Wings for Humanity

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FLIGHT SCHOOLHeritage Academy:On the GroundGround school is the trainingthat pilots receive before theyget into a plane, preparingthem for their training in the air. Manystudents come to Heritage Academyto participate in the mission aviationcourse, and ground school is availableto any student with an interestin flying.“On the ground” also refers to thedestructive force of a tornado whenACTS Command Centera funnel cloud touches down, andalso refers to people who are activein response to a disaster situation. Amission pilot’s service is not limitedto his time in the air. What theydo on the ground is a vital aspectof their ministry. Often called torespond to emergencies, they maybe required to administer first aid tovictims whom they will be flying. Itis important that they can be calmin a crisis, and skillful in handlingemergencies.Students at Heritage Academyreceive a broad training for thisservice on the ground. Everystudent is grounded in the beliefsof the Adventist faith. This yearour students received a two-weekintensive from Scott Moore and theLay Institute For Evangelism (LIFE)in Bible marking where each studentlearned to give a Bible study on anyAdventist teaching. Additionally,students are trained in colporteurevangelism and are being taughthow to share their faith with peoplein their homes and businesses.Additionally, all are trainedin First Aid, CPR, and the useof an AED (automated externaldefibrillator). For response todisasters, students are trained in aFEMA course called: CommunityEmergency Response Teams(CERT). A component of disastertraining at Heritage is a coursecalled: Disaster Psychology, wherethey learn how to speak to someonewho is in a medical crisis. Throughdisaster simulations they learnhow to share Jesus with someonewho may be dying. Students alsoparticipate in large-scale disastersimulations with the Department ofHomeland Security (DHS).Last year a group of Heritagestudents prepared fifty victimsfor a disaster simulation at theOrlando International Airport.For our disaster simulations weuse a technique called moulage tosimulate realistic injuries. Orlando’sSWAT team, Orlando RegionalMedical Center’s helicopter,and about forty fire trucks andambulances were involved inthis event.Students also participated in aterrorist simulation in the AmwayArena for which they preparedover three hundred victims. Thesevictims simulated burn injuriesand were taken to various Orlandohospitals. The hospital staff wassurprised by the realism of thevictims’ injuries.Twice a month studentsparticipate in training with thePutnam County Fire Department.Each participant is issued personalprotective equipment including afire coat, fire pants, boots, gloves,and a helmet. This program includestraining in fire streams, the use ofropes, search & rescue, the use ofbreathing apparatus, and many otherfire fighting skills. Additionallysome students will have the opportunityto ride with the rescue squad.Affiliated with David Canther’sdisaster response organization(ACTS), Heritage Academy hasbeen responding to disasters sinceHurricane Katrina, ministeringto the needs of others in floods,tornados, and hurricanes. In April2011, students were called upon torespond to tornados in Tennesseeand Alabama, being involved insearch & rescue, mass feeding,distribution lines, traffic control,and clean-up operations.These various courses andexperiences combine to lay afoundation for our future missionpilots to be ready to serve onthe ground.8airways | Winter 2012www.FlyAWA.org
Report from AWA-PennsylvaniaFLIGHT SCHOOLAviation activity usually slows with the onsetof winter, but not at Adventist World Aviation-Pennsylvania. God has blessed us with good flighttraining weather so that two ground school students wereable to start the flight portion of their training. Bobby andJonathan are learning the basics of straight-and-level flight,coordinated turns, slow flight, stall recovery, and getting thefeel for take-offs and landings.More good news: Chris, a Blue Mountain Academy senior,earned his private pilot certificate in December 2011. Startinghis training at AWA-PA during his junior year, even a brokencollar bone could not stop him.Once healed, he determinedto get back into the air andfinish his training. His dad,Kenneth, a licensed pilot withmulti-engine rating althoughnot current, decided to investin fostering his son’s love foraviation rather than spend themoney to get himself current.Ever since Chris obtained hislicense, they have been flyingtogether as often as they can.October 2011 brought RicSwaningson, President andCEO of AWA, and Noel Clark,AWA’s chief pilot to AWA-PA, from the home office inWisconsin, along with AdamLacek from Florida and GloriaTokics, AWA’s videographer.They spent three days viewingand videoing our operations up close and meeting the flightstudents, flight instructor, and the members of the operatingcommittee. Speaking to the 160 Blue Mountain Academystudents at a joint worship, they shared the vision of howaviation is a vital tool to help bring the gospel to those whomight not otherwise get the chance to hear about Jesus.Just before the AWA staff visit, on an evening trainingflight shortly after take-off, Chris noticed the readout on theradios starting to fade. Earl Binder, the instructor, detectedan overcharging condition on the ammeter. SurmisingChris, after passing his ground school course.some sort of electrical problem unfolding, he used it as anopportunity for Chris to practice his aeronautical decisionmakingskills, asking him what he thought they should do.Chris had noticed the cabin lights beginning to fade. Heturned off the electrical equipment and headed back to theairport. By the time they reached the home aerodrome, therewas not enough power left to activate the pilot-controlledairport lighting. Fortunately, still being twilight, theycould see well enough to make an uneventful landing. TomEdelstein, a local A&P mechanic, replaced the bad startersolenoid and switch just in time for the AWA video shoot.An additional blessing!Flying is never inexpensive.As the saying goes-“The way tomake a small fortune in aviationis to start with a big one.” Partswear out, Avgas goes up, theHobbs meter (instrument thatmeasures how long the enginehas been running and how muchthe flight students are billed)continues racking up time. Butby God’s grace, with supportfrom generous donors, we havebeen able to continue offeringflight training to students fromBlue Mountain Academy at veryreasonable rates.Jonathan (not the abovementioned) was so excitedabout flying, he attended ourground school during his eighthgradeyear. He worked mowinglawns for two summers before he came to BMA. He isnow ready to start the flight portion of his training, but hedoesn’t have enough to funding to finish.He is just one of the young people who would love totake flight training, but are unable to do so for lack ofmeans. Your generous support helps open doors for studentslike Jonathan to fulfill their dream of flight training. Thankyou for keeping the needs of AWA-PA in your thoughts andprayers. And yes, volunteers are welcome!www.FlyAWA.org Winter 2012 | airways 9
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Page 5: What Makes a Plane Fly?NUTS & BOLTS
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