pump up the tire because everything was working fine 00:19:48.12\00:19:51.15 got everything working, so we could pump up the low tire 00:19:51.19\00:19:53.32 to go out and do - to just start to work on the airplane. 00:19:53.36\00:19:56.86 So it's always a challenge. Sometimes we get parts sent to 00:19:56.93\00:20:00.23 us and we've ordered a certain part, maybe it's the wrong one. 00:20:00.26\00:20:04.13 Or the one that arrives is broken. So now we have to sit 00:20:04.53\00:20:07.24 and wait for another two weeks for a part to come. 00:20:07.27\00:20:09.80 It's very - very difficult. 00:20:09.84\00:20:11.94 I really miss the overnighting. If something you need, something 00:20:12.27\00:20:15.81 you can't just ship out, or run down to Radio Shack 00:20:15.84\00:20:18.35 and get what you need. 00:20:18.38\00:20:19.71 It's very much a large process. 00:20:19.75\00:20:21.75 Laura LaBore is also an airplane mechanic. 00:20:22.25\00:20:26.15 Both she and Ray will spend the next few days replacing 00:20:26.19\00:20:29.76 the cracked cylinder on the 206. 00:20:29.79\00:20:32.29 Its currently rainy season here in Guyana, 00:20:32.33\00:20:35.50 and the clouds around them promise rain. 00:20:35.53\00:20:37.87 But the mechanics have no choice. They must get this 00:20:37.90\00:20:41.07 plane back up and running as soon as possible, 00:20:41.10\00:20:43.51 even if that means they get wet. 00:20:43.54\00:20:46.71 One common thing of all aircraft, is that they have to 00:20:47.74\00:20:49.98 be maintained. Regular intervals based on the hours of operation 00:20:50.01\00:20:53.85 they have to be checked out, to make sure they are in good 00:20:53.88\00:20:56.58 operating condition. 00:20:56.62\00:20:57.95 We've not had really a hangar or anything to be able to work in. 00:20:57.99\00:21:03.09 We had to do all the work outside, in the elements here. 00:21:03.12\00:21:05.39 We have rain almost every day here, so we have a portable 00:21:05.43\00:21:11.17 tool shed to bring out to the airstrip 00:21:11.20\00:21:13.03 that we use for maintenance. 00:21:13.07\00:21:14.40 We put a tarp over the engine and the pilot 00:21:14.44\00:21:15.97 the maintenance people work under that. 00:21:16.00\00:21:17.44 In order for the cylinder to be replaced, they must first 00:21:18.34\00:21:21.01 remove all the bolts that hold it in place. 00:21:21.04\00:21:23.35 Keeping an airplane out in the humid elements 00:21:23.38\00:21:27.25 of Guyana causes corrosion to build up in the bolts. 00:21:27.28\00:21:32.19 Prying them loose, can be quite difficult. 00:21:32.22\00:21:35.69 The last cylinder head pulled off. 00:21:36.79\00:21:40.13 Heart transplant. 00:21:42.53\00:21:44.20 Within a short time, the dark clouds break loose and water 00:21:45.20\00:21:48.10 pours from the skies. 00:21:48.14\00:21:49.47 But the work goes on. Ray and Laura continue to 00:21:49.50\00:21:53.14 work in the down pouring rain. 00:21:53.17\00:21:55.01 During the rainy season, it rains for weeks at a time here 00:21:55.04\00:21:58.15 in Guyana, so this will be no passing shower. 00:21:58.18\00:22:01.58 Working in the rain makes this job all the more challenging. 00:22:01.62\00:22:05.19 Without a hangar, Ray and Laura must work extra hard 00:22:05.39\00:22:09.16 to get this cylinder replaced. 00:22:09.19\00:22:11.33 Jeah, so in Guyana we have two rainy seasons in December and 00:22:11.93\00:22:16.73 January, May and June. The work doesn't stop, so the maintenance 00:22:16.77\00:22:22.34 has to be on a regular intervals which has to be done an airplane 00:22:22.37\00:22:25.97 We can't just stop and not do maintenance. 00:22:26.01\00:22:28.71 We can't just stop and not fly. We have to keep working, 00:22:28.74\00:22:31.18 so we have to deal with the elements, just like this, 00:22:31.21\00:22:33.28 So it's not an easy situation, but with God's grace 00:22:33.58\00:22:38.52 we make it work! 00:22:38.55\00:22:39.89 A hangar is a desperate need here in Guyana. 00:22:39.92\00:22:41.96 Thankfully, after years of working with the local village, 00:22:41.99\00:22:44.63 they have finally agreed to allow Adventist World Aviation 00:22:44.66\00:22:48.26 to set up a hangar on the airstrip. 00:22:48.30\00:22:51.03 This will be such a blessing, to have a clean, dry 00:22:51.07\00:22:54.40 and controlled environment to work in. 00:22:54.44\00:22:56.91 As you can see, working without a hangar 00:22:56.94\00:22:59.61 is very challenging, and far from ideal. 00:22:59.64\00:23:03.11 We've been working for years, trying to get a hangar 00:23:03.14\00:23:05.88 situated here. And it's more of a political issue, 00:23:05.91\00:23:11.09 trying to find land here, that we can use. 00:23:11.12\00:23:13.76 And I think we finally have a piece of land, 00:23:13.79\00:23:16.93 So we just need to get all the letters in order. 00:23:16.96\00:23:19.03 We're waiting for people to come in from the city, 00:23:19.06\00:23:21.60 to get that done. 00:23:21.63\00:23:22.96 It's not safe to have the airplanes parked out there. 00:23:23.00\00:23:26.27 There are children running all around the place. 00:23:26.30\00:23:29.40 We've found people sitting on the backs 00:23:29.44\00:23:31.27 of the airplanes before. 00:23:31.31\00:23:32.67 It's just not good for the airplanes, also the environment. 00:23:32.71\00:23:36.48 Just the rain having the rain and the sun beat down on it 00:23:36.51\00:23:39.31 all the time, as we are doing work on the engine 00:23:39.35\00:23:42.28 and it start to rain. We have to quick try to cover things up. 00:23:42.32\00:23:45.02 Things still get wet. So we really need a hangar. 00:23:45.05\00:23:49.66 The other thing is time. We're constantly digging through 00:23:49.69\00:23:53.83 buckets full of bags with parts and tools and stuff, 00:23:53.86\00:23:57.43 just trying to get what you need so it takes really long 00:23:57.47\00:23:59.93 it takes twice, two or three times as long 00:23:59.97\00:24:01.80 to work on the plane here, as it would at home. 00:24:01.84\00:24:04.94 After a few days of working in the rain, 00:24:07.71\00:24:09.51 Ray and Laura finally have the 206 repaired. 00:24:09.54\00:24:12.95 The Guyana project is back up and running at full capacity. 00:24:13.48\00:24:17.72 It is wonderful to have all the aircraft back up and flying. 00:24:17.75\00:24:21.06 Although Laura is a mechanic, she is also a pilot, 00:24:21.09\00:24:24.79 a mother, and a wife. 00:24:24.83\00:24:26.16 She cannot keep up with all the maintenance needs 00:24:26.19\00:24:28.56 these aircraft demand. 00:24:28.60\00:24:30.07 Over the years, AWA mechanics fly down from the states 00:24:30.10\00:24:34.27 to help keep these airplanes operational. 00:24:34.30\00:24:36.97 Doing routine maintenance is a constant demand 00:24:37.01\00:24:39.97 for an aviation ministry. 00:24:40.01\00:24:42.14 The thing that we need here more than anything else, 00:24:42.18\00:24:44.95 and I cannot stress this enough, is we need a full time mechanic. 00:24:44.98\00:24:48.98 You know a person, that would be willing to come and dedicate 00:24:50.02\00:24:53.15 a few years of his working here with us. Someone who is an A&P 00:24:53.19\00:24:57.19 who is able to work on the airplanes and understands 00:24:57.23\00:25:00.06 other engines, such as automobiles, motorcycles, 00:25:00.10\00:25:04.10 generators. All of these things that we use here. 00:25:04.13\00:25:07.10 None of us have the time honestly to maintain 00:25:07.80\00:25:11.47 these things. We use them yes, all the time, but we do not have 00:25:11.51\00:25:14.04 the time to sit down and spend the day working on maintenance. 00:25:14.08\00:25:17.51 Because of other responsibilities. 00:25:17.55\00:25:19.58 It is a full time job. It is something that somebody 00:25:20.58\00:25:23.39 could come and we could pretty much keep them busy 00:25:23.42\00:25:25.62 six days a week without too much problem. 00:25:26.62\00:25:28.79 I don't know the solution, I know that there may be 00:25:31.59\00:25:34.20 somebody out there. 00:25:34.23\00:25:35.56 It's not a high paying job by any means, but a very fulfilling 00:25:35.60\00:25:40.94 job, because all the maintenance that would be done directly 00:25:40.97\00:25:43.37 effects our operation here. And lives directly as well. 00:25:43.41\00:25:47.44 This could be a very fulfilling opportunity, but it is going to 00:25:47.48\00:25:50.05 take a special person that sees that as a ministry. 00:25:50.08\00:25:53.31 If you ever find that person, if you are out there let us know! 00:25:53.35\00:25:57.55 After months of being grounded, the Adventist World Aviation 00:25:57.59\00:26:00.96 project in Guyana is in operation again at full power. 00:26:00.99\00:26:06.59 The delivery of the new pathfinder plane and the engine 00:26:06.63\00:26:10.10 repair of the 206 have put AWA mission pilots back behind 00:26:10.13\00:26:15.00 the yokes. Saving lives both physically and for eternity. 00:26:15.04\00:26:20.98 Praise God for all the volunteers and donors! 00:26:21.01\00:26:24.98 who helped to make this project possible. 00:26:25.01\00:26:29.58