Finishing in Collegedale

Greetings Everyone,

I am approaching the last two weeks (Lord willing) in Collegedale, TN. God has been good and has provided for all my needs here, especially this last week and month. The flight training requirements that I needed when I arrived were: 40 hours of Cross country flying, being the pilot in charge, and landing at an airport at least 50 miles direct distance from my starting airport; and in addition to that requirement I needed several hours of flying with an instructor to prepare me to take the practical flight test. The 40 hours were fulfilled in the last two months mostly, along with several hours with an instructor. My instructor has been teaching aviation for 50+ years and is very good at teaching things other instructors don't. It is a blessing and a testimony to God's work that such a treasure of experience is a volunteer and teaching missionaries for far below the going rate for instructors: $12 per hour.

The next step will be to complete the training with the instructor to his satisfaction and then take the practical flight test. The idea was presented that I fly out a day early for the practical test and pay for a practice one with the examiner on the day before. I would then spend the night in that area (50 miles from Collegedale), and take the real test the next day. This idea sounds appealing to me, as I was unprepared for my first flight exam and had to re-take it later.

The weather has been good here for flying, except for the last few days. We are currently sitting in an airport in South Carolina, waiting for the clouds to lift sufficiently for our flight back to Collegedale. We're expecting poor flying for the next few days, until Saturday.

The next step after this will be to find a cheap ticket to N'Djamena, Chad, as well as visiting my parents in Washington before I leave. It is coming down to the last two months and I am excited and asking the Lord to make sure that I leave nothing undone back here before I go.

Hope all is going well with you.

God Bless,

Scott Sterling