Rapid Response to MFI

Recently, myself and two others from MMS took the two engines we worked on and their propellers back down to Missionary Flights International in Fort Pierce, Florida to reinstall them on the Cessna 310.

Cessna 310 with left engine installed and DC-3 in background.

Close up of left engine.

 While we did get the engines installed on the airplane, we had opportunities to work on other projects as well. I got the chance to get some priceless turbine engine experience when I was asked to help with the fuel nozzle change on one of MFI's DC-3s that has the Pratt and Whitney PT-6 conversion. These engines have 14 fuel nozzles per engine that must be serviced/changed at regular intervals. Learning the little details of this particular engine's fuel system will be a little easier now that I've had my hands on a couple of them. The PT-6 is becoming a very popular engine in the mission field due to its reliability and the challenges of finding avgas that piston engines burn.

Changing fuel nozzles on a PT-6.

PT-6 turboprop.

I asked one of the mechanics that has been with MFI for a few decades about the old engines versus the PT-6. He said that when they did their cost analysis, they found that flying with the PT-6 actually saved them about $2,000.00 a flight! That's big news when you have around three scheduled flights a week.

In addition to working on a DC-3, I got to do two other new things as well. I was asked if I wanted to go on one of the scheduled flights to Haiti and of course said yes. What this meant was I would need to pass my flight attendant test. So I was to go to a new country for me and join the ranks of flight attendants all in the same day.

Now, after you get back up off the floor and stop laughing enough to read on, I am happy to assure you that my uniform did not include a skirt or one of those poofy scarf things that you wear around your neck, just to be clear.

We took off from Ft. Pierce, FL with about half a plane of cargo and the other half full of a short term mission team and flew to Exuma, Bahamas for fuel. Here we had to get off the plane and wait inside the "terminal" while the fueling was accomplished. After a little while, the captain of the flight came and announced that the customs personnel had gone on strike and talks were going on to get us back on the plane and on our way. I don't know what happened to change their minds, but we got the green light to reboard shortly after that.

Parked for fuel at Cap Haitien, Haiti.

Soon we were airborne again and headed to Cap-Haitien which would be our airport of entry into Haiti. After a quick stop there to pick up the local customs officer, we flew to Pignon (pronounced peown) to drop off the team and the supplies. Let it be known, it is hot inside the cabin of a DC-3 on the ground in Haiti when you are unloading boxes, even in early April.

Pignon, Haiti

 

Bring on the passengers!

After we unloaded and the customs officer did his inspections and paperwork, we loaded up some people that were coming back to the states and the customs officer and headed back to Cap-Haitien to get fuel. After dropping off the officer and fueling, we headed home. Almost four hours later we landed back at Ft. Pierce and unloaded all of the people and their bags, went through customs to get back stateside then put the plane to bed for the night.

It was great to see how another mission works and actually get to go to the field as well. Thanks for all your prayers and support as we prepare for worldwide mission service!

In His love,  Ben