When the battery goes dead

This past week was a full one indeed! Monday – Fly to South Africa and drop off plane for maintenance. Tuesday – drive to Johannesburg and meet with our good friends Dr. Jason and Judy Fawcett and pick up books for the training program. Wednesday – have my flight medical done by a Canadian Aviation medical approved doctor in Pretoria and then drive back to Nelspruit, South Africa. Meet our friends for a birthday supper the same evening before their departure to the U.S.A. the next morning. Thursday - finish off all the business and pick up supplies needed for the mission, pick up the plane and make sure it was operating well and meet with some good friends at Mercy Air to plan a short-term visit scheduled for early August. Finally early morning Friday – finish packing the plane and fly back to Chimoio, central Mozambique (home)!

Francois (on the right) and I in the Cessna before the power went out

This kind of a crazy week can only happen because we have the privilege of flying; above the bad roads and crazy drivers, straight through the sky as the eagle flies rather than winding down roads that at times seem to double back on themselves to get around a bad spot, quickly through a small airport immigration post with no one in the line! I could go on, but I think you get the picture. A five hour (easy) trip instead of more than 20 hours (of difficult and dangerous driving) over two days!
But just as we got settled down in cruise at 9000 feet in smooth air with blue sky all around and the auto-pilot keeping us on perfect course and perfect altitude. All of a sudden, with no warning (other than the one I should have seen if I had been carefully monitoring the ammeter…rate of charge on the battery), the aircraft pulled into a steep climb momentarily, then dropped the nose into a steep dive and in a flashing of lights, everything on the panel went dead including the radios!

The problem started much further back, but when we had tried to start the plane to depart Chimoio, it would not turn over. We were giving Francois and Marisha (our friend's children who feel like our second set of children), a ride back to South Africa for school. So I put Francois in the pilot seat and gave specific instructions as to how he should turn the ignition on at the same time as I swung the propellor. The aircraft started with the first attempt, but since the throttle was set a little high, the engine revved up fairly good after starting. Francois' dad by this time was watching his son at the controls and with the noise and wind of the revving engine his eyes were the size of saucers as he grabbed the plane in an attempt to keep it from taking off with his kids. Although it was entirely unnecessary since the park brake was on and his son was holding the breaks, but I completely understood his feelings :).
Back to the cruise power out...mmmm! If I was not such an old pilot with a few similar experiences I would have likely been more freaked out. But a pilot is taught to 1. Fly the plane 2. Communicate if you can and 3. Systematically identify the problem. So we did and I discovered the alternator fuse popped. After re-setting it, I realized that at the rate of charge the alternator was being required to put out, we would likely have another popped fuse. So after turning off all but just the most important electrics, we flew on to our destination and the battery had a chance to re-charge slowly. As we climbed out from Vilanculos (the airport we cleared immigration and customs at), I slowly started turning on all the radios and navigation aids and everything worked just fine.
The reality is that after returning to Mozambique a little over a month ago, I have had one of those power out experiences as well. Our time in Canada, although soooo good and blessed, was hectic to say the least…a little like this past week. And since arriving back the pace has been overwhelming. When this happens too long, and the battery has had to put out more than it takes in, we gotto know a bump is coming. When it happens, there is nothing else one can do except to 1. Keep flying the plane…keep breathing, eating, sleeping and reading and meditating on God’s Word…keep doing the important things. 2. Communicate… I have shared much with Lynn and others who have so kindly taken the time to just stop, listen, pray and encourage me and 3. You do have to turn some things off as well because without times to recharge physically, emotionally and spiritually, the battery simply cannot charge up.

Ready to depart White river behind Mercy Air's 310

But in life it is hard to shut off anything. Today is the Saturday after the crazy week I described above and it is a chance to re-charge. But a couple of minutes ago the bell rang, and one of our staff was here with a grand-child baby that was almost dead. For many reasons he and the family never brought the child sooner, and so suddenly another crisis. So for a few moments we had to switch on the electrics again and Lynn in her gracious way provided the emergency nursing care she could and we provided the child and mother transport to hospital. The family refused to allow us to pray with the child, but since leaving them I have committed the child and family to God’s mercy and care.
Blaise Pascal, the 17th century philosopher and mathematician wrote, “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace. This he in vain tries to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can only be filled with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”
I recently read that “America is the unhappiest nation on earth, with more mental disorders per capita than any other country. Nigeria is considered the happiest.” If this is true or even close to true, it may be that our hectic pursuit for more things and more entertainment in life is killing our battery. Maybe we have to learn to shut off the electrics for a while and allow the batteries to recharge from the right source. I know I need this…have a great week.

Refueling at dawn with the electrics off!