Wow, a lot of flying has been going on here at SMAT. Usually things slow down in November as the weather gets worse, but several students have been getting licenses and ratings in the past two weeks. Jeremiah and Peter were both in my instrument ground school class in the spring and now have their IFR rating after passing a check ride last week. Steve has been a very dedicated student and now has his private pilot license after starting flight training just two months ago. Dave was in maintenance class with me and I helped him get his commercial license last week. He is now on his way back to Texas to obtain a flight instructor license and work with a mission. Eric is another student I have been flying with over the past few weeks and I signed him off to take his commercial check ride. He passed his flight exam with ease flying the 172RG.



Students from outside the country have been flying here also. Ester from Papa New Guinea recently soloed for the first time. She wants to return to her country and use aviation to help her people. Cleo is from Kenya and I have had the privilege of helping him get his Kenyan license transferred to a U.S. license. It is great to play just a small role in the training of these individuals.



As the days have been getting shorter here, I find myself doing a lot more night flying which I enjoy. I have also been doing lots of tail wheel flying which is a good experience for both student and instructor. The Lowell airport is a favorite location to fly into because it has short, narrow runways and tall trees on all sides. This adds to the challenge and is similar to the type of airstrips that the many mission students can expect to see in remote locations.



On the maintenance front, one of our Cessna 172's is undergoing an engine change. After the 2000+ hour life of an engine it is time to put a new one in and send the old one out to be rebuilt. I have had the chance to play a role in this change when I have not been flying.



Looking forward to Thanksgiving and being home soon!

JMG