Doors Open and Doors Close

It has been several years since I have posted anything to this blog. Most of the happenings of Bolivia Mission Aviation over the past several years have been posted to Facebook. Though social media is a faster and more common method to get news today, I find that sometimes the whole story may not be conveyed as effectively as a blog. Seeing that this site is still receiving page views many years later, I have decided to update my latest flights. In the future, I would like to video blog on YouTube and link it here.  

 

Doors Open and Doors Close 

 

A little over three years ago I flew our Mooney down to South America with the hopes that it would become a Bolivian-registered airplane after many years. We already had our Cessna 182 Turbo close to receiving its Bolivian registration. It had received a new engine in the U.S. a couple years before, and soon it would be flying. The Mooney also had a new engine, and by the looks of things, would soon also be flying in Bolivia. 

I flew the Mooney to Manaus, Brazil. The plan was to leave the airplane there for only a few weeks. I would be coming back to get the airplane later once the paperwork to enter the country was in order. Sadly, that day never came, and the airplane sat on the hot and humid tarmac of Manaus for three years! A series of events in Bolivia had prevented the Mooney from entering Bolivia. It was now needed to fly the Mooney back to the U.S. 

Mechanics from the U.S. arrived in Manaus to get the airplane ready for the flight north. After sitting outside for so long, the airplane needed lots of work to get it flyable. One of the biggest problems was one of the fuel tanks had gone bad. Rust debris had accumulated in the tank from sitting so long. It was flushed and cleaned out as best as possible. After checking, servicing, and fixing many components, the airplane was ready. 

I reached Manaus at the end of November ready to fly the airplane to our home base in Tennessee. I knew that flying an airplane that had been sitting for years in a foreign country was not going to be straightforward. I still had to get fuel for the airplane from another airport. The fuel needed to be transported by someone with the proper credentials, and there was only one person we knew of. A week later I had the fuel. While I waited for the fuel, I sat in the airplane troubleshooting the radio. It would turn on but would not transmit or receive. It was decided I would fly commercially to Miami, pick up another radio, and fly back. This would be faster than shipping it down and dealing with customs. 

A week later, with the radio working and a host of other problems solved, I was finally ready to fly north. It had taken me two weeks of running around to get the airplane out. The weather was good enough to fly after some heavy downpours, so I headed for Georgetown, Guyana. As I flew, I noticed several small items that needed more attention, but the engine was running flawlessly, and that was the most important thing. Five hours later I was in Guyana. So far so good. 

The next day I had a three-hour leg to the island nation of Grenada. And then five more hours over the many islands en route to Puerto Rico. I landed in Puerto Rico as some rain showers moved through the area just before sunset. Halfway home I thought, tomorrow I would attempt a seven-hour nonstop flight into West Palm Beach Florida. Time for some rest. 

The following day, the winds were looking favorable for the nonstop flight. I was glad to be flying one of the most efficient, fuel-sipping airplanes I have ever flown. Many times, I had depended on the Mooney's efficiency. This was going to be one of those times. Once in the air, I was burning 6.8 gallons an hour at an average ground speed of 142 knots. It would take me just under seven hours to reach West Palm while leaving me with more than two hours of fuel reserve.  

I landed in West Palm with no issues. The Mooney was flying like a champ. Only four hours more and I would be in Tennessee. I quickly filled up, filed my flight plan, and took off into the busy southern Florida airspace. As I was being vectored by ATC, having my route of flight amended, trouble struck! I had gone about 50 miles when the engine started sputtering and losing power. Informing ATC of my intentions to land, I spotted the nearest airport straight ahead and started descending. The engine was not happy. As shaking and popping sounds filled my ears, I was thankful it was still running. 

The landing was without incident. I taxied to the ramp and shut down. I quickly sent up a prayer of gratitude to our Lord, thanking Him for keeping this from happening a few hours earlier. I had flown thousands of miles over the ocean and jungle to just the right spot for this to happen. I pulled the cover off the engine and poked around. Nothing seemed amiss. I started the engine up and again the engine struggled. I found a mechanic who helped me check the airplane over. We couldn’t find the issue. Our mechanic would have to come down and look over the airplane. I headed home. 

As I write this, the airplane is being checked out. I am now back in Bolivia, glad to have gotten the airplane to the U.S. Sure, I didn't make it to Tennessee, but the airplane is now close enough that it can be flown up easily. We think the problem was the dirty fuel tank, causing the engine to ingest debris and causing a partial fuel blockage. We will know soon what the problem was.  

So as this door closes, I am thankful for the Lord's mercies to his children. I am thankful for the many doors the Lord has opened for us in Bolivia. After many years I finally became a Bolivian Citizen which allowed to me to get a permanent Bolivian pilot license. Our Cessna 182 operates without restrictions, and we have been able to fly people in and out of places we could only dream about before. So, the Lord is good, regardless of the many challenges, we continue to operate and move forward in this wonderful work of mission aviation.