How many people can you fit in a Kodiak?

The answer to that is 74...well 74 people over the course of 10 flights.

We were very busy giving rides to some students from Western Michigan Aviation Academy. This is a new charter high school for students that are interested in aviation as a career.  We were there to help start the school year out with a thrilling ride in the Kodiak to almost 160 total students over a two day period.  It was a great time seeing the smiles as they bounded out of the airplane, chatting and talking with their friends.  For some it was their very first flight and they were nervous when I first sent them off on the flight but were grinning from ear to ear when I opened up the rear door.

Tomorrow we will head over to Virginia and then to Smoketown Pennsylvania.  This has been my second business trip away from Renae and Caleb and I am excited about return home already.  This has been a great opportunity for me to be able to gain some more flight time in the Kodiak as well as meet a lot of people that have been praying and supporting Spokane Turbine Center. 

Kodiak Tour in Full Swing

Spokane Turbine Center has been giving rides for the past week in the humid air of Missouri.  The reason we are doing this is to let people know more about what mission aviation is and how it is a necessary part of overseas ministry.  My job for these tours is to get people to sign up and give their weight (oh the horror!) for a weight and balance calculation for the Kodiak, and then give them a safety briefing like you get on a big airliner.  This group above is from a church in Muskegon MI where most of the kids have never been on an airplane before.  It was funny to hear Jeff (the pilot) comment that as soon as they started to taxi the kids would start to scream with delight and they would not stop screaming till they touched back down on the runway.  All of them had a wonderful time and would pile out of the plane with huge grins on their faces asking if they could go up again.  This is one way that we can influence some of the kids into thinking about becoming pilots and hopefully for missions as well.  I did talk to one lad that was in sixth grade and because of this flight he was very interested in wanting to learn how to fly. Just like me when I was a young boy.  It is amazing what one experience and the Lord can do to shape the rest of your future.

Oshkosh has been a BLAST!  In between working at the Spokane Turbine Center booth I have been able to visit the many different exhibits, see vintage aircraft, watch air shows and talk with different pilots.  This air show has so many different aircraft that come from all over the world, and it is fun to see new designs of aircraft as well as the older "war birds."  One of my favorite parts was being able to go to the section of the airfield that was a reenactment of the old WWII base.  There were reinactors that were living just like they did on the battlefield almost 70 years ago.  They had the tents set up, full gear on, the trusty jeeps and other vehicles and some various weapons that they use to back then.  I had a lot of fun taking pictures and talking with them.

As I "work" the booth I met many people that have a passion for missions.  To be able to talk with people that have the same focus is refreshing.  My job was basically to network with the mission people and to let the reps from different colleges know that we offered turbine training at a low cost for their students.  I also met some wonderful people that encourage me about our support raising.  As some of you already know that we are only at 25% of the needed support level that we need to be at.  These veteran missions told me that they had been in many hard situations but every time the Lord would provide just enough to see their needs met.  Those words were helpful to me to stop stressing about what we were going to do about deputation while in North Dakota, since not much interest was generated from different emails and phone calls.  Our support will come from the Lord and I should not be concerned about thinking of what people would be able to "afford" to support us financially.  All that is needed is trust what we do will please the Lord and He will meet our needs.

Road Trip To North Dakota

The summer schedule is here and the Schmidt family is about to go on another journey.  What started out as a family vacation has escalated into a month and a half trip.  We are doing a deputation (missionary term for raising a support team) trip for Proclaim Aviation in North Dakota where many of our friends and family are. I have an opportunity to work a booth at AirVenture the worlds worlds largest airshow on behalf of Spokane Turbine Center, and then go on the Kodiak tour.

Vacation in Rugby ND: July 16^th – 24^th 

Airshow at OshKosh WI: July 25^th -Aug 1^st  

Deputation in ND: Aug 2^nd -11^th

Spokane Turbine Center Kodiak Tour: Aug 12^th -23^rd

Return to ND: Aug 23^rd

Return to Spokane WA:  Aug 26^th ???

There are still a lot of details that need to be filled in, but if you could pray for us as we begin this journey for: 

• Safety while we are on the road for 3,000+ miles
• Caleb (and us) since this is his first long road trip confined to a tiny car-seat
• For people to join support team 

Thank you to all that are already apart of our support team and help keep us going through prayer everyday.

Kodiak Tour

I (Tyler) just accepted to go along on part of the Spokane Turbine Center Kodiak Tour that is starting on August 13th in Grand Rapids Michigan and ending (for me) in Smoketown Pennsylvania on August 23rd. I am VERY excited to be able to fly the Kodiak while in route to the different destinations and get some turbine flight time. Some of my other responsibility on the tour will be to coordinate loading of passengers on flight tours in the Kodiak and manning a booth answering any questions about Spokane Turbine Center or about its wonderful yellow aircraft. This is a great opportunity for me but also means that I will be away from Renae and Caleb for about 10 days, which will be hard. The plan is for them to stay in ND with family till I return and then we will make our trek back to Spokane.

Today Caleb and Renae got to go and pick strawberries at one of our local fruit farms.  Although most of what Renae picked did make it home there were a few that were tasted for "quality" control by our "little man." Green Bluff  is a group of farms that in the summer and fall grow cherry's, peaches, apples, strawberries, pumpkins and all sorts of different fruit and vegetables that you can go out and pick yourself.  There is something special about going out into the field and selecting what you want fresh from the brush or tree. We have been coming here for almost three years and this is where we get our fruit that lasts us throughout the winter in the form of smoothies and homemade jam. Now that we have the fruit all that is left is washing, cutting, cooking and packaging the fruit into jams or freezing it for later.

Renae and Caleb: A Day at STC

Caleb and I just got to spend an entire day helping out at STC!  We braved the long day away from our normal routine in order to give the secretary a break, and also to be a part of a safety seminar that the STC staff are going through.  Most of the day was spent in the classroom for Tyler and the other staff, learning about emotional and mental safety for flying and living on the mission field.  The information was also helpful for me, what little I was able to sit in on!  There are so many ways that we need to prepare ourselves for that kind of service.  Often in every situation and relationship on the mission field, emotions, stress, challenges, trails, etc... are heightened.  For this reason we have to be even more prepared, especially our pilots, to have control over our minds and emotions to be able to deal safely with our situations and relationships.  The number one relationship with Christ has to be our priority to be able continue to serve others and not burn out.  We praise God that He is the one that gives us the strength and wisdom to deal with all this when the time comes!  Caleb enjoyed crawling the long halls of STC, rolling and chasing after his ball, while I answered phones, played with him, and listened to some of the classes.  We are so grateful to be a part of the ministry and training that STC is offering to missionary pilots and mechanics.  The men being trained here are already using these new tools where they are at overseas.  I am so thankful to have observed some of the things that they do here at STC! Although I will say...Caleb and I are BOTH ready to return to our normal routine at home tomorrow.  Whew!